Ematters interviewed about 7 email marketers on the latest developments and the future of Email Marketing. The specialists interviewed are:
Joost Nienhuis Tripolis Solutions;
Michael Linthorst Copernica;
Marc Borgers Borgers & Straathof;
Jordie van Rijn email monday;
Robert Rebergen E-Village;
Ernst Muller Veritate;
Wouter van der Hucht of Ematters.
In the interview, a number of interesting issues emerged. Based on this summary, some conclusions:
Email is definitely not dead. All the experts interviewed agree on and that is demonstrated in the answers to question 2;
It is expected that these will be in the future, email sent fewer but more relevant emails. This means that quality is more important than quantity;
Testing, testing, testing. It sounds like a cliché, but guessing and think the current emails will not be better, email marketing brings no further. Of course you can go on your mouth, but by testing the chance to achieve great. Higher ROIs
The interview below is an elaboration of the full interview.
The full interview Ematters Email Marketing is available for download (PDF) and read back.
question 1
The layout of the inbox is changing relevance of the message is more important. Facebook announced its own ’email’ platform and Gmail introduced in 2010, the Priority Inbox. More and more platforms will choose a format other than just based on time of arrival. Where should B2C marketers to pay attention in the future here to prepare in advance?
Joost: Relevance pending and remains a leader in the “above ground level out” in the increasingly crowded inbox. Besides the “moment of arrival” the moment of actually reading the stake will be.
Michael: Relevance is the keyword. Marketers should especially be careful not to assume that batch-and-blast and idea but constantly send bulk mailings out. Not only that developed inboxes have this through. You see that the consumer is also becoming easier pierces the commercial message going. So listen to your consumers and let him this clearly in your timing, frequency, and of course, the content of your messages.
Marc: In the short term, operationally speaking, should email marketers better testing. When to get the open rate increases, the e-mails are classified as relevant. But this is a stopgap measure. The messages must really relevant other ‘kicks’ you no longer enticing subject lines and other tricks. In addition, you can make the messages more relevant by segmenting based on enriched customer profiles, getting better.
Robert: They should try and test, go on their mouths and rise again. They need to get started with Facebook Inbox and Google Priority Inbox, see what works, make mistakes and try again. They must be busy with their receivers, but not extreme and may also be that not everyone always opens all your messages. As real As in the shopping street, someone also runs once past your window. It’s no different, better next time.
Ernst: When composing e-mail marketers must realize that relevance is the key to success. An offer that is not in line with the interest of a receiver will not convert. It sounds obvious, but many marketers still prefer to send high numbers of bulk e-mails. It takes them anyway because virtually nothing. Marketers should be aware that the relationship with the recipient in the future is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, make sure now that can give what they consider important and tune the receivers to the content of the e-mails they receive for this.
question 2
Once in a while they come to the surface; so-called gurus who loudly shout that email is dead. What is your opinion?
Michael: You hear this argument indeed return often while it is proved that e-mail is far from dead time and again. Email is fact closely intertwined in all online communications that we employ. Just look at social media! For registration you must always specify your email address and any notifications and notices you get then sent by e-mail. Also in mobile internet get most of the time still spent reading email. Let the guru’s call but, for me, email is still one of the stronger if not the strongest form of dialogue marketing and will long remain.
Marc: Nonsense, email is alive and kicking. The number of new e-mail users in the world in 2010 was higher than the number of new Facebook and Twitter accounts together (Source: Royal Pingdom).
Jordie: I hope a lot of people believe it, and no e-mails will send more. This makes the inbox less cluttered with crap from marketers who do not quite understand though. Smart marketers then get even greater exposure and results from the use of email marketing. Email is here to stay, just the way people (and therefore marketers) use will change.
Ernst: Email is far from dead, how hard it is also called. The use of e–mail in the coming years, only grow, but the function of which will have to change. For short messages, we use more and more sms, ping or other similar services. Many of these ‘new’ services is the markup subordinate to the message. Email is only one channel in a growing range of communication channels. Depending on the message we choose a matching channel. For personal e-mail messages will probably continue to grow the coming years.
Wouter: I have little faith in supernatant gurus. It’s nonsense of course, email is in a huge growth market and although online marketing is increasingly shapes and focus constantly moved, email is still the healthiest form of online marketing.
question 3
A study by PWC shows that email marketing market in 2014 with 66% growth in the Netherlands. Do you believe that there is still so much growth in the market?
Joost: Yes, it’s a good thing that PWC has done research in the Dutch market, especially because it justifies our activities. International research, eg. IAB / PWC, BtoB Magazine, Sherpa and many others, also suggests that most markets / countries, between 10% and 30% expect growth. For “Emerging Markets” such as India, Brazil, Turkey and Russia can often be still “add a zero”.
Michael: There is certainly growth in the market. Marketers are learning really handle the power and capabilities of email marketing. Personalization and segmentation are increasingly used and campaigns tailored to the customer life-cycle are gaining popularity among email marketers. Besides PWC other studies have also shown that there are still many opportunities remain untapped when it comes to email marketing. So FEDMA last came to the conclusion that only 23% of email marketers are using winbackcampagnes in lost customers.
