Email Marketing RulesHoliday Marketing Quarterly: Second Quarter 2021 Checklist
Posted on April 8, 2021
Oracle’s Holiday Marketing Quarterly gives B2C brands a quarter-by-quarter checklist for how to achieve more during the critical holiday season with their email marketing and other digital marketing channels. Along with guidance on planning, strategy, and prioritization, you’ll get advice and tips from some of Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts.
Our second quarter checklist is focused on finishing your review of the 2020 holiday season and then making a range of improvements to everything from subscriber acquisition to performance reporting to campaign production. In this Holiday Marketing Quarterly, we’ll cover:
- Holiday Messaging Competitive Intelligence
- Subscriber Acquisition Source Optimization
- Unsubscribe Process Optimization
- Improved Analytics & Reporting
- Experimentation & Testing
- Accelerate Campaign Build Processes
For details on each of those areas…
>> Download the 18-page Second Quarter 2021 Holiday Marketing Quarterly
The Last Word on March 2021
Posted on April 2, 2021
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Is Your C-Suite Equipped to Lead a Digital Transformation? (Harvard Business Review)
What Do Website Visitors Want? It’s Not What B2B Brands Are Giving Them (Orbit Media Studios)
Introducing the Dark Storefront: A New Way Of Shopping Online (Independent Retailer)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
This is also why your email opt-in CTA should never be “subscribe.” https://t.co/sKcqFw4w4z
— Brian Clark (@brianclark) March 10, 2021
I’m just an email designer
sitting on the other side of your inbox
asking you to love her emails#emailgeeks— Megan Boshuyzen (@megbosh) March 23, 2021
Meta.#emailgeeks pic.twitter.com/2muZnDeFpL
— Jen Capstraw (@jencapstraw) March 24, 2021
Good accessibility is like good UX; if it’s functioning, you don’t notice it. – @AliceLiCode #emailgeeks #emailsuperherohangout
— Anne Tomlin (@pompeii79) March 26, 2021
Noteworthy subject lines
Williams Sonoma, 3/1 – Three easy Easter baking projects
Crate & Barrel, 3/4 – Take a peep at our Easter meal prep guide
Nordstrom, 3/20 – Instant Outfit: Easter Sunday
Michaels, 3/1 – Get inspired by these talented women making beautiful things.
VS PINK, 3/8 – Happy International Women’s Day! 💪 👩
IKEA, 3/8 – Watch Zara Larsson live in concert on International Women’s Day!
Williams Sonoma, 3/8 – Women-made products to celebrate International Women’s Day
Express, 3/8 – Who runs these brands? GIRLS❤️
Gap, 3/8 – We’re honoring International Women’s Day with real stories
Nintendo, 3/10 – Save now with the MAR10 Day sale!
Express, 3/10 – Losing an hour of 💤? Here’s 30% off UpWest Sleep & Lounge
Nordstrom, 3/12 – New to Nordstrom: EveVen by Venus Williams
Everlane, 3/4 – New: The ThermoStat™ Tee
Quiksilver, 3/31 – We recycled plastic bottles to create these shorts
VS PINK Swim, 3/4 – NEW Swim that is kinder to the planet 🌎🌊
Target, 3/4 – Patio sets perfect for every outdoor space☀️
The Home Depot, 3/20 –☀️It’s The First Day of Spring☀️
West Elm, 3/21 – It’s spring! Bring on the PLANTERS 💐
Eddie Bauer, 3/19 – Every Body Belongs Outside 🌳 🌲 🌳
Kohl’s, 3/25 – Must-haves for those sunny days ahead. 😎
ModCloth, 3/9 – Shop these picnic-me-ups 🧺
DICK’S Sporting Goods, 3/13 – Up to 30% Off Select Outdoor Gear to Get Outside!
Victoria’s Secret, 3/2 – All the Out of Office Vibes
Good Sam TravelAssist, 3/1 – Travel looks a little different these days… Be prepared for the unexpected.
Camping World RV, 3/31 – Shake Off That Zoom Gloom In A New RV!
Office Depot, 3/1 – You deserve a clean slate and fresh start
MoMA Design Store, 3/2 – A New Way to Fall Asleep
Panera Bread, 3/2 – Still sleepy, Chad? Leave breakfast to us.
West Elm, 3/4 – The rug equivalent of a cozy sweater
Express, 3/19 – 40% OFF DRESSES + TOPS | Wear this from 🧘 to 👩💻 to 🍷
SUBWAY Restaurants, 3/11 – Buy 1 Footlong, get 1 50% off on Grubhub
Petco, 3/13 – Need it today? We can deliver on that!
Lowe’s Home Improvement, 3/2 – Say hello to our newest small business partners.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 3/1 – Fashion Month Insider Spotlight: Bettina Looney shares her styling secrets
IKEA, 3/4 – ATTENTION: Huge, augmented reality related news inside.
IKEA, 3/12 – Introducing: The first ever IKEA Audio Catalog.
