"I predicted back in January that 2009 would be the year of the email marketer," says Stephanie Miller in a post at the Daily Fix blog. "Times got rough mid-last year, and executives were scrambling to maintain revenue and keep customers happy." As a result, she thought, the low investment and high ROI of email marketing would make it even more irresistible to top management.

There's a problem, though: Miller says many email marketers have squandered the unique opportunity to innovate in areas like "deeper eCRM data integration, triggered behavior messages, testing programs and inbox deliverability data."

Thankfully, it isn't too late to change course; Miller says it's still possible to make email marketing the hero of 2009 with ideas like these:

• Testing the lift in response with segmented messages.
• Tracking your true inbox deliverability.
• Analyzing complaints to improve customer satisfaction.
• Improving your templates.

"Executives should still welcome advocates for the email program," notes Miller, "especially if you use the data you have to make the case for how a little investment will go a long way toward [generating] more revenue in Q4."

"What will your 2009 legacy be?" Miller asks. Did you scramble to preserve the status quo, or did you strengthen your brand for the coming recovery? Only you can find that answer.

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