Ernst: We will definitely have to cope with growth in the coming years. Partly because marketers are seeking cheaper and measurable communication channels e-mail will be used more often. Both in numbers of emails sent as costs in the coming years to see growth. The effectiveness of the ‘standard’ e-mails will continue to decline. Throughout the greater range and more critical receiver The focus will shift in the coming years a high mail volume to quality of communication. More attention will be paid to go to the content, the reading time and the use of, among other smartphones.
question 4
Without reference to the stated research question 3 What do you think is causing this growth?
Joost: The main cause of this growth is that there is simply more invested in email marketing. This is mainly due to the excellent ROI from email marketing. Additionally, “post-replacement” email is also booming, although the power of direct marketing and traditional mail should not be underestimated. This will remain a crucial part of the communication mix.
Michael: The increasing use of e-mail via mobile devices certainly contributes to this growth. The rise of smartphones and tablets allow the user even more capable at any moment to read their e-mail and send. In addition, we are dealing with a strong digitization of correspondence that still runs through the post. Think of invoices, brochures, birthday letters, etc.
Robert: On the one hand there are still many companies that do little or nothing with email, and on the other there are plenty of businesses that currently use a variety of packages, such as CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, etc., but that centralizing in one system and thus know how to get. much more from their e-mail activities
Wouter: The prognosis of PWC shows that service, infrastructure and data grow in direct proportion. More companies are deploying, and more companies will invest in the quality of their expressions. However, I believe that service will cause the key growth and ultimately fewer, but more relevant, is going to be. Mailed
question 5
With the increase of e-mail traffic is scanned email today more than read. Where designers should pay attention to get the attention of the recipient What should they especially do not do?
Joost: A less arrogant attitude, and invest in building and maintaining lasting relationships based on respect, transparency and relevance. Not unidirectional handle.
Marc: In addition to the content itself many aspects combine to make that an email is viewed or not. The sender, the text, the shipping time, the use of subheadings, how visuals are used, and a certain atmosphere is created, the brand experience, the relevance of earlier emails etc. etc. The scanning is increasingly mobile site. Therefore it is important to optimize the designs to go for reading in mobile clients.
Jordie: I’ve said it before: Keep it interesting and relevant. The attention span is small and attention must be earned. How their implementation is different from company to company and receiver to receiver. It depends on the specific situation and purpose of your mailing. But if you think at the time of sending “I’m glad that I do not get” there is definitely something wrong.
Robert: E-mail is more than just a weekly newsletter, so the design has to match what you want to achieve. Thus an update about your order will contain more text (information), because the goal is to inform. There is one golden rule for email design to give different test and see what works. That is for every organization, business particularly any purpose different.
Wouter: Keep it short and simple. You receiver needs at a glance know where the mail is about, why he has received / she and most importantly how to react. All that the recipient of this can distract can be deleted.
question 6
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an even imposed by Europe, stricter privacy for email marketing?
Joost: Privacy is a great thing that should be respected. Self-regulation of the industry through codes such DDMA and Mail Association herein are good steps and also ensure that government intervention is necessary. The stringent privacy policy ensures that providers think more about their activities and the receivers are specifically selected.
Michael: I see advantages especially for a stricter privacy policy. Tighter regulations force professional organizations to also be. Area of email marketing adult Would not it be wonderful if consumers just any e-mail in their inbox could trust?
Jordie: I’m entirely for stricter rules. The recipients do they want and why would the marketers they should want. This helps to separate. The wheat from the chaff The only thing is that the rules should therefore be strictly monitored and enforced, otherwise only the most respectable of the class are affected instead of the other way around.
Wouter: The disadvantage of stricter legislation is that it often becomes the organizations that want to operate within the rules of the law, while it is often intended for those who are outside rumble. But privacy is a great thing, and the average citizen has no idea what he approves. To give an example, the iTunes terms and conditions contain 10 times as many words as the American Constitution. People have no idea. The inbox is filled with a lot of junk you never (deliberately) have requested that confidence in the medium is violated as a receiver. If this is prevented with stricter legislation and especially the enforcement that is an advantage for parties who are serious about the media and their recipients.
question 7
For several months, Hotmail and Gmail a video function, resulting in a transmitted video is loaded. Bottom of the newsletter Has video i.c.m email marketing is a future?
Michael: It depends, I think a lot on your target audience. In B2C contacts probably. Namely, a B2C user makes frequent use of a web-based client such as Gmail or Hotmail. B2B users make their business more accounts using Outlook, Apple Mail or Lotus Notes, which do not support video.
Marc: We have good experience with video in email. In particular, the click rate increases tremendously.
Robert: Yes, I definitely think that video can be a valuable addition, not for any kind of message, but there are to think that video really adds something in e-mail certainly examples. Think of a service message with a recently purchased machine is briefly explained.
