Email Marketing RulesReport: 2017 State of Email Creative
Posted on November 17, 2017
Email creative is unlike web or print design. It has its own unique constraints and opportunities that marketers must master to make the most of the channel.
The rendering of your design is affected by the email client and screen size used to view it, whether images are disabled, and more. And you have lots of opportunities to up-level your design by using dynamic content, interactive email elements, A/B testing, and more.
Based on our survey of more than 3,500 marketers worldwide, our second annual State of Email Creative report examines every facet of email creative strategy, including:
- Finding email inspiration
- Brand guidelines
- Email design approaches
- The popularity of various design elements
- The use of one-off email designs
- A/B testing
- Email redesign schedules
- Landing page responsibilities
This 31-page report explores each of these findings and much more, with 25 charts providing data-based evidence of current practices and trends that impact the email creative process.
Use the results to benchmark your own email creative and design processes, to identify opportunities for improvement, and as evidence to argue for the need to experiment with new email approaches, elements, and tactics.
>> Download the free report
Sleeknote’s E-Commerce Boost Podcast: The Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs
Posted on November 15, 2017
I’m honored to be among the first guests on Sleeknote’s new podcast, E-Commerce Boost. In my episode, I spoke with Sleeknote’s Julie Fjeldgaard about the Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs. I explain why creating respectful, functional, valuable, and remarkable email experiences is critical to email marketing success.
In addition to the Hierarchy of Subscriber Needs, we discuss some of the finding from Litmus’ 2017 State of Email Deliverability report, including:
- Sign-up processes
- How the context of a sign-up affects subscriber quality and needs
- The best and most problematic subscriber acquisition sources
- The opportunity around signup confirmation pages
>> Listen to the podcast
Email Marketing Job Hotspots and Hot Skills
Posted on November 7, 2017
Looking for an email marketing job in the US? Then California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, and New York are the top states for you. In Canada? Then Ontario is tops. In the United Kingdom? London is king.
Those are the top locations that were listed in the highest number of job postings to the Litmus Community Job Board between August 2016 and August 2017, when there were 256 total job postings.
Continuing to live up to its reputation as a high-tech hub, California was by far the state with the most job postings for email marketers. It had at least twice as many email marketing job listings as any other state, with the exception of Massachusetts.
While the United States had considerably more email marketing job postings than the United Kingdom, the city of London had more postings than any US state except for California.
>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog
The Last Word on October 2017
Posted on November 6, 2017
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
The Better Email on Design (Jason Rodriguez)
95% Boost in Conversions from a Small, Simple Change (Email Optimization Shop)
What annoys your clients the most when receiving an email? (Smart Insights)
Why Email Is the Locomotive of Digital Marketing (Forbes)
Email marketing trends 2018 (Smart Insights)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
Heading to the office Halloween party as a wireframe cause I suck at Halloween 🤦🏻♂🤷🏻♂ pic.twitter.com/NWYXq1W3lI
— Gearóid (@gearoidorourke) October 31, 2017
For my #email pals! via @tomfishburne https://t.co/DUYwOZweI3 #marketoon pic.twitter.com/UXYYRlPVlg
— Janet Roberts (@evansmom) October 16, 2017
Me: “What’s your rate?”
Freelancer: “What’s your budget?” pic.twitter.com/82nmnYEEN3— Anna Jenelius 👻 (@TheAnaka) October 23, 2017
I may have gone too far. #emailgeeks pic.twitter.com/6PBRKHUEGR
— Alex Ilhan (@omgitsonlyalex) September 26, 2017
Noteworthy subject lines
ASPCA, 10/18 — Don’t Miss Out. Get Your ASPCA Calendar!
Kate Spade, 10/18 — cat ladies, rejoice!
Clinique, 10/14 — Gift sets for that holiday glow. 5 FREE minis with purchase.
RH, 10/12 — Introducing the Holiday 2017 Collection. Free Shipping on Hundreds of Items.
The Container Store, 10/1 — Got an organizing project? We’ve got a Starter Kit that’ll help
The Crutchfield Team, 10/22 — Sonos + Alexa = Sonos One
DNC Rapid Response, 10/25 — Our rights > Big corporations
FansEdge, 10/12 — THE YANKEES WIN! NY Is In The ALCS!
Nike, 10/22 — Layer your way to peak performance.
ModCloth, 10/7 — ’Cause legs need love, too.
RH, 10/22 — Introducing the Moroccan Cactus Silk Pillow Collection
Wayfair, 10/14 — UNDER-$150 TV stands. Popcorn not included.
GapKids, 10/14 — Here to save the day: Gap x Justice League
Hasbro, 10/12 — Super(hero) Savings
Gucci, 10/11 — Debuting the Unskilled Worker Collection
Godiva Chocolatier, 10/14 — You Asked, We Listened! Our Large Chocolate Bars are BACK
NFLshop, 10/31 — RESTOCK ALERT: Patriots Nike Free Trainer V7 Shoes (will sell out fast!)
