Email Marketing RulesUsing Task Runners & Static Site Generators in Your Email Production Process
Posted on March 31, 2016
While small now, there’s a growing trend of email developers using web development tools to build emails. For instance, 6.7% of email marketers are using task runners as part of their email production workflow, according to our 2016 State of Email Production report. And more than 5% of email marketers are using static site generators.
Lee Monroe, Product Design Lead at Mailgun by Rackspace, is a big believer in the role that traditional web development tools can play in email production. At The Email Design Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Lee about how email designers and developers can use these kinds of tools in their email production workflows.
“There’s lots of great front end developer tools that you can use to improve your workflow,” he says. “So static site generators is one. These have historically been used as web development tools, but using them for email you can set up a framework that includes layouts, variables, partials—that type of thing—to help you optimize your workflow from end to end.”
>> Read the full post on the Litmus Blog
Report: 2016 State of Email Production
Posted on March 25, 2016
Are you missing out on software and tools that could improve your email production process? Does your company spend enough time on email coding? On the QA process? On analytics? Are you planning email content far enough in advance? Is your approval process too burdensome or too lax?
To get solid answers to these questions, Litmus surveyed more than 900 marketers, asking about all facets of their email production workflow, including:
- How email teams are built
- How peak-season and off-season email content is planned
- How teams allocate time among various production tasks
- How technology is used in email production workflows
- How quality assurance and approvals are handled
- How emails are sent
- How email mistakes are dealt with
We share the results of that survey in the inaugural State of Email Production report. Use these results to help benchmark your own process, identifying opportunities for improvement and using this evidence to make a compelling argument for more resources or process streamlining.
>> Download the free report
The Limits of Email Marketing Automation
Posted on March 22, 2016
Two-thirds of marketers expect machine learning, AI, and predictive software to determine the majority of the content (subject lines, images, copy, etc.) in marketing emails at some point, according to research published in our Email Marketing in 2020 report. And that’s very understandable considering the massive scale of email marketing and the increasing need to create relevance on the individual subscriber level. Humans simply cannot achieve that on their own. Email marketing automation will undoubtedly become more vital to success.
That said, people will still have a major role to play in email marketing for several critical reasons:
- Machines are pretty horrible at creativity.
- Marketers will need to supply AIs with the right data.
- People will need to set the goals and parameters for their automation.
- Machines excel at logic, but human beings excel at being illogical.
- Because machines rely on historic performance for a lot of their “intuition,” they don’t handle shocks well.
For a full discussion of each of these points, plus more on the role of machine intelligence in email marketing,…
>> Read my full column on MarketingLand.com
Webinar: 8 Trends That Will Define the Future of Email Marketing
Posted on March 21, 2016
Email marketing has experienced great shifts in recent years, and is poised to undergo dramatic changes before the end of the decade.
We explored the future of the channel in our recent “Email Marketing in 2020” report, where we asked 20 experts to share their vision for how email will change over the next several years. Their thought-provoking predictions touch on the subscriber experience, inbox functionality, deliverability, design and coding, the technology provider landscape, and much more.
In this webinar, Litmus VP of Marketing Justine Jordan and I will discuss 8 major themes from “Email Marketing in 2020”:
- Channel Stability
- A Single View of the Customer
- Hyper-personalization
- Machine Learning & Automation
- Inbox Landscape & Functionality
- Interactivity
- Minimalism
- Compliance & Privacy
Along the way, we’ll share the perspective of our amazing contributors, whose advice will help you get ready for the changes ahead. Justine and I will also share the results from our surveys of thousands of consumers and marketers about key trends. Join us to get a head start on preparing for the future of email marketing!
>> Register for this free webinar
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
1pm-2pm ET
The 3 Kinds of Inactive Email Subscribers and How to Manage Each of Them
Posted on March 17, 2016
Your inactive email subscribers are not all the same, so you need different strategies for addressing them. By my count, there are 3 different kinds of inactives:
- Never-Actives, who are new subscribers who have never engaged
- Lapsed Customer Inactives, who are inactive subscribers who have also become inactive customers
- Current Customer Inactives, who are inactive subscribers who are known to be active customers
You should have different strategies for each of those groups of inactives, and your overall inactive strategy will vary depending on your company’s individual tolerance for deliverability risk.
