TowerData Talks Hashed Emails on A Slice a Day Podcast

Before the New Year, I made a prediction: 2015 is going to be the year hashed email becomes one of the industry’s top buzzwords. We haven’t even reached the end of the first quarter, and my prediction is already holding true.

Last week, we published a blog post that discusses why we deem hashed emails the future of marketing. Then, earlier this week, Mark Tennant of the marketing industry podcast A Slice a Day asked me to stop by the show and discuss this concept further.

Hashed Emails and Sticky Data

As companies drill down on personalization strategies and increase their usage of customer data, it only makes sense to bring hashed emails into the conversation.

During the podcast, Mark and I chatted about the applications and future of hashed emails. More specifically, we talked about what’s known as “sticky data,” or any data point that acts as a rich source of additional user information. For example, a hashed email gives marketers insight into where their audience spends their time online in the same way your passport shows which countries you’ve explored.

We also discussed the opportunities available from email. As Mark highlighted, “Email will continue to be the main point of contact brands have with their customer base.” But, email is more than a communication channel-it’s a connection port to a virtual treasure trove of additional data that helps us better understand and serve our customers. Today, marketers can utilize email addresses to obtain other pertinent information, such as postal codes, household income and occupation.

Understanding Consumer Choice

Perhaps one of the most important takeaways from the podcast, and hashed emails as a whole, is, this is a way for consumers to open the lines of communication.

We often refer to the digital era as “the age of the customer.” Today, the consumer holds more power than ever before and, in order for marketers to fully understand the wants and needs of our customers, we need to understand their habits and lifestyle. By providing a company with an email address, a consumer opens the door for more targeted communication and, on the flip side, hashed emails also protect consumers from unsolicited communications.

At the end of the day, hashed emails are about leveraging greater value out of something already in a marketer’s toolkit and giving your consumers more of what they want.

To hear the podcast in its entirety, please check out Mark Tennant’s blog!

Ready to unleash the full power of consumer data on your next email marketing campaign? Learn how in our eBook Using Customer Data to Achieve Email Marketing Success.