The technological landscape is changing rapidly, and email marketing is no exception. While many argue that email is dead, or that social media is replacing email, statistics are showing just the opposite: email marketing is actually set to become even more relevant in 2012 than it was in 2011. Without a doubt, email marketing should continue to be an integral aspect of your overall marketing strategy. However, just like any other online marketing platform, effective email marketing will very likely take on a new appearance in the coming year, and we must adapt to keep up with the times. Here are some of the most important changes likely to take place in email marketing in 2012.
In the past year, one of the biggest trends we have seen in the email marketing world has been email integration with social media, and we expect to see this trend develop even further as social media platforms evolve. Social media and email do not have to compete with one another for your consumer’s attention; they should work together seamlessly to provide your consumer with an overall experience of your company or brand.
One aspect of online marketing that is still in its infancy is mobile and tablet marketing, and this will have a big impact on email marketing in 2012. As more users access emails from their smartphones and tablets, emails will have to accommodate these on-the-move consumers. Responsive design will become very important for email marketers; emails that adjust according to the reader’s screen resolution will be more user-friendly and more likely to convert readers into active consumers. Likewise, emails with reduced file sizes will be able to load quickly on slow wi-fi connections, ensuring that tablet and smartphone users don’t lose interest while waiting for your email to appear.
Studies are also showing that relevancy in your email marketing campaigns is more important today than ever before. Having an email marked as spam is already a big hurdle for email marketers. However, with the recent development of Priority inboxes, where email service providers automatically separate important emails from unimportant ones, getting an email through spam filters unscathed is often still not enough to get that email in front of a reader. It is therefore crucial that your email marketing campaigns be tailored to your audience’s needs and interests so that they will connect with your campaigns in a more personal way. This is a challenge, but it is also a good thing – email marketers should always be looking for new ways to personalize their interactions with consumers. This development will make relevancy a key priority in email marketing, and we expect to see a lot of creativity in this area in 2012.
This is a very exciting and innovative time for email marketing, and we don’t want you to fall behind the times. Don’t believe the myths – email marketing is still just as important as ever, and we hope that you will continue to update your techniques to ensure that your online marketing efforts are reaching their fullest potential.
Sources:
http://www.dma.org.uk/toolkit/email-tracking-study-2011
http://memeburn.com/2011/12/three-2011-developments-that-changed-your-inbox-forever