Email Marketing RulesWhy the Rebirth of Email Marketing Is Coming in 2016
Posted on January 4, 2016
Email marketing was ignored, under-resourced, and declared uncool and dead during the rise of social media. Now that leased media is morphing into paid media and paid media is morphing into blocked media, brands are returning to permission-based email marketing to find that it has new synergies, powerful new capabilities, broader integration, and fresh blood.
This is the premise of 5 predictions for email marketing in 2016 that I shared on the Convince & Convert blog:
- We’ll see many more positive media stories about email marketing than negative in 2016.
- The majority of email opens will occur on mobile devices in 2016.
- The majority of brands will use responsive design for their marketing emails in 2016.
- Another major ESP will be acquired in 2016 by a software titan.
- The first brands will offer checkout experiences that are fully contained within emails in 2016.
For all the details on these predictions and more on how email marketing is changing,…
>> Read the entire guest post on the Convince & Convert blog
7 Email Marketing Predictions for 2016
Posted on December 31, 2015
’Tis the season for predictions, so let’s get to it. Here are 7 email marketing predictions for 2016 that I shared in my latest Marketing Land column:
- There will be many more positive media stories about email marketing than negative in 2016.
- Another major email service provider (ESP) will be acquired in 2016.
- Brands will debut the first shopping experiences that are fully contained within emails.
- The majority of email opens will be on mobile devices in 2016.
- The majority of brands will use responsive design for their marketing emails in 2016.
- In addition to a new iPhone with a screen size similar to the 5S, Apple will release a Siri-infused headset (a la Jawbone) that syncs with iPhones and the Apple Watch.
- Email marketing will experience a second coming of age during 2016.
>> Read the full column on MarketingLand.com
Happy Holidays from My Family to Yours!
Posted on December 25, 2015
Whatever you celebrate, I hope your holidays are filled with family and fun.
Best wishes,
Chad
10 Email Marketing Top 10 Lists for 2015
Posted on December 21, 2015
Over the past two weeks, the team here at Litmus has been boiling down the events of 2015 into 10 top 10 lists. Each covers a different aspect of email marketing. Check them all out here:
Top 10 Email Design + Marketing Litmus Blog Posts of 2015
The most popular Litmus blog posts included ones on Email Client Market Share, How to Code a Live Dynamic Twitter Feed in Email, and A First Look at Email on the Apple Watch.
Top 10 Email Marketing Stats of 2015
At the top of the list: US marketing executives believe email alone drives the same amount of revenue as their social media, website, and display ad efforts combined, according to The Relevancy Group.
Top 10 Most Popular Snippets of 2015
Code snippets help you code your emails more quickly. The most popular one? Code that removes blue links on Apple devices.
Top 10 Most Tested Email Clients in 2015
Litmus allows marketers to test the rendering of their emails in more than 40 email clients. The one that marketers tested the most often? Outlook 2013.
Top 10 Community Discussions of 2015
Of the hundreds of discussions in the Litmus Community over the past year, the most engaging ones were about hamburger menus in emails, a desktop Outlook HTML/CSS support wishlist, and a Community Contest about creative uses of ALT text.
Top 10 Email Design Podcast Episodes of 2015
The most popular Email Design Podcast episodes were about our favorite emails of 2014; our predictions for 2015; and the impact of responsive email, the new Outlook app, and Email Design Contests.
Top 10 Most Popular Email Clients of 2015
The Apple iPhone, Gmail, and Apple iPad stayed at the top of the leader board all year, but there was considerable jockeying among the other email clients.
Top 10 Best Performing Litmus Emails of 2015
There are many ways to measure the success of an email campaign and in this post we use a bunch of them to highlight our own successful campaigns.
Top 10 Email Developments of 2015
Our pick for the biggest development in email? The debut of the Apple Watch.
Top 10 Email Marketing Predictions for 2016
We end our retrospective with a look into the future. Our predictions range from the all-but-guaranteed to the “Geez, that limb is thin.”