Subway, 10/12 — Are you ready for some fooootlooongs?
San Diego Zoo & Safari, 10/13 — Happy, Happy Hippos
Gander Outdoors, 10/25 — Field Tips: The Lowdown on Ground Blinds
Neiman Marcus, 10/14 — Say yes to dresses under $300
Victoria’s Secret, 10/14 — HOLD ON: Free tote in stores!
The Container Store, 10/27 — Watch our Best-Selling Products In Action
Anthropologie, 10/14 — Text me, pls.
Victoria’s Secret, 10/12 — BRA #GOALS: New fall colors!
Sony Electronics, 10/18 — Be a Part of Sony Research | Tell Us What You Think
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
The Rarest and Coolest Defensive Design Tactic: Email Pixel Art
Smart Insights: Email Marketing Trends in 2018
Email Interactivity: Opportunities and Challenges
Webinar Recording + Q&A: The Root Cause of Poor Email Deliverability
Email Design Podcast #78: The 2017 State of Email Deliverability
Smart Insights: Email Marketing Trends in 2018
Posted on October 26, 2017
2018 is fast approaching, so Smart Insights’ breakdown of six emerging email and marketing automation trends is timely.
Their top email marketing trends in 2018—which were informed by contributions from experts, including myself—covered:
- GDPR, which Tim Watson of Zettasphere said would be “very disruptive if not terminal for email 3rd party data and that it would spur “more innovation in list growth this year than for the last 14 years.”
- Interactive email, which presents many opportunities and challenges for email marketers
- Conversational email copywriting, which is essentially about how to write email copy like a human
- Mobile-friendly designs, which are an imperative given the current email reading habits
- Deliverability, which I predicted would be boosted by an increase in email authentication driven by the emerging Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) standard
- Personalization and segmentation, which will be driven by affordable machine learning and AI solutions
For all the details…
>> Read the full article on SmartInsights.com
Webinar Recording + Q&A: The Root Cause of Poor Email Deliverability
Posted on October 17, 2017
Being blocked and blacklisted should be far less common than they are today, when 34% of marketers have been blocked and nearly 15% have been blacklisted in the past 12 months, according to Litmus’ 2017 State of Email Deliverability report.
After examining the subscriber acquisition, permission, inactivity management, and other practices of more than 3,500 marketers, we’ve identified the root causes of poor inbox placement. We’ve also identified the half-measures marketers take to avoid addressing those root causes.
In this webinar, deliverability expert and Litmus Product Manager Jay Brangiforte and I discuss the various ways that marketers try to improve their poor email deliverability and which ones work best.
If you didn’t make the webinar, there’s no need to worry. You can watch the whole thing, plus see the answers to the questions we didn’t get to during the live webinar.
>> Watch the webinar on the Litmus Blog
The Last Word on September 2017
Posted on October 11, 2017
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Improving Gmail Delivery (Word to the Wise)
7 Really Good Unsubscribe Pages + Preference Centers (Really Good Emails)
What’s the Most Annoying Thing About Email Marketing? (eMarketer)
Getting GDPR consent & opt-in (Zettasphere)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
Celebrating the newest member of the TLi family, congrats mama Gina! “Email never sleeps & neither do I” #betrendline #babyshowerfun pic.twitter.com/nNMdY4yzIN
— TrendlineInteractive (@trendlinei) September 13, 2017
The X is going to be a blast to design for
So simple, not complicated at all
Just like the other phones
Yup. Super simple.
No problem. pic.twitter.com/TPgMpg95Ef
— Jonathan Shariat🐢🛠 (@DesignUXUI) September 12, 2017
i dont know about the rest of you but i for one am so glad they ask you this every time pic.twitter.com/B2011e0guu
— jomny sun (@jonnysun) September 26, 2017
and you think I lied about loving email #InboxSummit17 pic.twitter.com/ZHnJjrXS0N
— andrewkordek (@andrewkordek) September 29, 2017
Noteworthy subject lines
American Red Cross, 9/5 — Stories from our Texas shelters
Lands’ End, 9/14 — Squall answers Mother Nature’s call + 30% off
Lenovo, 9/7 — Where Does Your Loyalty Lie?
Lego, 9/10 — 24 gifts are better than 1!
Ann Taylor, 9/19 — 1 Classic Piece. 3 Brand New Outfits.
ThinkGeek, 9/1 — Pre-order exclusive Star Wars: The Black Series figures!
Carnival Cruise Line, 9/2 — Our Monthly Destination Spotlight: Alaska
The North Face, 9/10 — Meet our NEW ridiculously comfortable fleece…
Hayneedle, 9/10 — Let’s do launch: Our NEW app is here!
Gucci, 9/7 — Introducing Gucci Decor
Gilt, 9/5 — Celebrate the New Gilt with $30 Off
Garnet Hill, 9/14 — New flannel pj’s to enjoy, organically
Apple, 9/15 — iPhone 8. Apple Watch Series 3. Pre-order now.
