Essence of Email Weekly - Email's place in omnichannel marketing

Investing in nurturing brand-consumer relationships via email seems to have paid off for digital marketers. In a report by Sparkpost, it is said that email helped them consistently exceed expectations, and will continue to do so in 2022.

In addition, the emergence of tools such as Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) are giving brands a way to strengthen relationships with customers who've opted into email as a direct link to brands they want to engage with. Let's take a look at some stats:

• 76% of leaders said that an email marketing program made a positive impact on their business in 2021, compared to 58% in 2020.
  
• 95% said email marketing aligned with their other marketing channels in 2021, compared to 50% in 2020, which is a considerable increase.
  
• In 2020, only 50% of leaders understood the value of an email address and an email list. In 2021, that number increased to 77%.

Zoom in: Things are looking up! In the past, it seemed that email marketers were a siloed part of a marketing organization. However, there is now an opportunity for paid, owned, and earned channels to be tied together more closely. Marketers are finally focusing on omnichannel not only as a goal per se but also as a way to better connect and serve their audiences and customers.

This focus on tighter alignment also brought "an overall growing mindshare dedicated to email marketing." Leaders are getting more invested and starting to realize the power that email marketing holds.

But they are also focusing on and changing the way they measure email performance. In 2020, 51% of leaders said they changed the way they measured email marketing, with 47% of them using additional key performance indicators (KPIs). In 2021, 70% of leaders changed the way they measured email marketing, with 61% adding KPIs. Additionally, in 2021, 34% of leaders reported they were looking at the same KPIs but have increased goals/benchmarks to reflect their industry's heavier reliance on digital and email marketing.

There is a growing expectation for email marketing to drive revenue and boost brand image, and we're all for it! With the right approach, it can do wonders for your brand. If you'd like to get to know the details, and if you need a strategy, we're just a call away.



CYBERSECURITY


Google and Microsoft join a cybersecurity project


Source: Giphy
Remember 2021 when major cyberattacks popped up every other day? Remember back in December when major companies have been exposed to over 1.2 million cyberattacks because of a piece of faulty software called Log4J?

Well, solutions are on their way, as the Log4J incident inspired key players to take action.

What's it all about: The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) backed by Linux has launched a new project designed to secure the software supply chain. Microsoft and Google are providing an initial cash injection of $5 million, which follows another recent $10 million recurring commitment the two companies made to the OpenSSF alongside Amazon, Facebook, and Oracle.

The efforts come as a consequence of the Log4j vulnerability which resurfaced the ever-relevant questions around the inherent security of open source software, particularly ones that are not supported by full-time developers and security personnel.

This project is known as Alpha-Omega and it has 2 core components: Alpha, which will work with project maintainers of "the most critical open source projects" and help them identify and fix security vulnerabilities; and Omega, which will identify "at least" 10,000 of the most widely used OSS projects, and apply "automated security analysis, scoring, and remediation guidance" across the respective maintainer communities.

Participants include Apache Software Foundation, Apple, Cloudflare, Meta, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, The Linux Foundation, and many others.

We're sure this is just the first step of many which will improve and protect not only open-source software but the entire infrastructure on the Internet.



ECOMMERCE


AdAdapted rolls out add-to-cart capabilities


Source: Giphy
The leading shopping list marketing and insight platform AdAdapted, which helps the world's top CPG brands, agencies, and retailers achieve their goals, introduced new add-to-cart eCommerce capabilities for AdAdapted Direct. Now brands will be able to create campaigns that permit the shoppers to add a product directly to a retailer's online cart by using AdAdapter Direct's technology.

Rewind: In the fall of 2021, AdAdapted launched AdAdapted Direct and provided marketers with the opportunity to reach consumers at different stages in the shopping journey with targeted mobile ads. This way brands have access to a network of over 110 million verified shoppers and have the chance to get their promoted products into the lower purchase funnel.

Although AdAdapted Direct already has the option for advertisers to get their products added directly to their shopping lists, marketers can leverage the new add-to-cart ad unit to drive eCommerce engagement and purchase intent among the target consumers. In addition, brands that will use this new solution will be able to launch direct-to-cart ad units at over 200 retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Instacart, and Amazon.

According to Mike Pedersen, AdAdapted CEO and co-founder, "as brands continue to evolve their strategies to cater to shoppers' growing demand for eCommerce capabilities, this new feature from AdAdapted Direct helps brands to efficiently support their growth at nearly any retailer through both add-to-list and now add-to-cart solutions. This allows brands to reach shoppers directly, boost awareness, drive trial, and increase sales and sales velocities by winning new consumers."

Smaller and newer brands can also use these new capabilities to their advantage in order to introduce themselves to the shoppers and increase engagement.

If you are interested in the deets, check out this article.



EMAIL DESIGN INSPO


Go with the wave


Source: 99designs
In 2022, we definitely say yes to playful waves!

Waves are used more and more and they are definitely considered to be a trend this year. You can use them as a way to create separate compartments or as an impactful stand-alone element for the background. They can even be embedded in the text as Epic for Kids did in their email above ????????. The possibilities are endless.

By using curves in emails, we get the illusion of movement and an overall better flow in the email. Plus, rounded imagery also gives the impression of playfulness and freedom. Add to that different colors and you can get a really whimsical design that will catch anyone's eye.

Our advice is to go bold and don't be afraid to experiment!