Andrew Werner says, “A recent survey from The Relevancy Group shows that marketing executives view email as the most trusted marketing channel for revenue generation. I work with clients every day that are driving real business results from their email programs. But it’s not as easy as hitting send. The email programs that drive results are the ones that take into consideration the customer’s entire journey, preferences and motivations. That’s why, rather than viewing email as a standalone channel, we need to think of email as a springboard for data-driven marketing and cross-channel... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “Competition in the inbox is fierce. That’s why it’s important for email marketers to keep an eye on email industry benchmarks that, alongside their own data, can uncover valuable email trends. Have a look at some of the major takeaways from the Q4 2015 Email Benchmark Report. 1. Mobile matters more than ever Fifty-six percent of total email opens occurred on a mobile phone or tablet in Q4, compared to 54 percent in Q3 2015. Further, with the exception of business products and services, all industries saw a majority of their email opens occurring on mobile phones... [...]

Sarah Gooding says, “This week Mandrill announced that it will be discontinuing its free tier for transactional emails. As of March 16th, new Mandrill users will create their accounts through MailChimp and existing users will be required to merge their accounts with a MailChimp account where they will be charged $20+/mo for transactional emails. The deadline for merging accounts is April 27th. MailChimp is choosing to focus on delivering “personalized transactional” emails that require more design. For those who want to continue delivering utility type emails, the company recommends... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “Most Valentine’s Day shopping happens at the eleventh hour. With that in mind we put together some last minute tips to help boost your Valentine’s Day email marketing campaigns. We looked at 172 brands that mailed Valentine’s Day campaigns in January and February last year. While the findings provide valuable insights on some items that worked, you need to find out what’s best for your brand. We encourage you to be your own benchmark and test and measure the strategies that work best to engage your customers. Best time to send Valentine’s Day email marketing... [...]

Ashley Lockridge says, “There’s a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that will stick in my head forever. Violet Beauregarde, an obsessive gum chewer, starts smacking on a piece of gum that is promised to taste like a three-course meal. Despite Willy Wonka’s protests that he hasn’t gotten this test product “quite right yet,” she chews on and experiences a delicious dinner of tomato soup and roast beef. However, when she gets to the blueberry pie dessert, she begins to turn purple and blow up like a gigantic blueberry, eventually becoming so large she almost pops. There’s... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “As an email marketer, more is being asked of you today than ever before. On one side, your boss [and/or board] is demanding more in the form of direct revenue contribution. Data from The Relevancy Group’s most recent executive marketer survey highlights that you’re stepping up to that challenge. As the graph below indicates (Figure 1.), nearly one in four executives report that their email channel drives more than twenty-five percent of their overall revenue (astonishingly, this is nearly double the number who reported the same just two years earlier). On the other... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “Email volume for the 2015 holiday season Volume for the 2015 holiday season was almost 25 percent higher than in 2014. While the large increase in volume led to lower rates for the 2015 holiday season, it is important to note that the actual number of opens, clicks and transactions in 2015 were higher than those received the year before. Holiday email and mobile highlights As in past years, we’ve taken a special look at the holiday trends and performance of promotional emails from over 40 retail brands. This year we’re also following SMS messages of 20 of these... [...]

John Fretto says, “Think about those who know you best. Chances are, someone like your spouse/partner, sibling or best friend comes to mind. Someone, or rather something, you are probably not considering is your web browser. It used to be that when we wanted to know something we asked another person, but today we go straight to the Internet. In fact, a recent study by Experian Marketing Services found that an astonishing 99.8 percent of online Americans say that Internet is the first place they look for information on one or more topics, ranging from weather to news to sports and more. One... [...]

Denice Surjan says, “New Year’s resolutions for marketers A new year means a fresh start. It may be a new diet or workout routine for some, or a chance to learn a new skill or hobby for others. For marketers, the start of a new year is an opportunity to look ahead and make sure you are set up for success. We’ve compiled a list of the top seven resolutions for marketers this year so you’re still around for 2017. 1. Convert your holiday shoppers into year round customers. At the start of a New Year it’s easy to be so caught up in looking ahead that we dismiss the work we did over... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “Our coverage of seasonal activities and relevant trends for the 2015 holiday season continues. We’re seeing high email volume continue to drive open and click rates lower than those seen in 2014. However, the absolute number of opens and clicks received are higher. The largest percentage of year-over-year increases in volume, opens and clicks occurred on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) and Tuesday (the day after Cyber Monday). A pattern continues for transactions and revenue as well. While rates have decreased, the total number of transactions and amount... [...]