Email Marketing RulesEmail Marketing Trends for 2023: Proven Essentials
Posted on March 13, 2023
Email marketing is constantly evolving, so it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy from year to year. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when the economic environment, consumer behaviors, and business goals are shifting rapidly.
To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2023. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re looking at the Proven Essentials, which are in the high adoption–high impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics in this quadrant are mature, but are still improving and delivering tremendous results.
Our Proven Essentials stand in stark contrast to our Unproven Opportunities, which still have significant risks associated with them and benefits that haven’t fully materialized. Our Proven Essentials also have a risk profile that’s the inverse of our Competitive Differentiators—that is, where our Competitive Differentiators offer a competitive advantage to early adopters, our Proven Essentials put late adopters at a competitive disadvantage.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, 14 of them were rated as being in the high adoption–high impact quadrant for 2023. Let’s talk about each of them in turn.
The 4th Edition of Email Marketing Rules Released!
Posted on March 8, 2023
I’m thrilled to announce the release of the 4th Edition of Email Marketing Rules! Updated and greatly expanded, it demystifies this vital channel, guiding you through its complexities to find the best execution for your brand—the one that serves the needs of your business and the needs of your subscribers.
Volume 1 of Email Marketing Rules discusses 184 best practices that help you build productive, safe email lists, set the right program goals, create relevant messages, craft high-performance triggered emails, effectively plan and produce emails, and much more.
Volume 2 of Email Marketing Rules discusses strategic frameworks that help you understand the channel’s unique quirks, grow your audience, collect and use subscriber data, measure program success effectively, steadily improve your email marketing program, and much more—including 6 extensive checklists for auditing and optimizing your targeting, acquisition sources, cross-channel synergies, and more.
Together, both volumes give you the tactics and strategies you need to grow as an email marketer and grow your email program.
Creating & Maintaining Effective Automated Campaigns
Posted on March 7, 2023
Automations are among the highest performing campaigns a brand can send, dramatically outperforming broadcast campaigns. That’s despite typically representing less than 5% of a brand’s campaign volume, and receiving far less attention than they deserve considering their contributions to revenue versus other campaigns.
For instance, triggered and transactional emails generate 20% or more of email marketing revenue for 74% of brands, according to an Oracle Marketing Consulting survey. An astonishing 18% of brands generate the majority of their email marketing revenue from their automations.
Yet, despite that incredibly high performance, marketers chronically underinvest in their automated campaigns, depriving their organizations of even more stellar returns from these messages.
What would you need to do to seize this opportunity? What tasks would you perform if you wanted to dedicate time to your automated campaigns that was more proportional to revenue they’re generating for your marketing program? Making the most of your opportunities with automation requires the prioritization of a set of tasks that evolves as your program becomes more sophisticated.
We see there being five primary sets of tasks, with less sophisticated programs focusing more on the first few tasks and more sophisticated programs the last few…
The Last Word on February 2023
Posted on March 3, 2023
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Is Image Blocking Still an Issue in 2023? (Email Optimization Shop)
5 Ways to Make Your Marketing Emails More Personal — Without Personalization (CMSWire)
30 Ideas To Improve Your Newsletter This Year (Inbox Collective)
4 Overlooked But Valuable Ecommerce Segments to Target with Email (Holistic Email Marketing)
Typographic Hierarchy: Print, Web, and UI Design (PimpMyType)
Insightful & entertaining social posts
We are 100% in agreement…
💌 Email is not dead
🎯 Segmentation & Personalization Rules
⚒️ Always Be Testing
🫂 We need to continue empowering each other
💌 We missed each other 💌#emailgeeks #anaeec #emailmarketing pic.twitter.com/Xm8DhP2I5h— 🔴 Guilda (@justguilda) February 10, 2023
It’s a nope https://t.co/yaqNfOi4JQ
— Val Geisler (@lovevalgeisler) February 6, 2023
Noteworthy subject lines
The North Face, 2/7 – Celebrate Black History Month with our team athletes.
