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As Tom Goosmann, chief creative officer of New York-based agency True North Inc., said in his luncheon keynote address at this year’s DM Days New York Conference & Expo, two years ago some marketers didn’t know a “MyFace” from a “Spacebook.” Now, more marketers are busy Twittering away while they digg, del.ici.ous and reddit press releases, articles and blogs to add to their companies’ e-mail marketing and e-commerce efforts. And as the online environment continues to shift shape, the e-mail channel is expected to evolve to better serve consumers’ and business professionals’ interaction preferences. With inbox advertising avoidance on the rise, experts predict that e-mail will become more social, marketing will become more transparent and trust marketing will become the new norm.
Here, Michael Della Penna, president and co-founder of brand interaction and relationship marketing firm Aiti Solutions LLC, details top trends in the changing e-mail landscape.
Trend #1: Inbox 2.0
“E-mail and all the major e-mail clients out there really haven’t changed all that much in 20 years,” Della Penna claims, adding that the industry’s focus and development dollars have been spent on fighting spam rather than inbox innovation.
But that’s going to change in the next few years. “Yahoo and the others are talking about how to make e-mail more social with Inbox 2.0,” Della Penna says. For example, he says, “new features will give users the ability to prioritize messages and determine what they want to see first and not just what was sent.” The major e-mail clients will be looking at how people use social networking tools and then applying those concepts to their offerings to deliver a better experience. Obviously, he adds, such large conceptual changes will affect the graphical user interface as well as interaction with commercial senders.
On a side note, Della Penna predicts that more marketers, as they rethink their e-mail relationships, will bring their e-mail programs back in-house. “Aside from the obvious cost-saving, security and data reconciliation benefits, integrating e-mail with other in-house marketing applications—such as campaign management and analytics tools—will dramatically improve campaign processes and time to market.”
Trend #2: Back to Basics
“Like the economy, I think e-mail marketing is broken, and it’s time to hit the reset button,” says Della Penna. Companies that want to see healthy e-mail marketing programs will have to focus on efficiency and effectiveness. That, Della Penna explains, means not blanket mailing inactive addresses, looking for ways to re-engage customers and pruning e-mail files accordingly.
Here, Michael Della Penna, president and co-founder of brand interaction and relationship marketing firm Aiti Solutions LLC, details top trends in the changing e-mail landscape.
Trend #1: Inbox 2.0
“E-mail and all the major e-mail clients out there really haven’t changed all that much in 20 years,” Della Penna claims, adding that the industry’s focus and development dollars have been spent on fighting spam rather than inbox innovation.
But that’s going to change in the next few years. “Yahoo and the others are talking about how to make e-mail more social with Inbox 2.0,” Della Penna says. For example, he says, “new features will give users the ability to prioritize messages and determine what they want to see first and not just what was sent.” The major e-mail clients will be looking at how people use social networking tools and then applying those concepts to their offerings to deliver a better experience. Obviously, he adds, such large conceptual changes will affect the graphical user interface as well as interaction with commercial senders.
On a side note, Della Penna predicts that more marketers, as they rethink their e-mail relationships, will bring their e-mail programs back in-house. “Aside from the obvious cost-saving, security and data reconciliation benefits, integrating e-mail with other in-house marketing applications—such as campaign management and analytics tools—will dramatically improve campaign processes and time to market.”
Trend #2: Back to Basics
“Like the economy, I think e-mail marketing is broken, and it’s time to hit the reset button,” says Della Penna. Companies that want to see healthy e-mail marketing programs will have to focus on efficiency and effectiveness. That, Della Penna explains, means not blanket mailing inactive addresses, looking for ways to re-engage customers and pruning e-mail files accordingly.
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Hitting the Email Inbox
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