Ernst: Video in email is not new. In older versions of Outlook, who used Internet Explorer, though this was also possible. This is the time not been very popular. Creating a video takes time and money. The question is do you want to invest time and money in a medium with which they are both just expect to save. Market overseers
Wouter: I personally believe not yet stickiness in email. If the video will play itself may inadvertently cause irritation if the video is to be triggered by a click you might as well link to the website. Experience is fun, conversion is much nicer. The website where you can go in perception and interaction, completely separate stays there the ideal place for. Once personalization mail is really possible, then video combined with enamel interesting.
question 8
Segmentation based on visitor behavior (Retargeting) is used to sending., For the recipient, as relevant as possible email A disadvantage is that a receiver feels. Thus spying What‘s your take on this type of segmentation?
Joost: Always be transparent to the recipient what you do and what you do, only use it to perform a more personal, more meaningful dialogue. That will be experienced, rather than espionage or annoying sales tactics. In the perception of most recipients as additional personal attention There will be what each recipient / sender will differ a new balance.
Michael: I think this may be as long as you the consumer not gonna bother and gives him control over the contact. Make sure you use this information in your campaigns. Subtly In addition, always use a easy and clear log off so that the recipient can unsubscribe when he feels spied immediately. In that case, you’re better off with a logoff or a spam complaint.
Jordie: Behaviour of the past provides no guarantee for the future. But it is a strong indicator. Marketers must thereby also think not only directly by translating one action to one e-mailing, such as in an abandoned shopping cart. But instantly think of building long-term profiles. Because then you have more options for targeted mailing, it translates into a higher value per contact.
Severity: This will depend on how this is done. If someone is looking for a specific product on a website it clearly shows interest. A good supply during the orientation phase, a receiver no problem. But he must not yet be weeks or months haunted with the same offer. Let preventing an accidental match between interest and demand, or specify clearly that you know that someone has looked.
Wouter: Ematters for hotel room broker Easytobook.com automated retargetingcampagne established. Based on the data from Yahoo WebAnalytics a selection of hotel deals are managed based on the last search on the site per user. Our experience is that recipients respond correctly very positive. She received the very thing which they have been searching. Is not relevant. The conversion is fantastic and we have no cross word of the recipients received. It is a matter of setting up well and always put in front of the receiver.
question 9
It is possible to expand by example. Renting email addresses. Enamel file What new developments do you expect, besides renting addresses that marketers can use to expand? Their file
Joost: Social media offers a fantastic way to enrich databases further. It works the other course, Social sharing buttons in email, “I like‘s” collect via email, email content also publish directly via social media etc. Email and social media go well together and reinforce each other. Will it give you a very good idea what your audience thinks about you, and it is essential for marketers.
Michael: A great method that makes his rise in marketing software and CRM systems is taking on profile information from social media. Using a link all available and exempt information as Facebook take over your central database and that further campaigns tuning. Proceed be open and honest to work, so here, as with retargeting, not give the impression to spy on consumers.
Robert: I‘m not a big advocate of hiring. Build yourself steadily to a list of real interested subscribers, and do it everywhere, at every moment of contact. Upon contact applications in the store, in the ordering process, when they call you, and of course through the social networks. Where your target is located, you should and you should see them over to pick through an e-mail address to connect. Itself to you
question 10
What do you want readers still give about email marketing?
Joost: Email is far too static. In the future, email will increasingly dynamic and “real” are. Email will be adjusted to the time, location and the device the email is opened. Email is far from dead, and is open to more innovation.
Michael: Active data collection is only the beginning. Where it really matters, is the smart use of all your data to go into dialogue with your consumers Segmentation, personalization, relevant content and lifecycle marketing are the topics you need to pay attention. Currently Listen to your consumers, get to know him and let especially notice that you know him.
Marc: Much has been written about how to deal with inactive subscribers. These are people who do not open the e-mail and / or did not click. The trend after a certain period of time to remove it from your file. These people I went in there with it for a while, but come back to it more and more. My advice is to see if these people somehow do have it just buy it online with your business, eg. Interactions. If so, just keep email that group. I also see more in some reduction of the transmitting frequency than in completely stopping the e-mail transmission. An e-mail inbox, brings the sender / brand it as the attention of the recipient. Even though this is short, I think this does have a positive effect.
Jordie: Resources are often the bottleneck that stands in the way of excellent communication and results. You do not have the means to your email marketing to get everything inside it, make sure that you get help. Email Service Providers, agencies and individual consultants can make sure that you spend less and earn more money, including through e-mail marketing. If that is not currently the case, or you are dissatisfied: stop posturing and go directly to that looking for an alternative.
Robert: E-mail marketing is – in contrast to marketing via social networks – a channel in which you are the owner of the data, which you can measure what it costs very accurately AND what the benefits are and just why it deserves the full attention of marketers . So it’s not something you “get away with doing it.
Ernst: Make sure you’re careful with your database and do not pollute the mailbox of your customers and prospects with unnecessary and irrelevant email. Respect the time of your customers, and limit yourself to sending their relevant messages.