Clinique Online, 2/23 – 4 trailblazing Black women reveal their favorite Clinique products.
West Elm, 2/13 – Support Black makers & businesses
Uncommon Goods, 2/6 – What if everyone spoke in conversation hearts on Valentine’s Day?
Olive Garden, 2/13 – We’ll play cook, you play Cupid 💘
Macy’s, 2/13 – Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but you’re not too late
Williams Sonoma, 2/24 – Your grill has been waiting all winter for this
Patagonia, 2/13 – Critical warmth for spring summits
Superdry, 2/14 – Jackets for ever-changing weather.
Target, 2/7 – New in outdoor living & garden 🌱
YETI, 2/28 – Just In: New Seasonal Colors
Nordstrom, 2/11 – Sunseekers: your first port of call 🌞
Urban Outfitters, 2/26 – your beach day checklist ✔️
Big Lots, 2/23 – Your outdoor oasis awaits! ☀️
Abercrombie & Fitch, 2/13 – A bunch of cute dresses in here…
Duralast at AutoZone, 2/28 – You won’t find these parts anywhere else
Uncommon Goods, 2/23 – Anniversary gifts living double lives
CB2, 2/4 – your friends will say you have excellent taste
Huckberry, 2/10 – Our GOATs
lululemon, 2/21 – What’s the Align lifestyle?
Allbirds, 2/7 – Don’t Miss: A Sustainable Alternative To Leather
MoMA Design Store, 2/11 – “The Porsche of Trash Cans”
Nordstrom The Thread, 2/22 – Introducing… The Thread Letter
The North Face, 2/28 – See why world-class trail runners rely on Summit Series
Chubbies, 2/21 – CHUBBIES X GEORGE KITTLE
Victoria’s Secret, 2/21 – JUST DROPPED: VS x Naomi Osaka
Zara, 2/22 – Back in stock! Rhuigi x Zara collection
Urban Outfitters, 2/10 – NEW one-of-a-kind styles from Kevin Leonel →
Macy’s, 2/11 – Open a Macy’s Card 💳 for a special Valentines treat (deets inside)
Banana Republic, 2/28 – Download The BR App To Enjoy Early Access To Friends & Family
Clinique Online, 2/17 – Try on foundation virtually.
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Received 100+ Welcome Emails. Here’s What I Learned
Email Marketing Trends for 2023: Competitive Differentiators
Your Most Important Job as an Email Marketer Is…
Email Marketing Trends for 2023: Unproven Opportunities
Email Blocklists: How to Get Off One, and Stay Off Them
Navigating the Post-Holiday Season: Gift Returns, Customer Debt, & Gift Cards
5 Takeaways from Signing Up for Marketing Emails from 100 Brands
Received 100+ Welcome Emails. Here’s What I Learned
Posted on March 2, 2023
I shared takeaways from having signed up for promotional emails from 100 brands in my CMSWire last column, so for this one I want to share what happened next: I received a lot of welcome emails!
But that’s not to say there weren’t some surprises. There were. Here are my key takeaways and the major opportunities I see for brands when it comes to crafting better onboarding experiences.
Email Marketing Trends for 2023: Competitive Differentiators
Posted on February 28, 2023
Email marketing is constantly evolving, so it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy from year to year. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when the economic environment, consumer behaviors, and business goals are shifting rapidly.
To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2023. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re looking at the Competitive Differentiators, which are in the low adoption–high impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics in this quadrant are not completely proven, but some companies are already seeing great results from using them. They offer a significant competitive advantage with considerably less risk than our Unproven Opportunities.
But, there are still risks, including the acquisition of smaller providers, frequent process and feature changes as the technology stabilizes, frequent changes in best practices as knowledge grows, changing cost structures, scarcity of needed skills, and other issues. These hassles and expenses are easier to accept, however, because many adopters are already seeing sizable returns on their investments. Their willingness to accept some uncertainty in exchange for good returns gives them a distinct advantage over their competitors, most of whom have yet to embrace these tactics and technologies.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, eight of them were rated as being in the low adoption–high impact quadrant for 2023. Let’s talk about each of them in turn.
