Building Successful Email WorkflowsBased on our 2017 State of Email Survey of more than 3,500 marketers, our second annual State of Email Workflows report takes a detailed look at every stage of email creation—from planning and creation to quality assurance and sending. It gives you a great idea of what the average email marketing workflow looks like. But what does the exceptional email workflow look like?

During this webinar, Litmus Product Manager Kevin Mandeville and I will share the behaviors and processes that separate successful email programs from less successful ones. We’ll discuss:

  • Content planning
  • Production cycles
  • Email design and development tools
  • Quality assurance
  • Approvals
  • Interventions and apology emails
  • And more

Building Successful Email Workflows
June 27, 2017
10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET / 5:00pm GMT

Can’t make it on June 27? Don’t worry. Register and you’ll receive the recording of the webinar.

>> Register for the free webinar

What Will Happen to Yahoo Mail?In the wake of a rocky transition of verizon.net email accounts over to AOL, which included many accounts simply being shut down, there are now questions about how Verizon will handle Yahoo Mail. Will Yahoo Mail users also be migrated over to AOL accounts? Will these users lose their yahoo.com email addresses?

I recently spoke with Jess Nelson of MediaPost, who wanted to know: What Will Happen to Yahoo Mail? This is what I told her:

“The Verizon email service didn’t have a lot of features or good spam filtering. It also didn’t have many users, compared to AOL Mail and Yahoo Mail, which are now both part of Verizon. So it made a lot of sense to migrate verizon.net email accounts to AOL, which delivers a much better user experience. That said, the transition could have been much smoother and less threatening for users.

Yahoo Mail should be a completely different story. While neglected and tainted by being hacked in recent years, Yahoo Mail has decent capabilities, a ton of brand recognition, and a much larger user base of accounts. I would be shocked if Verizon did a forced migration of Yahoo Mail accounts.

Instead, I expect Verizon to consolidate backend systems, merging the systems of AOL Mail and Yahoo Mail into one email system and user interface. They will then use that single backend system to service both AOL and Yahoo email accounts. On the surface, those will have different branding, but under the hood, they’ll be one system.

Although Verizon says there won’t be oath.com email addresses, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did just that once that consolidation of email infrastructure is complete—perhaps as part of an effort to service corporate email needs to match Gmail’s success with business users. But even then, I expect Yahoo Mail to live on for a long time.”

For all the details and additional perspective…

>> Read the full article on MediaPost.com

Is email marketing 'failure-friendly'?Litmus posed that question to more than 1,000 marketers and to a group of email marketing experts and got very different answers. While marketers were very mixed, the experts said that failures in email were, at the very least, less painful than in other channels; and at most, necessary for optimizing the channel.

In this blog post, we explore why email marketing should be a failure-friendly channel, as well as share strategies for changing the culture at your company if it is unforgiving of email failures.

>> View the entire post on the Litmus blog

2017 State of Email Report WebinarEmail is a constantly changing landscape of email clients, support, and marketing trends. The email client ecosystem continues to be fragmented and dynamic, and email clients can drop and add support for critical email elements without warning. Combine that with the fact that consumers’ definition of spam is changing, and it’s pretty clear that email marketers have a lot to contend with as they adapt their email programs in 2017.

In this webinar, Kayla Lewkowicz, Kevin Mandeville, and I share the findings and our advice from the 2017 State of Email Report so you can arm yourself and your team with knowledge to navigate these changes and build email campaigns that surprise, delight, and ultimately, convert.

In particular, we focus on:

  • Changes in email clients, including support for HTML5 video in iOS and responsive design in Gmail
  • Changes in how consumers define “spam” and the reasons that drive consumers to report emails as spam
  • Trends around interactive emails and gamification
  • The biggest trends in email marketing for 2017
  • Email workflow trends and opportunities to streamline your email production

To view the webinar recording and download the slides…

>> Visit the Litmus blog

Everything Email Podcast: The 6 Stages of the Subscriber Lifecycle & Email ViralityIn this episode of the Everything Email Podcast, I join the show’s hosts, Ali Swerdlow and Kerel Cooper, to discuss:

  • The 6 stages of the subscriber lifecycle: acquisition, onboarding, engagement, super-engagement, re-engagement, and transition
  • How email attention spans have increased over the past 6 years
  • Email virality, including what drives it, what subscriber lifecycle is most conducive to creating it, and how it differs from social virality

For the full discussion…

>> Listen to the podcast on the LiveIntent blog

And for a deeper dive, check out:

Task Runners and Static Site GeneratorsWe continue to see web development tools being adopted by email developers. Two such tools are task runners and static site generators.

