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2012 MarketingSherpa Email Summit Takeaways

By February 22, 2012May 6th, 2014

This month I had the opportunity to attend the 2012 MarketingSherpa Email Summit in Las Vegas. There were a ton of topics covered that were packed full of useful information. Following are a few of my top take-aways.

Mobile optimization
Over the past year, we’ve used a company called Knotice to track open rates by device (desktop, iPhone, iPad, etc). In the past 12 months we’ve seen about a 5% increase in users opening emails on their smartphones and tablets. A mobile user who receives an optimized email is 64% more inclined to click-through. Say your emails are optimized, what happens when the mobile user gets to your landing page? If your landing pages (or forms) aren’t optimized for mobile devices all your hard work in getting your emails to look pretty on smartphones and tablets could be all for not. Consistency in the user experience when planning for mobile is key!

You need to be authenticated
You could have crafted the best email the world has ever laid its eyes on. The subject line is brilliant, the copy is clear, relevant and has ROI written all over it… but if you haven’t taken the proper email authentication steps, there is a good chance your email may not even make it to the inbox. Email authentication assures the Email Service Providers (ESP’s) that you are a valid sender which increases your chance of reaching the inbox. At BTM, we use both SPF and Domain Keys to authenticate and increase your chances of landing in the the inbox.

Get creative with your opt-ins
The more ways in which your customers can connect with you the better. Whole Foods uses signage throughout their stores utilizing SMS and QR codes that allows the person on-the-go to easily connect with them. A quick scan of a QR code takes them to a mobile optimized page where the customer can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and opt-in for Email updates. Our phones are always within our reach, take advantage of it by using SMS and QR codes to expand your reach! Also consider opt-in incentives – sometimes a little incentive is all it takes!

Email still may not be ready for embedded video
A Director at Yahoo was showcasing their ability to embed videos into emails… although it didn’t work. In fact even her backup plan didn’t work. While the technology to embed videos has arrived, there are still too many variables (like in this example, slow internet connection) to make this a viable option. It’s still best to use an image of a video player that links to your video.

Roulette doesn’t mess around
I was one of 3 lucky individuals to receive a $100 Caesar’s Palace gambling chip in a raffle at the ExactTarget Networking party. About 10 minutes later the the game of Roulette swiftly took my money away. Well played Vegas, you win. You always do.

Interested in learning more? Let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below. Or feel free to email me or your email project manager – we’d love to chat on ways in which we can take your email marketing to the next level. Also, keep an eye on our blog as we’ll be covering other advanced email marketing techniques in the coming weeks.

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