Email Marketing Trends for 2023: Unproven Opportunities
Posted on February 23, 2023
Email marketing is constantly evolving, so it can be difficult to know where to invest your time and energy from year to year. It’s extra challenging in turbulent times like these, when the economic environment, consumer behaviors, and business goals are shifting rapidly.
To help you prioritize your email marketing efforts this year, we surveyed Oracle Marketing Consulting’s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them to rate the current adoption of a range of email marketing technologies and tactics, as well as their predicted impact during 2023. We then mapped the results into adoption-impact quadrants.
In this post, we’re looking at the Unproven Opportunities, which are in the low adoption–low impact quadrant. The technologies and tactics here are not fully vetted and may not generate long-term adoption or impact. There are significant risks that could undermine your investment in part or entirely—including rejection by consumers, inadequate inbox provider support, inadequate digital marketing platform support, the passage of legislative impediments, and other issues.
Because of those risks, most brands will find that the best strategy is to wait and let others work out all the details, uncover the best practices, and stress-test the technologies. However, the pioneering companies who embrace these trends at this early stage may seize a sizable advantage over their competitors.
Of the 26 trends we surveyed our digital marketing consultants about, four of them were rated as being in the low adoption–low impact quadrant for 2023. Let’s talk about each of them in turn.
Email Blocklists: How to Get Off One, and Stay Off Them
Posted on February 17, 2023
Having your email IP address or domain added to an email blocklist can seriously affect your deliverability, and therefore the profitability of your email program. This is doubly true if you’re blocklisted during one of your key selling seasons.
For those reasons, it’s important to routinely check if your brand is on any email blocklists and, if it is, to take the necessary steps to get removed and then to make changes so it’s less likely to end up on an email blocklist again.
In this post, Oracle Marketing Consulting Head of Email Deliverability Services Daniel Deneweth and I explain…
- What email blocklists are, including the two different kinds and a list of major blocklist operators
- How to determine if you’re on one or more email blocklists, including a list of paid and free tools
- How to get your brand removed from a blocklist
- How to avoid getting blocklisted, including recommended and highly recommended action items
To get all the details on each of these topics…
The Last Word on January 2023
Posted on February 6, 2023
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and social buzz you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
The Future of Email Marketing & Marketing Automation 2023 (EmailMonday)
Deliverability in 2023: Looking Back, Looking Forward (Kickbox)
B2B Gamble: Brands Boost Their Marketing As They Brace For A Recession (MediaPost)
Does Your Email Copy Persuade or Sell? (Holistic Email Marketing)
What Are Email Headers, How Are They Used, and How to Find Them? (Kickbox)
Insightful & entertaining social posts
Owning your own distribution channel is an important lesson for creators. Build your emails list, take a lesson from other creators #theoatmeal #emailgeeks pic.twitter.com/1op9rJvCZE
— Matthew Vernhout – @emailkarma@deliverabililt.ie (@EmailKarma) January 12, 2023
LOL, I asked ChatGPT to write a Drake verse about not emailing your list. 😂#EmailGeeks pic.twitter.com/DJYVwowrJa
— Travis Ketchum (@TravisKetchum) January 19, 2023
My top 5 email pet peeves:
1. Fake order confirmations (heart attack by email)
2. Fake RE: and Fake FWD:
3. All images + No alt-text
4. Bait-and-switch subject lines
5. Getting a sale email after I purchasedAnything to add?
— Kat Garcia (@heykatgarcia) January 3, 2023
I just opened an email and audio from the email immediately started playing and I NEVER want to experience that again. I didn’t even know audio in an email was a thing.
— Kelly Vaughn (@kvlly) January 24, 2023
Noteworthy subject lines
Michaels, 1/3 – Try something new in 2023! 🤩 Check out our classes and events.
