Marketing Sherpa has advised that e-marketers could boost their opt-in rates for their online campaigns to make email databases work harder, by implementing a number of strategies.

It suggested that they should start by increasing incentives for referrals as doing so could entice new customers to recruit opt-ins to their email newsletters for example.

E-marketers could offer the likes of discount coupons to customers who make referrals, Marketing Sherpa claimed.

The online marketing strategy company also advised that combating email address typos is essential to curb levels of bouncing back emails.

"When a customer makes one of those common mistakes [of misspelling their email address], you can programme your form to highlight the error and ask them to correct their spelling," it suggested by using automated systems.

Meanwhile, e-marketing solutions provider ExactTarget recently advised marketers that it will be important to deliver relevant and timely information to their customers in 2009.

Speaking to Market Watch, it warned that competitors will be stepping up their game to survive the financial crisis.

Copyright 2009 by Living Streams Consultancy UK Ltd

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