Emailing: the key trends of 2017
More than 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices and this will continue to increase at the same rhythm as the equipping of smartphones. Mobile-friendly communication is therefore a must, but the actual behavioral tendencies of your clients and prospects must not be forgotten, without which the communication is reduntant. The challenge is currently to develop a knowledge of your audience to optimize the perceived value of emailing.
The use of messaging has changed radically
In 2017 the world will have 5 billion email accounts with an annual increase of 250 million accounts, according to The Radicati Group. 75% will be personal accounts, and 25% professional. The creation of accounts is pushed by online services of significant importance which require a valid email (online banking for example). Email accounts thrive then, but this doesn't mean that the same holds true for emails.
In fact, the number of emails sent by account holders is constantly decreasing, while the number of spam emails in their inbox is increasing. This explains the decrease in emailing and the intensification of social network usage and instant messaging for informal communication (Google Hangout, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, etc.). In contrast, the number of emails received and sent is increasing continually and will reach 130 per day by 2020. Basically, email accounts are becoming an incoming information channel, whereas users' proactiveness is shifting towards other networks of communication and collaboration.
In this context of intense reception of emails, the sensibility of recipients leaves no room for "bad emails". Here are the top 5 problems linked to emailing which most repel readers:
- Too many emails: 44%
- Irrelevant content: 37%
- Email too short to interact with: 32%
- Landing page not adapted to mobiles: 26%
- Email format larger than the screen: 21%
LiveClicker and The Relevancy Group “Exploring the Benefits Real-Time Email – Driving Marketing Effectiveness” (2015)
It's a matter then of avoiding falling into the trap of communication which is too short or too long.
Better than quality, script-writing
90% of emails sent are spam. Only a small amount reach the inbox, bypassing the antispam filter, which still amounts to 14 unwanted messages per day in 2016. This number doesn't include newsletters and notifications which were never requested... The excessive pressure which you could apply to your audience doesn't work any more because it is very badly received. Creating quality emails for your public is then no longer a choice in your marketing strategy. Don't get too discouraged though because email marketing still works very well: customer acquisition is 40 times more successful through email than facebook and twitter combined, according to a Mc Kinsey study. Also, don't hesitate to turn this into a professional activity in your company by adopting good strategies and good tools, and don't forget that every email counts.
TripAdvisor has integrated this qualitative approach well by script-writing its communication. TripAdvisor needs about 20 emails to bring you where they want to by optimizing and personalizing each of them (notifications included). By increasing the knowledge on your prospective and current customers through subscriptions and participation in online projects, you can segment your populations in your emailing tool to create personalized messages. It's the best way to boost your conversions.
2 billion mobile individuals
According to a study conducted by Litmus - "Email Analytics", November 2015, 54% of emails are opened on a mobile (+15% in November 2015). It is then fundamental to design your emails in such a way that they are easy to read on a smartphone. A second Litmus & Mailchimp study shows that responsive emails lead to 15% extra clicks. In 2017, 2 billion individuals will access their emails via a mobile device. It's almost double the number of 2013. Numerous solutions such as Sarbacane, Wewmanager and Mailjet natively offer a publisher and responsive email models. The task is then no more complicated for you. Beyond the email itself, it is also necessary to design your site and landing pages to be compatible with mobiles.
The strategic choice of messages
Communicating through responsive emails in a relevant manner is great. But are you certain that you're interesting your audience? Your service users expect you to update them on the service of interest to them (notifications) but also to offer them exclusive benefits (promotions, vouchers) and new arrivals (new product/service, newsletter). Also, it is preferable to remain within this framework in order to avoid having your emails marked as spam. It is generally a good idea to work on your message to make sure it's easy to understand and to link it to a specific action.
Good emailing software are game-changers
Choosing your emailing solution correctly is a real strategic choice. It consists of opting for a complete solution which is up-to-date with uses and technical issues. For this there are some real alternatives to MailChimp and Mailjet which still don't have the functional precision and the support of other, lesser-known actors. The choice criteria at the core of emailing solutions are the following:
- Total management of contact databases (import, export, cleaning, unsubscriptions, segmentation)
- Reponsive email issuing Campaign management (programming, targeting)
- Deliverability of messages Integration with other web services via API (your CRM, your website, etc)
- Statistics (rebate analysis, reading, clicks)
- Sarbacane
- Rate of deliverability
- Email publisher
- Cleaning contact database
- wewmanager
- Segmentation of high-performance population
- A/B object testing
- Deliverability testing before sending
- Spread
- Multi-channel operations (widgets +emailing)
- Rich profiles
- Integration in social networks