Task runners automate repetitive tasks such as inlining CSS and sending test emails. Static site generators are build systems for flat files that allow you to templatize and break down email elements, making them easier to edit and control

Usage of both of these have increased among email marketers, according to our 2017 State of Email Workflows report. Eight and a half percent of email marketers are now using task runners as part of their email production workflow, up from 6.7% in 2015. And 9.2% of email marketers are using static site generators, up from 5.2% in 2015.

>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog

Get "Email Marketing Rules"I’m beyond thrilled with the initial reaction to the latest edition of my book, Email Marketing Rules, which is thoroughly updated and greatly expanded. Compared to the 2nd Edition, the 3rd Edition has…

  • 30 new rules, with many of them focused on best practices around deliverability and workflows
  • 7 new chapters, including ones on subject line and preview text writing, subscriber journeys, the minimum viable email, recovering from email mistakes, and email marketing attribution
  • 3 times as many charts and diagrams, including ones about the transactional email spectrum, components of an email opt-in, and the email audience funnel
  • 152 more pages, making it perhaps the most comprehensive email marketing book ever written

Here is some of the early praise for the new edition:

“Chad is dead on with this book. Stop chasing the next new thing and get good at email.”
—JOE PULIZZI, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute; author of five books, including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing

“Email marketing is more critical than ever. Email Marketing Rules is timely, relevant, and necessary. Highly recommended!”
—JAY BAER, President of Convince & Convert; author of Hug Your Haters and Youtility

“Chad is honestly one of the brightest minds in email marketing, and this book is the gold standard on email best practices.”
—MATHEW SWEEZEY, Principal of Marketing Insights at Salesforce; author of Marketing Automation for Dummies

“Avoid leaving money on the table. Email Marketing Rules gives you a well-structured, easy-to-follow template for reviewing and improving your program.”
—DR. DAVE CHAFFEY, CEO & Publisher of SmartInsights.com; digital marketing author

“I train hundreds of email marketers and reference this book regularly. A must-have.”
—KRISTIN BOND, Sr. Email Marketing Manager at Girl Scouts; Co-Founder of Women of Email

“Chad White lays out the key ‘rules’ required to take your program to the next level. Ignore them and you risk being left behind by competitors.”
—LOREN McDONALD, Marketing Evangelist at IBM Watson Marketing

“The Wikipedia of email marketing. You simply can’t find a more comprehensive all-in-one resource.”
—JUSTINE JORDAN, VP of Marketing at Litmus; 2015 EEC Email Marketing Thought Leader of the Year

“Chad White is one of the top thinkers in the email world! Anytime I am asked how someone can learn more about email, I reference this book.”
—SIMMS JENKINS, Founder & CEO of BrightWave; author of The New Inbox and The Truth About Email Marketing

“A clearly written guide…from a master of retail email marketing. A must-read.”
—DON DAVIS, Editor in Chief of Internet Retailer Magazine

“Chad White provides a clear reminder that email marketing done right remains one of the most powerful marketing tactics available today. Read this book.”
—JEFFREY K. ROHRS, Chief Marketing Officer of Yext; author of AUDIENCE

“Incredibly thorough and packed with the most useful content of ANY book on email marketing!”
—JOEL BOOK, Senior Director of Digital Marketing Insight at Salesforce

The 3rd Edition of Email Marketing Rules is available in paperback and Kindle versions.

>> Get your copy today on Amazon.com

Email Marketing RulesI’m thrilled to announce the release of the 3rd Edition of my book, Email Marketing Rules, which is available on Amazon.com in both print and digital versions.

Updated and greatly expanded, the 3rd Edition of Email Marketing Rules demystifies this vital channel, taking you step by step through 150 best practices, providing extensive tactical checklists, and giving you strategic frameworks for long-term success. It will help you…

  • Set the right program goals by understanding “deep metrics” and properly interpreting campaign, channel, and subscriber metrics
  • Build high-performance lists by identifying valuable subscriber acquisition sources, using appropriate permission practices, and managing inactives wisely
  • Ensure your emails are delivered by understanding the factors that cause inbox providers to block senders
  • Craft relevant messaging with effective subject lines, savvy designs, and smart targeting
  • Automate your messaging so you address moments that matter and create highly engaging subscriber journeys
  • Develop solid workflows that avoid errors and speed up production

You can preview the book below or by visiting Amazon.com and clicking on “Look Inside” above the cover image.