Big Lots, 1/3 – ❤️ Ease into a healthier lifestyle!
Everlane, 1/3 – New Year Style Resolutions
Clinique Online, 1/2 – Start 2023 looking BRIGHT 🔆
Michaels, 1/11 – Try something new in 2023! 🤩 Check out our classes and events.
Art.com, 1/4 – REVEALED: Pantone’s color of 2023!
Nike, 1/12 – Todd X Nike: 2022 Year in review
Goldbelly, 1/5 – Fuel Your Resolution 🥗🍍 Fresh Fruits, Clean Proteins, & More!
The Container Store, 1/11 – Get Your Office Set For 2023
Forever 21, 1/17 – Trending colors for 2023 🦋🥝
Allbirds, 1/17 – Our Lunar New Year Exclusive
Peloton, 1/13 – Quitter’s Day who?
Vineyard Vines, 1/14 – The Valentine’s Shop Is Open 😍
YETI, 1/17 – Our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide Is Here
Uncommon Goods, 1/14 – What’s a gift like you doing in a guide like this?
The Container Store, 1/21 – You Love Them. They’ll Love This.
Fanatics, 1/10 – Georgia Bulldogs Are Back-To-Back National Champions!
Vineyard Vines, 1/30 – Super Bowl Styles: Chiefs Vs. Eagles
Goldbelly, 1/30 – Top Picks for Game Day 🏈🍕
NFLShop.com, 1/21 – Now Available! The Super Bowl LVII Collection
Macy’s, 1/5 – These fitness essentials are part of a balanced lifestyle
The North Face, 1/5 – Gloves, beanies & slippers make all the difference
Priceline, 1/19 – Choose your savings (Escape the cold!)
Nordstrom, 1/11 – Styles for sunny escapes 🌞🌺
Art.com, 1/3 – 10 family photo wall ideas!
Lane Bryant, 1/3 – Hurry. Head-to-toe looks for $59 don’t last.
Olive Garden, 1/3 – What’s always here and always on us?
Crate & Kids, 1/26 – Tuck them into supersoft bedding →
Abercrombie & Fitch, 1/5 – INTRODUCING YPB >>>
Clinique, 1/14 – This makeup remover feels like a spa treat. Try it free! With purchase.
Abercrombie & Fitch, 1/12 – Like a shot of serotonin.
Crate & Barrel, 1/26 – Organized kitchen = clear mind.
Chubbies, 1/28 – I like big putts
Crate & Barrel, 1/11 – Hemp bedding: Good for you and the planet.
Lululemon, 1/19 – The Define Jacket? All over social media.
The Hustle, 1/10 – 🔥 Goodbye, gas stoves?
MyPanera, 1/11 – Join us for Wellness Wednesdays 😊
Target, 1/8 – New Tabitha Brown for Target vegan food & kitchen collection.
Quiksilver, 1/12 – New: Blank Canvas x Gregg Kaplan
Redbubble, 1/14 – 🧑🎨 Meet an artist: ECMazur
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
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Uplers: 2023 Email Marketing Predictions from 23 Experts
Webbula: Based on Past Economic Downturns, How Should Marketers Approach This One?
How to Fill Your Digital Marketing Content Calendar in 8 Steps
First Quarter 2023 Holiday Marketing Quarterly
The Newest Automation Trigger: Internet-Connected Devices
Visual Branding in Email Marketing: 7 Elements to Optimize
Content Calendar Assistant 2023
Navigating the Post-Holiday Season: Gift Returns, Customer Debt, & Gift Cards
Posted on February 3, 2023
The holiday season doesn’t end on Christmas Day—or even at the end of December. The ripple effects of the holidays can be felt well into the New Year.
Some of those effects are negative, such as gift returns and holiday-accumulated consumer debt. And some of them are positive, such as increased gift card balances.
Let’s talk about ways to reduce the negative impacts and boost the positive impacts through smart marketing and other strategies.
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
