In many ways, email marketing is one of the grizzled, veteran members of the digital marketing landscape – and thus home to plenty of dated practices. Yes, the potential for inbox interaction with customers is bigger than it has ever been before, but that doesn’t stop many brands from clinging to these ancient tactics that should have gone the way of the dinosaurs a long time ago. With this in mind, let’s talk about how to say goodbye to these archaic methods and replace them with alternatives that can help bring your email campaign out of the Jurassic Period and into the modern world.
Go Mobile with Your Templates
To kick off the discussion of joining the modern era of email marketing, Mashable’s Eric Krattenstein points out there’s no better place to start this process than by going mobile with your marketed messages and email templates. Yes, desktop content still needs to play an important role in your campaigns, but the reality of the situation is that 65 percent of all emails are opened on mobile devices – and this trend is only going to continue heading north.Optimized mobile templates are responsive to varying screen sizes and device parameters, thereby ensuring that the person on the other side of the screen doesn’t simply trash a distorted or hard to understand message. Going a step farther, it’s also a good idea to take the same approach with your landing pages and site content. This way, when users seek out more information after clicking on your calls-to-action (CTAs), you can keep the mobile-friendly vibes rolling all the way to the virtual shopping cart.
Give Your Data a Facelift
One of the most stunning stats that detail the extent of the aging email marketing world is the fact that, according to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), 32 percent of all businesses willingly work with outdated or inaccurate audience data. Considering how important this information is to learning about when and what kind of content to send to your readers, the fact that so many brands don’t give this vital asset its due is beyond disconcerting.To ensure you don’t leave anything on the table thanks to ancient audience data, make it a priority to constantly update and “prune” your contact information. Trimming consumers that have opted out, adding in new members to the list, and constantly polling these viewers via surveys and feedback requests is the best way to maximize the value found within this portion of your email marketing campaign.
Be a Social Butterfly
While it should go without saying that email marketing and social media are a match made in Heaven, there’s still far too many organizations that fail to capture the potential of this platform as a supporting member of your inbox operations. The truth of the matter is that failing to have a stable of social profiles can come off as creepy.Think of it this way: If you’re looking to learn a little more about a brand or company before making a purchase and this organization doesn’t have a maintained Twitter, Facebook, other relevant profile, doesn’t it at least cause you a little pause before hitting that payment confirmation button?You don’t have to have the biggest following ever, just try to be active and inviting when it comes to consumer feedback. A quick trick to get the ball rolling on this front is to incorporate share buttons on your email messages and also to post this inbox content regularly for your social audience that isn’t already signed up for your regular email offerings.
Learn to Change with the Times
The last suggestion for bringing your email marketing campaign from out of the time of the dinosaurs and into the modern era covers a shift in your mindset. Essentially, it’s imperative that you learn to embrace change and become an early adopter at times. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when your brand is constantly playing catch-up with those members of your industry who aren’t afraid to take the initiative in the inbox.Just because a practice or tactic was successful at one point in time, that doesn’t mean that it can always be a “go-to” asset in your campaign planning process. Times – and audiences – change in the blink of an eye, so being flexible is one of your best assets for dealing with this realization. If you can embody this mentality, and put to good use the rest of what you’ve learned here, then there’s no reason why your brand has to be stuck in the Jurassic Period of email marketing’s evolutionary history.