The Last Word on May 2017

The Last WordA roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…

Must-read articles, posts & reports

The Halo Effect: Marketers Stuck In Last-Click Attribution (MediaPost)

The New Age Of Infinite Media And What It Means For Marketing (Forbes)

Using the Customer Journey to Help You Achieve Sales Success (Pipedrive)

Email code easter eggs (Kurated Email Design)

3 Types of Email Preference Centers (SendGrid)

Stop Shaming Your Users for Micro Conversions (Nielsen Norman Group)

The rise of the chief marketing technologist (IBM Think Marketing)

9 Psychology-Based Pricing Strategies You Can Use Today (+ Swipe File) (Sleeknote)

Insightful & entertaining tweets

Noteworthy subject lines

ToysRUs & BabiesRUs ,5/14 – Mom?Mom!Moooommmm…
AutoAnything, 5/7 – Who Says All Moms Want Flowers?
SeaWorld Orlando, 5/13 – Quiz Time: What type of mother are you?
Under Armour, 5/8 – Forgot Something? Like…Mother’s Day?
Bonobos, 5/7 – Put mom’s good genes to use.
Barneys New York, 5/11 – Celebrate Mother’s Day Like a Supermodel with Christy Turlington
Vera Bradley, 5/22 – Brooke Webb of KBStyled reveals her favorite gifts for grads!
Under Armour, 5/15 – UA Stars & Stripes Collection—Pride Meets Performance
Sesame Place, 5/1 — THIS WEEKEND: Elmo is wondering about MAGIC!
Walmart, 5/26 – You go, grill!
UncommonGoods, 5/30 – Three Words: National. Doughnut. Day.
Anthropologie, 5/22 – Another reason to join AnthroPerks? FREE SHIPPING.
The North Face, 5/9 – Our weatherproof travel jacket packs flat in four folds.
J.Crew, 5/10 – The dress to wear @work right now
Ann Taylor, 5/30 – Dresses For Every R.S.V.P.
ModCloth, 5/30 – Sun, sand, & smiles. What’s missing?
J.Crew, 5/15 – This sold-out one-piece swimsuit is back – get in there
Sony Electronics, 5/7 – Nearly 100,000 View In This Email Alone
Pier 1 Imports, 5/12 – As seen in Woman’s Day.
ASPCA, 5/26 – Meet the ASPCA 2018 Calendar Cover Star
Threadless, 5/22 – I literally can knot.
Victoria’s Secret, 5/30 – Knotty by nature
Nike, 5/22 – Free Hugs on Every Run
Moosejaw, 5/9 – My Mean Boss wants you to save up to 25% off.
ToysRUs, 5/7 – Know Who Else Sells These Toys? Neither Do We.
RH, 5/15 – The Milo Baughman #3426 Chair. Watch the Film “The Master of Modern.”
Victoria’s Secret PINK, 5/20 – Weekend uniform inspo, inside —>
Carnival Cruise Line, 5/7 – Don’t Delete! You’re Invited To Cruise On The Vacation You Need
Lands’ End, 5/22 – R.E.S.P.E.C.TEE + 30% off ends today
Chipotle, 5/8 – Lollapolooza+LifeIsBeautiful+AustinCityLimits = TRIFESTA VIP Giveaway
Ikea, 5/26 – Bold patterns for all – AVSIKTLIG!
West Elm, 5/14 – Make your weekend 10000x better (Up to 30% off!)

New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com

The Email Design Podcast #62: 2017 State of Email Workflows (Part II)

The Email Design Podcast #61: 2017 State of Email Workflows (Part I)

What Is the Biggest Email Marketing Myth?

Marketing Cloudcast: It’s 2017. Are You Still Making These Email Marketing Mistakes?

Top Email Copy Tips from 12 Email Experts

Report: 2017 State of Email Workflows

The Last Word on April 2017

Email Design Podcast 62In this episode of The Email Design Podcast, I continue my conversation with host Kevin Mandeville about the findings of our 2017 State of Email Workflow.

In Part 1, we talked about content planning, production cycles, and email design and development tools. In Part 2, we walk through the sections of the report about…

  • Quality assurance
  • Approval processes
  • Email platforms
  • Interventions and apologies

>> Listen to the podcast on the Litmus blog

>> Listen on SoundCloud