the state of email 2016 - year in review
TRANSCRIPT
2016The State of Email
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Email Marketing Insights on Design, Production, & Salaries
Litmus surveyed more than 900 marketers about how they design, create, approve, and send email campaigns—plus how much they were paid.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Over the next 45 minutes, we’ll share actionable tips from…
Chad White • Research Director at Litmus• Author of Email Marketing Rules• Written over 3,000 posts and
articles on email marketing• Quoted in over 100
publications, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
The State of EmailDESIGN
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Must-Subscribe Brands
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Retina-Optimized Images
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This became an issue when Apple introduced the iPhone 4 in 2010, which had a Retina screen with four times the pixel density of previous screens. Now high-DPI screens are everywhere.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
One downside is that images become heavy. Consider compressing your images with ImageOptim, Compressor.io, JPEGmini, TinyPNG, Kraken, or Pied Piper.
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ALT Text
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Despite Gmail now enabling images in email by default, image blocking is still common. ALT text allows text to be displayed when an image is not.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Without ALT text:
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With ALT text:
@chadswhite @LitmusApp
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With Styled ALT text:
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Font properties supported in clients displaying styled ALT text:• font-family• font-size• font-weight• color• font-style
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Images on
Images off
Preview Text
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Use preview text like a “second subject line” to support and extend your
subject line.
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Responsive Design
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Mobile-friendly design techniques:1. Mobile-Aware Design uses basic
coding techniques to create a single email rendering that’s suitable for a range of screen sizes, but is deferential to smartphones
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Mobile-friendly design techniques:2. Responsive Design uses media
queries and other progressive enhancement techniques to control the formatting, layout, and display of email content depending on the subscriber’s screen size
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
All of the growth in email mobile-friendliness was the
result of growing use of mobile-aware and
responsive-aware design.@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Responsive-Aware Email Design
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The growth in mobile-aware and responsive-aware shows that marketers are focusing
on production efficiency.
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Animated Gifs
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Animated gifs are the most common way to add motion to an email because most email clients support them.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Animated gifs can…1. Catch the eye and add intrigue2. Entertain and add humor3. Draw attention to primary CTA4. Highlight assortments or
product options5. Demonstrate how a product works
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Animated gifs can also…1. Distract subscribers2. Slow email load timesSo…1. Don’t use too many close together2. Associate them with key CTAs
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The State of EmailPRODUCTION
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Content Planning
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Without proper planning, it’s difficult to…1. Ramp up email production volume
for peak seasons2. Plan sophisticated one-off emails3. Make seasonal updates to
templates and triggered emails@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
The vast majority of marketers are planning their email campaign calendar using…1. Google and Microsoft suites2. Basecamp3. Trello
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Checklists
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Avoidable failures are common and persistent, not to mention demoralizing and
frustrating, across many fields… And the reason is
increasingly evident: @ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
The volume and complexity of what we know has
exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Pre-send Checklist: Do you have…1. Right send date? 2. Right list or trigger logic?3. Right sender name and subject line?4. Right rendering and functionality? 5. Right personalization and defaults?6. Right landing pages?
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
The State of EmailMistakesBetter known as…
Many Email Marketing Mistakes Going Undetected
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Apology Emails
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
So while it seems that half of brands are successfully
avoiding errors, unfortunately it’s far more likely that they’re just not able to successfully
detect their mistakes.@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
The State of EmailAGENCIES
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Agencies invest significantly more in every aspect of email creation, spending more time and
achieving greater efficiencies through technology.
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The State of EmailSALARIES & JOBS
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@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Put that all together, and the easiest way to identify
companies that value email marketing is to look for
complexity.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Marketers should consider those factors when evaluating jobs, and brands should ask themselves if they’re sending
the right cues to potential email marketing employees.
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Before I get to your questions…
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
Please participate in our2017 State of Email Survey:surveymonkey.com/r/StateOfEmail2017
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
1. You will help power another year of research-driven insights from Litmus.
Please participate in our2017 State of Email Survey:surveymonkey.com/r/StateOfEmail2017
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
2. You’ll uncover new opportunities for improvements in your email program.
Please participate in our2017 State of Email Survey:surveymonkey.com/r/StateOfEmail2017
@ChadSWhite @LitmusApp #LitmusLive
3. You’ll may win to win a ticket to TEDC or a Mystery Litmus Swag Pack!
Questions?
Thank You!
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