E-mail has become an important tool for marketers, according to e-mail marketing firm Newsweaver.

The Cork-based business is basing this claim on a recent E-mail Marketing Insight report, which it conducted in conjunction with The Marketing Institute of Ireland. According to the study 78.1 percent of Irish marketers said that e-mail is either important or very important to their overall marketing strategy.

Of the 628 participants, 55 percent said they expect their expenditure on e-mail marketing to increase in the next 12 months.

"The survey was conducted in order to examine in detail the current use of e-mail marketing in Ireland. In the last few years there has been a rapid increase in the adoption of e-mail as a marketing tool and this prompted us to look in more detail at how Irish marketers are using e-mail in their marketing activity," Andrew O'Shaughnessy, chief executive of Newsweaver told ENN.

O'Shaughnessy said that e-mail offers marketers the ability to track who opens e-mails and who clicks on specific links, as well as to identify the content that's being read.

"As marketers are increasingly relying on e-mail as a vehicle to engage with customers and prospects, the purpose of this study was to examine the use of e-mail marketing in Ireland today," said Tom Trainor, chief executive of The Marketing Institute. "This report will undoubtedly prove invaluable to all Irish marketers. The findings provide some thought-provoking insights and practical guidelines which will help Irish marketers drive their e-mail marketing forward."

Newsweaver expects e-mail to play an increasingly important role in marketing campaigns in years to come. O'Shaughnessy said that marketers are becoming more mature in how they utilise the technology.

"Recent trends have included a move away from sending generic bulk e-mails to all, to using targeting and segmentation techniques to send more relevant personalised communications to your audience," he said.

"Relevancy is key for success in e-mail because of the volume of e-mail people receive today. You will get a much better return from your e-mail if you are sending personalised relevant content to your audience than if you are not personalising your e-mail and sending the same thing to everyone."