2008 is right around the corner. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
If you’re an email marketer like me, chances are you’ve started attending ‘08 planning meetings to nail down your email marketing program goals and objectives for next year. Aside from the usual suspects (i.e. increasing metrics, growing lists, and improving deliverability), we’re also planning new ways to incorporate all of the exciting one-to-one technology trends on the horizon. Are you?
Here are just a few of the hot topics from our latest ‘08 strategy sessions:
- SMS.
Recently I began working with a member of our Strategic Services team to fine-tune our ’08 email marketing strategy. If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from our meetings it’s this: SMS is the next “big thing.” A fellow Marketing team member actually just blogged about one use-case for SMS – campus alert systems. Check out her post to learn more about how universities are using SMS messaging to communicate with faculty and students in case of emergency.
SMS is going to become more prevalent in 2008, so don’t get left behind. Why not use SMS to deliver your promotional codes, event invitations, or confirmation messages? Keep an eye out for our own SMS efforts next year!
- Videos.
If you subscribe to our newsletter, ExactTarget InSight, you’ve probably noticed an increased video presence. Hopefully you’re enjoying the segments (as our tracking data suggests you do!). We’ve got a hunch that most of our B2B readers are tired of the “same old same old” in their inbox and really enjoy these fun video clips. Whatever the reason, video in email (links, not embedding) is turning out to be a great way to keep our subscribers engaged.
You can expect to see even more videos on our website and in your ExactTarget InSight throughout 2008!
- Rendering.
Sometimes it can be frustrating to tackle email rendering. After all, countless variables can affect how your messages render in a myriad of email clients and handheld devices. As we look to 2008, rendering is certain to be one of our top priorities. Will your email message still be effective if viewed on a BlackBerry, in Lotus Notes, or on Apple’s new iPhone? You won’t know unless you pay special attention to rending before you hit that send button.
Naturally, it’d be wonderful if all email clients would render the same way and save us the headaches. But what are the chances? Well, I’ll ask Santa for Christmas if you will…
Of course, those are just a few of the topics on our radar for ’08. If you’re looking for more information on what’s going to be hot for email marketers next year, be sure to download 2008 Email Marketing Trends and watch December’s edition of ExactTarget Perspective.
Happy holidays, and here’s to a great 2008!
Till Next Time,
Megan Sabine
Marketing Communication Specialist
