Only a few short years ago, e-mail was championed as heralding a new era in direct marketing. Costs were a fraction of direct mail. Double-digit response rates abounded. Now, thanks to filtering software, federal regulations, and Nigerian investment schemes, many marketers are already writing e-mail's obituary.

Question: is e-mail marketing really dead, or (as Mark Twain would put it) are reports of its demise greatly exaggerated?

These days, we're getting lots of questions from clients about the continued viability of e-mail as a lead generation tool, and whether direct mail is ready to make a comeback. Fact is, despite everything you read about the barriers faced by e-mail marketers (one example: spam is now 80 percent of all US e-mail, up from 30 percent only a year ago), our experience shows that e-mail response rates haven't suffered proportionately.

To the extent that companies, particularly in high-tech and other B2B sectors, are abandoning e-mail, that move would appear to have less to do with actual campaign performance than what you might call the "e-mail fear factor", a knee-jerk response based on the notion that "no-one reads e-mails any more" or "we don't want to be associated with spam."

Here's the reality: e-mail still works. Yes, response rates have subsided, but not precipitously. (We find, all things - offer, message, lists - being equal, direct mail and e-mail response rates are fairly comparable.) Yes, most of your e-mail will never get opened or read, but you can say the same of direct mail, which costs twice as much, or more.

E-mail is easily abused, but still merits consideration by responsible, brand-conscious B2B marketers as part of your ongoing campaign planning. Just be sure to work exclusively with reputable list owners, follow CAN-SPAM regulations diligently, and respect your audience with a message that doesn't mislead or otherwise insult their intelligence. Direct mail will always be an option, albeit at a higher cost, but for most B2B marketers, e-mail is alive and kicking.