COMPANIES SEEK ALTERNATIVES TO DIRECT MAIL MARKETING WITH NEW "ETELLIMAIL" PRODUCT, AMID BIOTERRORISM CONCERNS

As mail handling safety guidelines stifle traditional business-to-business direct marketing amid bioterrorism concerns, companies seek alternatives, some abandoning long-successful direct mail campaigns, reacting to uncertainty of mail being received, opened. New EtelliMail(TM)marketing tool enables rapid, in-house implementation of marketing campaigns,transcending spamming" objections

(Timonium, Md.) – Amid concerns over bioterrorism via postal mail, companies reliant on traditional direct mail marketing are scrambling for alternatives. Businesses that depend upon direct mail for lead generation must question whether their pieces are received or opened, as the incidence of anthrax increases, and businesses react to the Postmaster Generals comments that there are no guarantees the mail is safe." Etelligent Technologies, an Internet Applications firm headquartered in Timonium, Md., has announced the launch of its new product called EtelliMail" (www.etellimail.com) in response to market demands for a robust email marketing alternative.

Christopher Cooke, Director of Sales & Marketing for Etelligent Technologies, reported, I recently met with the owner of a Baltimore based company that sells Sales Force Productivity Software. He has been successfully marketing with one direct mail piece for over twelve years. He is now concerned that prospects are afraid to even open his mailing. These fears and stringent mail handling guidelines are definitely forcing companies to explore other options."

EtelliMail is a proprietary web-based data application that allows companies to implement and administer email marketing campaigns in-house, with comparable results to working with a professional Internet marketing firm. EtelliMail allows companies to broadcast personalized email messages and offerings to target groups that have expressed an interest in their product. EtelliMail is unique from other types of email marketing in that it allows companies to capture users needs and buying preferences and then send email offers that are customized to their interests.

EtelliMails Forwarding feature takes advantage of viral marketing" allowing email recipients to forward a personalized copy of the offering to a friend. The forwarding form then captures the recipients contact information and adds them to the companys prospect list for future mailings. The product handles all tasks related to email marketing campaigns, including Prospect Gathering, Message Creation, List Creation, and Email Campaign Reporting.

EtelliMail minimizes lead generation costs and enables companies to react quickly to capitalize on market changes. Retail sales have declined since 9/11/01, but e-commerce spending jumped some 54 percent from last year to $4.7 billion, according to a recent survey conducted by Nielsen/NetRatings Harris Interactive eCommerce Pulse," representing an increase of $1.7 billion. According to the Direct Mail Association, anthrax concerns could cost the direct mail industry $2 billion of the $528 billion in annual sales it generates.

Although email marketing has been in use for some time now, many companies have been reluctant to use it for fear of irritating customers with unsolicited SPAM" email. Many companies attempting email marketing in the early years of the Internet had bad experiences because they werent using the right approach. EtelliMail uses buyers preferences to target an audience and is only directed at users who have requested information, so we can achieve a much higher response rate," said Cooke.

Companies in diverse industries, including law, insurance, retail, office automation, and real estate, have already contracted with Etelligent Technologies for its EtelliMail solution.
                  
ABOUT ETELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES
Etelligent Technologies, Inc. is a web application development firm headquartered in Timonium, Maryland. Etelligent Technologies is a unique firm with a diverse complementary skillset encompassing the programming, marketing, graphical design, technical engineering, and interactive media fields. Etelligent specializes in eBusiness tools that help companies improve the way that they conduct business.
Additional information is available at http://www.etellitech.com.

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