eMail marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways to reach consumers online, in spite of the countless social marketing options available today. Inbox Marketer, a Canadian eMail marketing company, has published a new report summarizing the latest trends and benchmarks for North American eMail marketing based on their B2C and B2B clients. The 2015 eMail Marketing Benchmark Report can be consulted as a guide to improve the result from our own eMail marketing.
5 Major Factors Impacting eMail Marketing
Popularity of mobile devices – Mobile open rates for 2014 in North America have been about 53%.
Competition – eMail marketing is becoming more strategic as subscribers demand more relevant content. Top marketers will continue to leverage any and all methods of personalization, including adjustments based on open rates. These efforts will pay off as personalized eMail wins the attention of recipients drowning in their inbox, leaving less targeted eMails unopened.
Marketing technology – Intended to make a marketer’s job easier, marketing technology is becoming overwhelmingly saturated with vendors. 2015 will see marketers scrutinizing which technology they use, and consequently weeding out what isn’t significantly and directly beneficial.
Putting data to good use – So much data…so little time! Marketers have more data sources available than ever before. The basic key to effectively utilizing that data is to identify what is actionable and what is simply informative. Actionable data will ultimately result in optimized customer engagement and/or can be used for the overall marketing strategy.
Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation – CASL has been challenging marketers for the past year. They’ve been forced to review their marketing practices and in some cases completely revamp procedures.
eMail Open Rates in North America
Ipsos-Reid reported each Canadian consumer subscribes to an average of 13 business eMails. In an information-overwhelmed society, it’s surprising that subscribers are opening more eMails as this Inbox Marketer report suggests. According to these statistics, open rates were up an average of 26% in 2014. The upward trend coincides with the increasing use of smartphones, which provide constant access to eMail.
Click-through rates (CTR) have also rebounded, according to this report. The increase is largely due to better targeting, personalization, and the focus switch from advertising to customer engagement.
Bounce rates are at an all-time low at 1.2%. Overall “List Churn” (hard bounces, unsubscribes and complaints) has a rather wide range of 20-50%. It’s important to monitor these numbers and be diligent about list maintenance to avoid damaging your reputation as a sender. Otherwise, your domain will be blocked by eMail clients and ISP’s.
Top 10 Reasons Canadians Subscribe to Brand Emails
Avoiding bounces, unsubscribes and complaints can be as easy as knowing what your subscribers want and sticking to whatever you promised them.
- 63% subscribe for discounts
- 58% subscribe to receive a freebie or enter a contest
- 48% want to know about the latest products and services
- 39% want to receive advanced notice of new products or future releases
- 36% sign up because they deal with the company or brand regularly
- 34% hand over their eMail address to access exclusive content
- 32% want to receive content about their personal interests
- 18% want to receive company news
- 15% prefer eMail as a way to “keep my finger on the pulse” of the brand/company
- 13% subscribed because someone recommended they do so
Did your eMail marketing strategy change in the past year? Please share your insights in the comments below.
Sources:
2015 eMail Marketing Benchmark Report by Inbox Marketer
Ascend2 Email Marketing Benchmark Report
✔ You may also be interested in reading:
2014 Canadian eMail Marketing Trends
Overcome the Big 5 Challenges Facing Email Marketers in 2014
10 Ways to Reduce Newsletter Unsubscribe Rates
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Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.
Melody has worked with many businesses & brands in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.
I think marketers were wrong when they thought social media would replace email to any point. It’s different so it appeals to different people and will never go out of style right.
things r looking up!