NFLshop, 9/17 — Patriots Win Week 2: Time for NEW Gear!
Olive Garden, 9/18 — Save on your favorites for game day.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 9/27 — Paris Fashion Week: everyone’s talking about Dries Van Noten
Saks Fifth Avenue, 9/30 — Joseph Altuzarra’s Must-See Guide to Paris
The Container Store, 9/10 — 5 Entryway Ideas for Quick Organization – 25% Off!
Epicurious, 9/6 — The Best Roast Chicken Recipe of All Time
Applebee’s, 9/5 — A meal for two that includes everything but the people.
Sony Electronics, 9/13 — Say it. See it. Control TV with Your Voice
Clinique, 9/7 — There’s a mascara for that. Free 4-pc. Kit with purchase.
ModCloth, 9/6 — Ordinary is so overrated.
Gap, 9/14 — Cher and Future meet in the Gap
eBags, 9/15 — Keep calm and get two weeks of clothes in your carry-on!
ToysRUs, 9/28 — Ready for Some Seriously Extended Play?
Kate Spade, 9/10 — last chance to enjoy 25% off when you shop with purpose…
Anthropologie, 9/27 — How to pre-shop.
Gap, 9/30 — Success! We found **puffers** for you
UncommonGoods, 9/27 — “Where’d You Get That?”
Petco, 9/30 — If you saw $5 on the floor, would you pick it up?
MAC Cosmetics, 9/7 — M•A•C Studio Fix – Get Your Fix. Join the #FIXFAM
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
The POGLE Media Model: Why Email Marketing Isn’t Owned Media
Email Marketing’s Gender Pay Gap
Email Design Podcast #78: The 2017 State of Email Deliverability
Posted on October 10, 2017
In this episode of The Email Design Podcast, I talk with host Kevin Mandeville about the findings of our 2017 State of Email Deliverability ebook, which is the latest in our State of Email Survey research series. The report addresses the email marketing behaviors that improve and harm deliverability.
During this 48-minute podcast, we discuss some of the major findings of the report, including:
- The prevalence of being blocked and blacklisted
- The effects of using various subscriber acquisition sources
- The merits of single vs. double opt-in practices
- The adoption of email authentication, list-unsubscribe, and encryption
- The use of email address verification, bounce management, and spam filter testing
- The adoption of re-engagement, win-back, and re-permission campaigns
- The use of deliverability monitoring and supplemental analytics
Our discussion provides insights and context not provided in the ebook.
>> Listen to the podcast on the Litmus Blog
The POGLE Media Model: Why Email Marketing Isn’t Owned Media
Posted on September 28, 2017
Email is the worst and most frustrating kind of owned media—because it’s not owned media at all. Email is like a pet dog. He doesn’t behave just because you “own” him.
If you think of email marketing as owned media, chances are that you struggle. Perhaps you rail against Outlook messing up your email designs. Perhaps you curse Gmail for not delivering your emails. Perhaps you get angry when people who opted in to get your emails then mark them as spam. Or perhaps you bristle at the thought of suppressing emails to subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in years. After all, they gave you permission. You own those email addresses.
It’s difficult to succeed with email marketing if you think of it like catalogs, direct mail, store signage, and other owned media. While brands create the content of their email messages and develop the audience that their emails are sent to, they don’t control the platform used to distribute that message. Inbox providers and email users control the platform.
That said, if you’ve always thought of email marketing as owned media, you can be forgiven. After all, if email isn’t owned media, then where does it fit into the paid-owned-earned (POE) media model? It’s not paid, because brands are not paying to reach an audience developed by a third-party. And it’s not earned, because the brand is creating the message, not consumers.
The problem is that the POE media model just can’t accommodate all modern marketing channels. While it did a good job of describing traditional media, it can’t account for most digital channels, which have generally been stuffed awkwardly into the owned media bucket
We need new language and a new framework to describe marketers’ various channel activities to bring greater clarity to the marketing mix. Say hello to the POGLE media model…
>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog
Webinar: The Root Causes of Poor Email Deliverability on Sept. 28
Posted on September 25, 2017
Being blocked and blacklisted should be far less common than they are today, when 34% of marketers have been blocked and nearly 15% have been blacklisted in the past 12 months, according to Litmus’ 2017 State of Email Deliverability report.
After examining the subscriber acquisition, permission, inactivity management, and other practices of more than 3,500 marketers, we’ve identified the root causes of poor inbox placement. We’ve also identified the half-measures marketers take to avoid addressing those root causes.
During this webinar, Research Director Chad White and deliverability expert and Litmus Product Manager Jay Brangiforte will discuss the various ways that marketers are trying to improve their deliverability and which ones work best.
The Root Causes of Poor Email Deliverability
Sept. 28, 2017
10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET / 5:00pm GMT
Can’t make it on Sept. 28? Don’t worry. Register and you’ll receive the recording of the webinar.
>> Register for the free webinar
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
