Our chock-full e-mail inboxes often threaten to take over a large portion of our workday. A recent Pew Research report shares why – positioned highest at 61% e-mail was found to be the most important tool for online workers, followed by the Internet at 54%.

It seems everyone wants a piece of you – so they e-mail you. We are all buried in e-mail as everyone feels obliged to keep each other updated and informed. With every e-mail received, there four basic action options: delete/archive, delegate, respond, or defer. Which of those actions are the destiny of your e-mails, e-mail campaigns, and e-newsletters?

Which e-mail campaigns/newsletters get opened and read?

Typically, e-mails that get opened and read are:

  • Newsletters we sign up for
  • Those from a trusted, reliable business email address
  • Those from a recognized person
  • Those that have a subject line that entices
  • Those that provide relevant, useful information
  • Context is made clear and obvious
  • Those that have an action request that is clear and direct
  • Provide valuable Loyalty program info
  • Routinely have an incentive like a coupon or hot deal
  • Uses a clean, uncluttered template/design

Going Mobile… How to get opened, read… and acted upon!

Like websites, e-mail isn’t just for desktop PCs anymore.

Today, businesses need to consider how their messages will perform and appear on mobile devices when creating e-mail campaigns – as about 50% of any audience is now viewing them on a mobile device. Some businesses are using new technology to better target audiences opening e-mails on smartphones and tablets.

In the last quarter of 2014, 53% of total e-mail opens took place on a mobile phone or tablet. And then, 50% of total e-mail clicks in that quarter came from smartphones or tablets. Then orders via mobile e-mail increased 40% from 2013 through 2014.

One option available to accommodate on-the-go e-mail readers is to create responsive e-mails. But, simplifying your content and cutting down on messaging is a simple way to create a more effective mobile e-mail.

Responsive design e-mails change the look of online content so it performs and appears well on the size of the screen their customers are using. These mobile-friendly templates with a single-column design, which automatically re-sizes images, has a default font size that’s optimal for mobile readers, and utilizes a layout that’s built for a clear and concise message – would take your mobile e-mails to the next level.

In 2013 the Crocs footwear company began implementing responsive design e-mails. As a result their smartphone e-mail click-through rates went up 120%, and e-mail visits for Crocs from tablets are up 16%. On average 32% of Crocs visitors come from smartphones and 17% from tablets.

More advanced businesses are pioneering a still-emerging approach called “Deep Linking” that connects e-mail directly to a business’ mobile app.

“Deep Linking” is relatively new technique some big retail businesses are using to obtain more opens, clicks and revenue from e-mail opened on mobile devices. Deep linking takes a visitor who clicks a link in an e-mail on their smartphone or tablet, and who has that businesses app on their device, directly to the appropriate page within the app. The advantage is that customers typically convert at a higher rate in retail apps than on mobile websites. Most businesses provide visitors a more indirect route through by directing them to the home page of a mobile site, where they find the product they were interested in. Several business using this technique report that it has improved their conversion rates by 10%.

Trends reveal that traditional advertising budgets are in decline, while e-mail and other digital marketing channels continue to grow.

A key Marketing trends survey found:

Top three channels which businesses plan to increase budget in 2015:

  • E-mail – 61%
  • Social Media – 49%
  • Mobile Marketing – 40%

Top three channels which businesses plan to decrease budget:

  • Print Advertising – 33%
  • Direct Mail – 22%
  • Radio/Television Advertising – 18%

Clearly e-mail isn’t going away – as it continues to grow in relevance and use. In 2015 don’t let your valuable e-mails/campaigns become ignored or deleted e-mail inbox clutter.

The Everbearing team is here to support your e-mail efforts. We invite you to share your emailing successes and challenges below.

 

photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/77018488@N03/9604559166/”>Vanguard Visions</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>

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