>> Read the full post on the Litmus Blog
How to Prepare for that Inevitable Apology Email
Posted on March 15, 2016
Sending an apology email is unavoidable. It’s also true that sending one is a lot less painful when you’re prepared.
In this guest post for SmartBlogs, I discuss the three main reasons that brands send apology emails:
- A website outage blocked users from accessing information or completing transactions.
- An email contained a significant error.
- A public relations situation arose in another channel.
And then I talk about laying the required groundwork for smooth responses.
>> Read the full post on SmartBlogs.com
20 Predictions from 20 Experts about Email Marketing in 2020
Posted on March 8, 2016
How will email marketing change by the end of the decade?”
That’s the question we posed to 20 experts for our Email Marketing in 2020 report. Their answers predict dramatic changes in personalization, automation, interactivity, compliance, and much more.
In this SlideShare, we’ve selected our favorite prediction from each of our 20 contributors, and made it easy for you to tweet the ones you find intriguing or agree with. Enjoy this peek at the future of email marketing!
The Future of Email Marketing Design & Development
Posted on March 4, 2016
The rise of mobile has had a profound effect on email design over the past 5 years, but what will be the drivers of change over the next 5 years?
We asked 6 of our speakers from The Email Design Conference how they saw email marketing design and development changing in the coming years:
- Brian Graves, UI Team Lead, DEG
- Fabio Carneiro, Lead Email Developer & UX Designer, MailChimp
- Lee Munroe, Product Design Lead, Mailgun by Rackspace
- Mark Robbins, Email Developer, Rebelmail
- Dan Denney, Front-End Developer, Code School
- Mike Ragan, Designer, Action Rocket
Their answers focused on email production workflow, coding support, the subscriber experience, and interactive elements.
>> Watch the interviews on the Litmus Blog
The Last Word on February 2016
Posted on March 1, 2016
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & whitepapers
Scale Trust, Not Lists (Customer.io)
Tracking Actions in Interactive Email (FreshInbox)
Making email safer for you (Official Gmail Blog)
How to Re-Engage a Dormant Subscriber List (ReachMail)
E.U. and U.S. Release Details on Trans-Atlantic Data Transfer Deal (New York Times)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
@becskr: LOLs at LinkedIn requests. Someone wants to talk to me about reducing my printing costs…I’m an email marketer, it doesn’t get much cheaper.
@EmailSnarketing: Lane Bryant sent out this email. (Subject line “Show us your…”) You know that your customers are women, right? bit.ly/1TQ0aXa
@Chrisgoldson90: So shall we try sending the same message again? It won’t annoy anyone, they won’t notice. #emailgeeks pic.twitter.com/GSXtAirRNX
@bos31337: Today in novel approaches to honesty in email marketing… pic.twitter.com/d5FTJ0MgTI
@adwordslessons: Today is the day when retailers show off their ignorance by sending #PresidentsDay emails with “Save some Franklins”.
@LenShneyder: How do I want to be marketed too? With compassion, understanding and restraint. #Sherpa16 Just me. #emailmarketing
@wise_laura: Dear autocorrect: I do not mean spoonable, I mean spoofable. Authentication note taking is hard.
@GillianRedfearn: http://pic.twitter.com/TxX1MTL475
@M_J_Robbins: Looks like @yahoomail is now supporting border-radius: position: absolute; and z-index: #emailgeeks That’s cool 🙂
Noteworthy subject lines
National Football League, 2/1 — What’s Your Super Bowl IQ?
Aeropostale, 2/4 — SUPER 50% off everything + get $10 off $50 – game on!
Fans Edge, 2/2 — Panthers. Broncos. Rep Your Pick With New Gear!
Williams-Sonoma, 2/2 — Your Recipe for Game Day Success + Great Savings You Don’t Want to Miss – In Stores & Online
Target, 2/2 — Ready for Sunday? TV deals you can pick up today.