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Things People Say That Show They Don’t Understand Email Marketing
On-Demand Webinar: The Biggest Shifts in Email Marketing Trends for 2021
Automated Campaign Ideas to Explore: An Oracle Consulting Checklist
Uplers: 29 Experts on Email Trends to Watch for in 2021
Things People Say That Show They Don’t Understand Email Marketing
Posted on March 29, 2021
Email marketing is a complex channel that routinely isn’t appreciated by outsiders—and particularly by executives. That became all the more clear when I recently fired off this tweet:
Things people say that make me think they don’t really understand #emailmarketing:
“Sending an email is easy.”
“Email marketing is cheap.”
“There are no rules.”
“Email hasn’t changed in 20 years.”
#EmailGeeks, what are your verbal red flags?
That tweet uncorked a torrent of pent up frustrations. And some themes became clear rather quickly. Here are the big ones, along with just some of the tweets from the #EmailGeeks community on Twitter…
>> Read the entire post on Oracle’s Modern Marketing Blog
On-Demand Webinar: The Biggest Shifts in Email Marketing Trends for 2021
Posted on March 19, 2021
The extraordinary events of the past year heavily influenced email marketing investments last year and are shaping the trends that will dominate 2021. We can see those shifts in the results of our second annual Email Marketing Trends Survey, where we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts. We asked them to rate 26 email marketing tactics and technologies, both in terms of their perceived adoption right now and their anticipated impact in 2021.
We then organized them into adoption-impact quadrants. Our consultants’ ratings placed three trends in our low adoption–low impact quadrant of Unproven Opportunities; 12 trends in our low adoption–high impact quadrant of Competitive Differentiators; 11 trends in our high adoption–high impact quadrant of Proven Essentials; and none in our high adoption–low impact quadrant of Established Commodities.
While you can learn more about each of those trends via the links above, in this 26-minute on-demand webinar we focus on how email marketers’ priorities have shifted in response to the pandemic. In addition to listing the quadrant groupings of all 26 email trends, we share:
- The 1 trend that had the biggest decrease in adoption
- The 2 trends that had the biggest decrease in impact
- The 3 trends that had the biggest increases in adoption
- The 3 trends that had the biggest increases in impact
- The 5 trends that changed quadrants
- The 5 trends that have the highest impact overall
There are clear patterns in these changes that paint a bigger picture of what marketers are focused on. We hope that this webinar, as well as our other posts on Email Marketing Trends for 2021, help inform your priorities for this year.
>> Watch the free webinar on Oracle’s Modern Marketing Blog
Automated Campaign Ideas to Explore: An Oracle Consulting Checklist
Posted on March 17, 2021
Checklists can inspire you, help you identify gaps, allow you to take inventory, and provide an easy-to-follow action plan. At Oracle Marketing Consulting, we use checklists all the time with our clients. In fact, we love them so much that we wanted to share some of our most useful checklists, including this one about automated campaign ideas.
Whether sent via email, SMS, push, or other digital channels, automated campaigns are among the most effective campaigns you’ll ever send, generating return on investments that are well above that of broadcast campaigns. These messages are so effective because they deliver the right content to the right person at the right time. They’re able to do that because they’re triggered by one of four behaviors:
- An action taken by the subscriber or customer or by the brand
- Inaction over a period of time by the subscriber or customer
- A date that’s important to the individual subscriber or customer
- A signal from an internet-connected device owned by the customer
For a checklist of more than 110 automated campaigns that fall into each of those categories, along with advice and insights from our digital marketing consultants…
>> Download the checklist for free
Uplers: 29 Experts on Email Trends to Watch for in 2021
Posted on March 8, 2021
After a rollercoaster 2020, companies are reevaluating their email marketing strategies for 2021. To aid those efforts, Uplers asked me and 28 other email marketing experts to discuss the trends that we see driving the industry forward this year.
My prediction centered around the K-shaped recovery and how that’s translating into vastly different email marketing priorities for companies that have done well during the pandemic, such as ecommerce and digital entertainment companies, and those that have suffered, like travel and hospitality companies. At the same time, there are some trends that will be popular across both groups.
For my entire prediction, and to read the predictions from the other 28 experts…
>> Read the full post on the Uplers blog
The Last Word on February 2021
Posted on March 3, 2021
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
2021 State of the ESP RFP Survey Results and Conclusions (Only Influencers)
How Popular is Dark Mode Usage for HTML Emails? (Email on Acid)
If You’re Not Working to Upgrade Your Marketing Skills, Why Not? (Business2Community)
Fun Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Background Photos for Email Geeks (Litmus)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
this Super Bowl could have been an email
— Mia Galuppo (@miagaluppo) February 8, 2021
MS Word rendering engine #EmailGeeks https://t.co/jZkys78gcB
— Mark Robbins (@M_J_Robbins) February 10, 2021
My new favorite professional power move: on video calls with vendors, drink out of mugs with their competitors’ logo on it
— Kristin (@EmailSnarketing) February 17, 2021
Noteworthy subject lines
Lowe’s Home Improvement, 2/5 – Want to shake things up this Valentine’s Day?
XOXO Victoria’s Secret, 2/12 – V-day Weekend Is Here So Bring on the Glam
Belk, 2/13 – Hey, Galentine! 😍 Save up to 60% on new #OOTD
Namecheap, 2/11 – Love is in this email
Williams Sonoma, 2/14 – Still need a gift? Buy online and pick up at your local store!
