For once, no one is predicting the death of email marketing in the coming year. Perhaps the doomsayers have learnt their lesson after previously promising just that. Research suggests that we can enjoy a 44 times ROI which means that we are still the best option out there.
The promise of dire consequences to the Brexit vote has not proved correct and the results of Black Friday showed that despite threats to the contrary, business remained constant at 25% of all sales.
What will be have to look forward to during the year is a little uncertain, due to our relationship with the EU being in a state of flux. Article 50 will be activated in March we are told and then things might well become clearer. However, there are matters which we can be certain of.
There is unlikely to be a ‘new thing’. Email marketing lists will still rule, with quality being more important than quantity as always. Trends that are well established at the moment will continue, whether with equal pressure is unknown.
The move for emails being opened on mobile devices continues unabated and will, many suggest, mean that payments via mobiles will start to increase substantially in the coming months. The various devices seem to have become established and if it was possible to predict where the gap in the market is it would have already been filled.
There was a distinct trend towards enforcement and punishment in the latter part of 2016 and this is likely to continue. This means that this year you should establish regular checks for compliance. The ICO and other regulatory bodies, both national and EU, will, many suggest, become more energetic.
Every commentator agrees that user experience will be the factor to concentrate on in the coming year. This follows on from 2016 of course, but it will become universal, at least among successful companies.
The basics will remain as true as ever, with email design, deliverability, placement and integration being the staples, alongside email marketing lists. One thing we can promise for 2017 is that we will cover all these points in the future and point you towards ways to cope with change.