The Future of Email Coding Standards Is Stratified
Posted on December 9, 2015
Will we ever have email coding standards? This is a tricky question and my views on the matter have definitely evolved over the years along with the evolution of the email client and device landscape. Let me start by saying I now think there will never be a single email coding standard.
However, that doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to our current highly fragmented existence. In the future, there will likely be a patchwork of common and independent rendering engines. The future of email will still be fragmented, but there will be significant areas of consolidation.
Mark Robbins of Rebelmail is right that we need a standard rendering engine, otherwise we’ll be fighting the same fight for standardization every time a major email client releases a new version. Thankfully ISPs have financial and logistical reasons to want to standardize around rendering engines as well.
This is most likely to occur first within the webmail environment, where market share is declining. This will put financial pressure on ISPs, and standardizing on a common rendering engine will be seen as a sensible solution for many ISPs.
The mobile environment, which is still growing nicely, won’t be subject to such pressures, so multiple rendering engines will continue to exist there. That said, the companies that rule most of mobile—namely, Apple and Google—will likely eventually consolidate their own mobile operations around single rendering engines to streamline development efforts. It’s just bad business for Google, for instance, to operate some many different email rendering engines. But the key word here is “eventually.”
And then there’s wearables and the internet of things. This is where things will only get messier and messier. Watches, e-readers, electronic paper, and other devices will dumb email down to plain text (perhaps HTML text at some point, if we’re lucky). Ear fobs, automobiles, etc. will read emails to us, and our replies and actions will be verbalized.
Oh, and the desktop environment (aka Microsoft Outlook) will also continue to be a mess, but it will continue to lose market share to cloud-based solutions, chiefly Google’s Gmail. And eventually—perhaps five years from now—on-premise email will be isolated to markets that only a small percentage of marketers will need to concern themselves with.
So basically, the future of email rendering is stratified, with the rending layers varying from standardized (i.e., webmail) to consolidated (i.e., mobile app mail) to, let’s say, untamed (i.e., wearables, Iot, desktop). On net, this should make the job of email designers and developers a bit easier, but only a bit.
>> Join the conversation in the Litmus Community
2015 Top 10 Email Marketing Stats
Posted on December 8, 2015
2015 marked a significant turn in the perception of email marketing in the media and in C-suites. After years of “Email Is Dead” headlines, this year brought renewed interest and headlines like The Triumphant Return of the Email Newsletter and Shop, Play Games, And Check Twitter—From Your Inbox.
Ultimately, these predictions of email’s demise just weren’t supported by consumer behavior. Indeed, lots of fresh research shows that email is at the top of its game.
At the same time, research from this year also points to plenty of opportunities for marketers to improve their email marketing programs and rethink how consumers interact with brands via email.
A number of these stats are ones you might want to share with your CMO as budgets get finalized for 2016. So here we go…
>>Read the entire post on the Litmus blog
The Last Word on November 2015
Posted on December 2, 2015
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & whitepapers
Email Marketing: 4 data points to help you build the case for a bigger budget in 2016 (Marketing Experiments Blog)
Email Is the Best Way to Reach Millennials (Harvard Business Review)
What are the most reliable content channels to connect with customers? ({grow})
Gmail, We Need To Talk (TechCrunch)
Sharp Deliverability Declines in North America (Inbox Marketer)
The Demise of the Deliverability Reputation Score (Oracle Modern Marketing Blog)
HTML vs. Text Email: There’s No Debate in Email Marketing (SparkPost blog)
Yahoo starts blocking mail users who use ad blockers. (Pulse Headlines)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
@akingkiwi: Another very cool interactive email from @ericlepetitsf at Nest – https://litmus.com/builder/bb32dc0 #emailgeeks #emailmarketing
@ThinkwithGoogle: Rather than daylong marathons, shopping will happen in spare moments this holiday season. goo.gl/BcIVir pic.twitter.com/IfEszokcEm
@iamelliot: does anyone have the best subject line? I need to use it for something
@EmailSnarketing: “Unfortunately, email marketing skills aren’t transmitted by bodily fluids.” #ShitISayAtWork
@flcarneiro on 11/30: Today only! My inbox gets murdered! Don’t wait!