Eddie Bauer, 2/14 – ❤️The Outdoors? We’re Smitten With These Styles.
Big Lots, 2/13 – Prep the patio! Beautiful new styles here now!
Bass Pro Shops, 2/11 – Get ready for warmer days on the water with our latest deals!
Eddie Bauer, 2/25 – Rainy Or Not – New Outerwear For Fickle Forecasts
West Elm, 2/13 – NEW planters = The cure to the winter blahs
Express, 2/1 – Celebrate Black History
Michaels, 2/5 – Celebrate amazing Black makers with us this Black History Month.
ModCloth, 2/13 – Our Madam VP tee is back!
Crate & Barrel, 2/18 – Ready for Easter? We are. 🐣
Sears, 2/5 – N95 masks 😷 BACK IN STOCK
Nordstrom, 2/10 – Refined work-from-anywhere style
Office Depot, 2/5 – Spin your office into a comfortable workspace
Target, 2/11 – Easy living room updates 🏠
Nordstrom, 2/18 – Up to 50% off styles for your family and home
Applebee’s Grill, 2/20 – Order delivery for free!
Uncommon Goods, 2/12 – New: You’re 1000 pieces away from London, New York, Paris, and Venice
Uncommon Goods, 2/22 – You could search everywhere and not find these gifts—except here.
Zales, 2/25 – Celebrate Disney’s Beauty And The Beast’s 30th Anniversary
Target, 2/5 – Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with $6 & $11 picture books.
Williams Sonoma, 2/13 – Cooking at home with Bobby Flay
AutoZone, 2/16 – Are coolant and antifreeze the same?
Banana Republic, 2/18 – New Sustainable Styles
IKEA, 2/4 – Chad , want to cut your utility bills?
PINK with Purpose Project, 2/20 – We are giving 15 people $25,000 each to fund their dreams 🌎🧠🤝
REI, 2/18 – 🐶 Warning: Cute Dogs Inside 🐶
Kohl’s, 2/22 – Meet the Kohl’s App … here to help make life a little easier.
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Email Marketing Trends for 2021: Competitive Differentiators
Email Marketing Trends for 2021: Unproven Opportunities
Anatomy of an Email: Envelope & Body Content
On-Demand Webinar: Modular Email Architecture
Email Marketing Trends for 2021: Proven Essentials
Posted on March 2, 2021
In the ever-changing world of email marketing, it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when consumer behaviors and business goals are shifting. To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2021. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re going to look at the Proven Essentials, which are those tactics and technologies in the high adoption–high impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics in this quadrant are mature, but still deliver tremendous results.
Our Proven Essentials stand in stark contrast to our Unproven Opportunities, which still have significant risks associated with them and benefits that haven’t fully materialized. Our Proven Essentials also have a risk profile that’s the inverse of our Competitive Differentiators—where our Competitive Differentiators offer a competitive advantage to early adopters, our Proven Essentials put late adopters at a competitive disadvantage.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, 11 of them were rated as being in the high adoption–high impact quadrant for 2021. Let’s talk about each of them in turn…
>> Read the full post on Oracle’s Modern Marketing Blog
Email Marketing Trends for 2021: Competitive Differentiators
Posted on February 23, 2021
In the ever-changing world of email marketing, it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when consumer behaviors and business goals are shifting. To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2021. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re going to look at the Competitive Differentiators in the low adoption–high impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics in this quadrant are not completely proven, but some companies are already seeing great results from using them. They offer a significant competitive advantage with considerably less risk than our Unproven Opportunities.
But, there are still risks, including the acquisition of smaller providers, frequent process and feature changes as the technology stabilizes, frequent changes in best practices as knowledge rapidly evolves, changing cost structures, scarcity of needed skills, and other issues. These hassles and expenses are easier to accept, however, because many adopters are already seeing a sizable return on their investment. Their willingness to accept some uncertainty in exchange for good returns gives them a distinct advantage over their competitors, most of whom have yet to embrace these tactics and technologies.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, 12 of them were rated as being in the low adoption–high impact quadrant for 2021. Let’s talk about each of them in turn…
>> Read the full post on Oracle’s Modern Marketing Blog
Email Marketing Trends for 2021: Unproven Opportunities
Posted on February 16, 2021
In the ever-changing world of email marketing, it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when consumer behaviors and business goals are shifting. To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2021. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re looking at the Unproven Opportunities in the low adoption–low impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics in this quadrant are not fully vetted and may not generate long-term adoption or impact. There are significant risks that could undermine your investment in part or entirely—including rejection by consumers, inadequate inbox provider support, inadequate digital marketing platform support, the passage of legislative impediments, and other issues.
Because of those risks, most brands will find that the best strategy is likely to wait…and let others work out all the details, uncover the best practices, and stress-test the technology. However, the pioneering companies who embrace these trends at this early stage may seize a sizable competitive advantage.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, three of them were rated as being in the low adoption–low impact quadrant for 2021. Let’s talk about each of them in turn…
>> Read the full post on Oracle’s Modern Marketing 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
