Screw it. Let’s brand it.

From DMNews.com, and according to a Forrester Research report, “e-Mail marketing spend will increase to $2 billion in 2014 in the US. This represents an 11% year-over-year growth rate. Because of this growth, in five years consumers will be hit with more than 9,000 e-mail marketing messages a year.

Social networks play a large role in these forecasts. As social networks become more primary sources, e-mail will grow, as e-mail is the basis for all social communications, according to the report.”

I believe it is important for businesses to realize the effect social networks will have on their e-communications. Inboxes will become more cluttered and the attention spans, not to mention the patience of users will hinge on a very thin thread.

Marketers will have it all to do to make sure they not only manage to grab the attention of users, but also strike a perfect balance in terms of timing, frequency and targeting of messages. Where it was once reasonably safe to deliver generic material to a mass audience base, technology has become both the Achilles heel and the enabler among users.

Targeted, user specific material will become crucial and the nemesis of countless businesses. Many will publicly question the relevancy and effect of e-communications because of that. While the marketing spend on email is forecasted to increase, it will become more difficult to retain recipient loyalty.

Which indirectly leads to another form of e-mail marketing. E-mail branding has been around for some time. It is not widely publicized, probably because it is one of the less attractive business models around. It doesn’t enjoy the media sensation as the likes of mobile technology, social networking and viral campaigns. It’s not a revolutionary technology, and it’s not necessarily a concept that is easily dressed up and paraded with.

Which makes it all the more effective. Its simplicity is its unique selling point. The notion of branding the inevitable white space within e-mails is arbitrary, yet often neglected. With technology that performs in the background with only the good stuff engaging with the user makes it one of the more enjoyable campaign trackers available.

The main attraction of e-mail branding is that it works while you’re using it. The reporting functionality is a classic example of how important real-time conversions are. It is often the time lapse from receiving an e-mail notification that somebody has clicked on the link of your branding to surprising the user with a phone call literally while they’re still browsing your site, that leads to the sale.

We live in a time where media and marketing have become the sex symbol of commerce, where turnover and profits seem secondary. I have yet to witness a business that manages to survive on this mantra though.