Email marketing IS mobile marketing

The latest .rising leaders post comes from Max Pepe, Head of Clickwork7, a global performance marketing company which specialise in lead generation, customer acquisition and mobile app promotion for clients such as Amazon and Wowcher.

Here, Max draws parallels between email and mobile marketing and urges marketers to be mindful of the fact that now, you are not only being invited into someone’s inbox, but into someone’s pocket – in a world where mobile now accounts for up to 70% of email opens.

 

The mobile marketing landscape is rich and vast. It’s a multi-faceted breadth of ad-technology and media platforms, a continuous maturation of operating systems and devices – and an expansive delicatessen counter of mysterious sugary treats that still frighten and amaze most marketers.

Email doesn’t have quite the same sex appeal, and it certainly isn’t shrouded in esotericism, but is consistently cited as being an ROI powerhouse, an engagement superhero, and a conversion King. Email has been around since the 1960s and is built on such open standards that it can technically still be read on anything from an iPhone 6 to a Commodore 64.

Its history and longevity often attracts cross-fire from ignorantly ageist naysayers who are determined to put email to death. But the fact remains email is on the up, and drinking furiously from the fountain of youth. In their Email Marketing Industry Census, eConsultancy found that revenue from email marketing increased proportionately by 28% in 2014, and was ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment, with 68% of companies rating the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

Albeit rightfully championing the strength of email, there is an inherent blind spot within industry analysis such as this. Most reports and studies treat email as a completely individual silo channel in and of itself, and directly compare its effectiveness to that of ‘mobile marketing’ – as if they  bear no relevance to one another.

Why is this such an oversight? Because today, more emails are opened on a mobile device than on a desktop. 68% of Gmail and Yahoo! Mail emails are opened on a smartphone or tablet (2), 61% of consumers now read at least some of their emails on a mobile device, and dependent on your specific industry (and target audience) mobile can account for up to 70% of all email opens.

How has this escaped the headlines? The world was so obsessed with the ‘mobile-vs-desktop internet usage battle’, that this giant nugget of marketing nutrition hasn’t quite received the attention it deserves.

To ignore the now intrinsic partnership between email and mobile is a feckless inaccuracy. Of course we need to categorise and filter data from separate channels to monitor effectiveness, but isn’t it high time we started to re-question how we should be categorising these channels?

‘We’ve always done it this way’ is one of the most dangerous phrases used in business.

Can we rightfully state that email is more prudently categorised as a sub-channel within the Goliath that is Mobile Marketing? Or should email be split into two distinct channels – Mobile-Email and Desktop-Email?

If consumer trends and email penetration continue to shift with such a mobile-centric trajectory, Mobile-Email will be the clear monopolist of all email volume by 2017. There’s a North wind blowing, and therefore our perception, usage, analysis and categorisation of email simply must evolve in alignment.

Whether using email for lead generation, customer acquisition or as an integral part of a CRM strategy, it is imperative that responsive templates (that render beautifully on a mobile device) are built into the design. Mobile-optimised creative is an absolute fundamental rule – and to break it should be considered a cardinal sin.

Call-to-actions must be clear, well-positioned for mobile viewing, and good lord they should be easily tap-able. If the consumer has to pinch, pull and drag (I’m literally shuddering at the thought), you are wasting their valuable time and painfully restricting conversion potential. It’s not just the creative itself that should work effectively on a mobile device. The subsequent consumer funnel must be fully mobile-optimised, in every way, from landing page to thank-you page, and everything in between.

This really is just the tip of ice-berg however. It’s imperative to remember that mobile isn’t just a screen, mobile is a mind-set, mobile is a mentality, mobile is an attitude. It goes far beyond just designing for a skinnier screen.

Mobile-Email allows marketers to be responsive to both location and situation. Think about what you say, and think about when you say it. What will you say to the commuter on their way to work checking emails on the train? What will you say to the mother who has just got home after dropping the kids off at school?

Personalisation, automation, dynamic content and mobile optimisation should all be considered and employed. Email is personal, and Mobile-Email is intimate. Be mindful of the fact that you are not only being invited into someone’s inbox, but into someone’s pocket, and into someone’s life. Mobile-Email is a communication channel woven deep in to the fabric of an individual’s daily routines and habits, be a friend.

Mobile-Email packs one hell of a punch, but to use it effectively, it’s never been as important as it is now to really know your audience.