Noteworthy subject lines
JCPenney, 11/11 — Celebrate! Extra 30% off for Singles Day
MASS MoCA, 11/11 — 11/11: We wish for…
Jetsetter, 11/11 — 11/11: Make a Travel Wish!
Nikon, 11/11 — 11% off All Refurbished Items – 11 Hours Only
JCPenney, 11/5 — Get ready for Thanksgiving—30-50% off home
Epicurious, 11/4 — 10 Tricks for an Easier Thanksgiving
Cold Stone Creamery, 11/5 — Invite Cold Stone® To Your Thanksgiving Table!
Morton’s, 11/12 — Reserve Your Table Now for a Memorable Thanksgiving Meal
Horchow, 11/12 — Gobble, gobble! Order you Thanksgiving meal here & now!
Urban Outfitters, 11/4 —It’s almost Friendsgiving…
The Container Store, 11/5 — How to throw an unforgettable party
The Container Store, 11/8 — Quiz: What Kind of Holiday Planner Are YOU?
The Home Depot, 11/4 — BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW
Walmart, 11/18 — You’re winning BLACK FRIDAY with these prices
AutoAnything, 11/23 — We Couldn’t Wait Until Friday, Neither Should You!
Lenovo, 11/23 — [Early Black Friday] No Joke, We’d Hate to See You Miss Out on Special Doorbusters
Gap, 11/25 — early access (hint: 50% off)
Anthropologie, 11/25 — Just in: 1000s (1000s!) of gifts.
Hayneedle, 11/7 — 12 holiday sales start now!
Victoria’s Secret, 11/1 — Get hot for the holidays. Lingerie, fragrance & nothing more
NFL Shop, 11/4 — Start customizing the perfect gift today! Plus, Free Shipping over $50!
Vera Bradley, 11/12 — A gift with her name on it …
Zappos, 11/12 — Something for you… something for them!
Lego Shop, 11/12 — WOW them this holiday season with LEGO® Ultimate Gifts!
Harley-Davidson, 11/28 — For Those on the Naughty List
ThinkGeek, 11/27 — ThinkGeek’s #000000 Friday: 40% off 75 amazing gifts!
MAC Cosmetics, 11/28 — Get the Berry Black Friday Look! Plus Free Shipping.
Fans Edge, 11/28 — Black Friday = Black Saturday. 25% off.
Carnival Cruise Line, 11/28 — Do The Robot At Sea, Cyber Saturday Is Here (Deals Inside!)
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/28 — Cyber Weekend Exclusive! $700 Gift Card
Toys “R” Us, 11/28 — Cyber Week Starts Today! Shop Now!
Walmart, 11/28 — CYBER WEEK is here!
Furniture.com, 11/28 — Let’s get this Cyber Party started!
Urban Outfitters, 11/29 — Cyber Monday on Sunday? Sign up for Urban On + Shop NOW
Kate Spade, 11/29 — 30% off starts now! (sunday is the new cyber monday)
REI, 11/2 — Snow Safety Never Looked So Good
J.Crew, 11/5 — We wait all year for this: cashmere season
Garnet Hill, 11/29 — 100% soft, 25% OFF: a cashmere Christmas
Lululemon, 11/5 — can’t feel my face
Anthropologie, 11/12 — Two words. Sweater. Dress.
GapKids, 11/16 — you’re getting (so much) warmer…
Hayneedle, 11/2 — The season for indoor games is on!
Express, 11/2 — Be the first to see our 2015 Holiday Collection
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/4 — Hello Holiday: It’s Our 2015 Gift Guide
Chico’s, 11/5 — Sneak Peek: The Holiday 2015 Collection
Clinique, 11/5 — Good news—and goodies! Our Holiday Shop is open.
