As digital marketers, we are obsessed with reading industry blogs, looking for new trends, and hearing what our fellow nerds and tech enthusiasts have to say. We recently saw a great post from David Bailey – who, for the record, we love. In his post, which you can read here, he crowns 2017 the year of interactive email marketing. And we agree! … but we don’t agree with why he thinks so. Or at least, we believe there might be some deeper, underlying reasons why his central thesis is true. We encourage you to read Dave’s post, but have to politely go head-to-head in an industry face off about the “why.”
Seriously, email marketing works!
At the most basic level, we agree with Dave on why interactive email marketing works. According to Constant Contact, more than 80% of smartphone users check their email in the morning … before brushing their teeth. You read that right. The vast majority of people think checking their email is more important than tackling their morning breath. As Dave points out, email has high engagement rates, and you own every single email on your distribution list so there’s no need to pay for play. We have also found that email is one of the most effective ways to increase loyalty, inspire product use, and keep customers coming back again and again (or referring their friends). And we all know, keeping a customer, or convincing them to become a repeat purchaser, is a lot easier than soliciting a new client.
Okay…but why?
With so many emerging digital communication tools – from social platforms like Snapchat to non-traditional messaging tools like Slack – you might expect to see a decline in the importance of emails. Email fatigue is real, and we’re betting you’ve experienced it in your own office or inbox. As the number of ways we can connect online increases, people are craving more and more human interaction. That being said, email is still highly effective and has successfully evolved and adapted to consumers’ expectations about consumption. Email is more mobile friendly than ever, thoughtful tagging tools and apps let you filter what messages you see and when, and integrations help you personalize the email experience across platforms.
Dave suggests that email works because no other platform has beat it out yet. He specifically suggests that the mobile app market is too saturated to be successful now that the novelty has worn off (you know, just because there’s an app for that, doesn’t mean consumers want it); and that messaging tools are headed in the same direction. We disagree. Messaging tools are stickier than ever and boast some of the highest repeat user rates across the digital landscape. We don’t believe email works because there aren’t equally popular platforms out there. We believe email works because it’s the only one that can adapt to devices and platforms seamlessly. In other words, email really nails that seamless multi-platform experience we keep telling you about.
It’s all about the power of multi-platform connection and email marketing.
New scripts and email codes are making this experience even better by making it possible to add buttons, animations, and interactive elements to emails. This removes a click barrier between the inbox and a shopping cart, an e-commerce point of sale, or call to action. Interactive elements link one of the most engaging marketing channels closer to our day-to-day lives and needs by reducing the need to migrate to and load a website, re-enter information, or get too far away from whatever other tasks you may be completing in your inbox. This is especially powerful for consumer products and transactional purchases that rely on a smooth sales cycle and purchase experience.
BIGEYE specializes in curating multi-platform experiences that really catch customers’ attention. Click here to discover what interactive email marketing can do for your brand … and bottom line.