Toys “R” Us, 2/6 — Everybody Saves at our Super Weekend Sale!
Levi’s, 2/6 — Alicia Keys. Live. Tonight.
Banana Republic, 2/4 — 8 for a great Valentine’s date
Anthropologie, 2/3 — Resend to your sweetie.
Blue Nile, 2/2 — We Have Your Ring In Time For Valentine’s Day
Clinique, 2/2 — Prep before you pucker this Valentine’s + 4 FREE lip shades with purchase.
FragranceNet.com, 2/6 — First Comes Love…then 2 great deals!
Victoria’s Secret, 2/4 — Free 2-day shipping! No Valentine’s gift? No problem.
Overstock.com, 2/4 — Cupid’s Counting Down! 10 Days Left to Find the Perfect Gift!
MAC Cosmetics, 2/10 — Just in Time for Valentine’s Day — Free Overnight Shipping!
Olive Garden, 2/12 — You + Us = Happy Valentine’s Day
ASPCA, 2/12 — Cutest. Valentine’s Day Card. Ever.
Brooks Brothers, 2/11 — Up to 50% off. Balance the budget.
Pier 1 Imports, 2/10 — Easter—it’s a good hare day.
Petco, 2/20 — Free Shipping for National Love Your Pet Day!
Petco, 2/29 — Leap into savings! 29% off pet supplies!
Lands’ End, 2/29 — This only happens once every four years…
Zulily, 2/29 —This only happens once every four years!
Neiman Marcus, 2/29 — About last night… Our award-worthy eveningwear
Barneys New York, 2/29 — Eveningwear Inspired by Red Carpet Trends
Brooks Brothers, 2/2 — Why wait 6 more weeks for spring?
Pier 1 Imports, 2/3 — New warming trends.
Victoria’s Secret, 2/3 — FREE Shipping & Returns on Swim! (You’re getting warmer…)
Saks Fifth Avenue, 2/20 — Spring 2016 Runway Report Vol. 1
Express, 2/29 — Yes, you can rock a plunging bodysuit
Vera Bradley, 2/2 — An ode to your inner girly girl
Ann Taylor, 2/6 — The Fluid Ankle Pant x 3 Ways
Brooks Brothers, 2/5 — Thanks a million. (More like $2 million.)
Kate Spade, 2/12 — this just in from NYFW…
Urban Outfitters, 2/12 — This is why cheaters always win.
Nikon, 2/6 — Nikon School is coming to the Boston area
Zulily, 2/6 — Super girls and Wonder women, assemble!
The Shopping Channel, 2/6 — Need A Little Art Therapy?
ThinkGeek, 2/19 — This BB-8 is our new B-FF: new Life-Size LED Floor Lamp!
MoMA Store, 2/6 — Most Popular Pinterest Products + 20% Off
Gap, 2/13 — insta-style: share your denim
Clinique, 2/19 — #NowTrending on Instagram + 2 free treats with purchase.
Clinique, 2/20 — New On The Wink: Secrets of an Instagram superstar.
Anthropologie, 2/29 — It’s Feb. 29: #MakeALeap
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
How to Write an Effective Apology Email
My Predictions for What Email Marketing Will Look Like in the Year 2020
Email Marketing in 2020 Report
Valentines for Email Marketers
How to Build a Twitter Following
Following the Big Data Breadcrumbs to Email Insights
Mobile Holiday Shopping Surge Benefited Mobile-Friendly Retailers
How to Write an Effective Apology Email
Posted on February 29, 2016
So, you’ve made a mistake.
Maybe your website went down or you sent an email with an error. Maybe a PR situation has arisen. It happens to the best of us.
Now you want to make amends, and you’re thinking of sending an apology email.
In this article on Ragan.com, I talk about how to determine if you do indeed need to send an apology email and, if you do decide that an apology email is warranted, how to craft one that’s clearly branded, concise, and effective.
>> Read the full article on Ragan.com
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