Under Armour, 11/12 — The Top 10 Gifts They Actually Want
Adidas, 11/12 — It’s Here! Your guide to the very best holiday gifts
J.Crew, 11/12 — It’s here. Introducing the Great Gift List @ jcrew.com.
Barneys New York, 11/18 — Oh, the Chill of it All: Shop our Holiday Lookbook
MoMA Store, 11/19 — Our #1 contender for gift of the season
Levi’s, 11/17 — 50.1% off 501® Jeans. Two days only.
Uncommon Goods, 11/3 — You get three wishes…just kidding, take as many as you want!
Jetsetter, 11/3 — Where Haven’t You Been Yet?
Banana Republic, 11/3 — 5 versatile pieces = easy mornings
ThinkGeek, 11/9 — We find your lack of maple syrup disturbing: new Death Star Waffle Maker!
Barneys New York, 11/19 — You Haven’t Seen Jennifer Meyer Do This Before
J.Crew, 11/19 —Jimmy Fallon introduces the Pocket Dial (shop it, in stores & online)
Urban Outfitters, 11/17 — Introducing: Urban Outfitters Journal
BabyGap, 11/18 — insert oohs + awes here
Garnet Hill, 11/3 — Your PJ’s can help raise $15,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 11/23 — Fight cancer with your photos #GiveThanks
Vera Bradley, 11/17 — We’re hiring for the holidays!
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
#Webinar Recording Available: How to Recover from Email Marketing Mistakes
Will We Ever Have Email Coding Standards?
The Shadow War for Holiday Email Marketing Victory
#Infographic: Decision Tree for Recovering from Email Marketing Mistakes
Email Marketing, Data Breaches & Tightening Regulations?
How to Recover from Email Marketing Mistakes #eBook
When Does the Holiday Season Start?
10 Tips to Get Your Email Marketing Program Ready for the Holiday Season
My Top 5 Favorite Apology Emails
Posted on December 1, 2015
Email marketing mistakes are not a matter of “if,” but “when.” Email is too dynamic, too complex, and too quick of a medium to avoid mistakes completely. So given this inevitability, it pays to be prepared for the worst.
When trying to recover from an email marketing mistake, your action plan may include sending an apology email. A good apology email does 3 things:
- Says that you’re sorry
- Explains what went wrong (and perhaps provides reassurances that it won’t happen again and, if appropriate, that no data was compromised)
- Gives subscribers a reason to forgive you
With that in mind, here are my top 5 favorite apology emails from over the years…
>> Read the entire column on MarketingLand.com
#Webinar Recording Available: How to Recover from Email Marketing Mistakes
Posted on November 24, 2015
Mistakes in email marketing are pretty much inevitable, so you need to have a plan of action in place so you can react quickly and appropriately to errors.
In our latest webinar we share a decision framework for how to recover as gracefully as possible from email marketing mistakes, and then put that framework into action, applying it to 10 real-life case studies of email marketing errors made in recent years.
If you missed the webinar, we’ve now posted the full recording of the webinar along with the slides. I’ve also answered all the questions from the Q&A portion of the webinar.
>> View webinar recording, slides, and Q&A
Will We Ever Have Email Coding Standards?
Posted on November 23, 2015
This has been burning question for email marketers for a long time. Web developers have standards, but email developers don’t. Will this ever change? And what will be the catalyst for change?
We polled nearly 4,000 marketers about whether we’d ever have email coding standards, and they were significantly more optimistic than we thought they’d be—which is to say, they are more optimistic than we are here at Litmus.
We also asked 5 of our speakers from The Email Design Conference about this issue:
- Dan Denney, Front-End Developer, Code School
- Fabio Carneiro, Lead Email Developer and UX Designer, MailChimp
- Mike Ragan, Designer, ActionRocket
- Mark Robbins, Email Developer, RebelMail
- Brian Graves, UI Team Lead, DEG
For the results of our poll and to see what our experts thought…
>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
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