Even though Gmail--Google’s email program--is a relative newcomer in terms of the history of email marketing, there is no question that the platform has made major differences in how email marketing operates. As of the past year, Gmail accounts for one of every three inboxes, making it a dominant platform and one that marketers can’t afford to ignore. Because of that, it’s important to understand the ways in which Gmail has impacted email marketing, and the platform’s idiosyncrasies, in order to maintain a competitive edge.
As mentioned before, Gmail accounts for one in three email accounts that receive marketing emails, which is a major jump from 17% only four years ago. This is only expected to increase in the coming years, which means that Gmail is in the driver’s seat in regards to email marketing. Where previously, Microsoft’s platforms were a major concern (and Yahoo! Mail was also an important consideration), with more and more users switching to have at least one Gmail account, it’s worth taking into consideration, especially in the name of email deliverability; marketers must play by Google’s rules or they risk subscribers never getting their messages at all.
While Gmail’s features are aimed at making things easy for end users, this can cause some problems for marketers; for example, gmail does not support web fonts, which can cause problems for companies that have strict branding guidelines. Another wrinkle that comes up is the fact that gmail automatically stores content from emails; while this is convenient for the majority of cases in which a person access their email messages, it means that campaigns with real-time content have to be re-downloaded if locations change, which can create headaches for the user which translate into less engagement.
Another consideration that gmail brings to the forefront is security and authentication. One of the major reasons that gmail has grown to such popularity is that the platform offers robust spam filters--which is a great feature for consumers looking to minimize the amount of time they have to spend screening their inboxes for what’s actually relevant to them. Because fewer “spam”-like emails can make it to the front-and-center of the segmented inboxes of Google users, it’s important to pay more attention to authentication protocols. The forms of email authentication Google recognizes include Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM), Domain Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) and Transport Layer Security Encryption (TLS). If you don’t know about these already, it’s important to learn about them--and make sure that you’re playing by the rules.
With all that in mind, however, it’s also vital to keep in mind that gmail users are some of the most engaged email recipients across all the platforms that exist. According to studies by several email marketing agencies, Gmail users not only account for the largest group of recent opt-ins, but also that those same users tend to open at higher rates. About 40% of the opt-ins in 2017 have been gmail accounts, and gmail users represent 40% of the subscribers who have clicked and opened emails in several studies’ three-month timeframes. It is impossible to ignore such an active, important chunk of your audience; so by practicing good data hygiene and playing by the rules that Google sets, your brand can do the best towards ensuring that it reaches the subscribers that are most engaged--on one of the most prominently-growing platforms in the world.
Call Site Impact today to work with our industry leading marketing experts to launch your next email marketing and digital advertising campaign! (954-982-7900, info@siteimpact.com)
Even though Gmail--Google’s email program--is a relative newcomer in terms of the history of email marketing, there is no question that the platform has made major differences in how email marketing operates. As of the past year, Gmail accounts for one of every three inboxes, making it a dominant platform and one that marketers can’t afford to ignore. Because of that, it’s important to understand the ways in which Gmail has impacted email marketing, and the platform’s idiosyncrasies, in order to maintain a competitive edge.
As mentioned before, Gmail accounts for one in three email accounts that receive marketing emails, which is a major jump from 17% only four years ago. This is only expected to increase in the coming years, which means that Gmail is in the driver’s seat in regards to email marketing. Where previously, Microsoft’s platforms were a major concern (and Yahoo! Mail was also an important consideration), with more and more users switching to have at least one Gmail account, it’s worth taking into consideration, especially in the name of email deliverability; marketers must play by Google’s rules or they risk subscribers never getting their messages at all.
While Gmail’s features are aimed at making things easy for end users, this can cause some problems for marketers; for example, gmail does not support web fonts, which can cause problems for companies that have strict branding guidelines. Another wrinkle that comes up is the fact that gmail automatically stores content from emails; while this is convenient for the majority of cases in which a person access their email messages, it means that campaigns with real-time content have to be re-downloaded if locations change, which can create headaches for the user which translate into less engagement.
Another consideration that gmail brings to the forefront is security and authentication. One of the major reasons that gmail has grown to such popularity is that the platform offers robust spam filters--which is a great feature for consumers looking to minimize the amount of time they have to spend screening their inboxes for what’s actually relevant to them. Because fewer “spam”-like emails can make it to the front-and-center of the segmented inboxes of Google users, it’s important to pay more attention to authentication protocols. The forms of email authentication Google recognizes include Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM), Domain Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) and Transport Layer Security Encryption (TLS). If you don’t know about these already, it’s important to learn about them--and make sure that you’re playing by the rules.
With all that in mind, however, it’s also vital to keep in mind that gmail users are some of the most engaged email recipients across all the platforms that exist. According to studies by several email marketing agencies, Gmail users not only account for the largest group of recent opt-ins, but also that those same users tend to open at higher rates. About 40% of the opt-ins in 2017 have been gmail accounts, and gmail users represent 40% of the subscribers who have clicked and opened emails in several studies’ three-month timeframes. It is impossible to ignore such an active, important chunk of your audience; so by practicing good data hygiene and playing by the rules that Google sets, your brand can do the best towards ensuring that it reaches the subscribers that are most engaged--on one of the most prominently-growing platforms in the world.
Call Site Impact today to work with our industry leading marketing experts to launch your next email marketing and digital advertising campaign! (954-982-7900, info@siteimpact.com)