The New Gmail Inbox and Email Marketing

Google’s Gmail recently made some major changes to the way it sorts and displays email. The new Gmail tabbed interface has raised many concerns about email marketing and how brand will continue to reach their customers. Google is obviously a heavy hitter in the digital media world, so changes to its setup and filtering of messages will likely have a significant ripple effect for businesses large and small.

The New Inbox

Gmail’s new inbox groups the users mail into categories under different tabs.  Users can enable up to five tabs into which Gmail will pre-sort all incoming messages:

• Primary – Messages from individuals, like family, friends, and other contacts. Gmail gives this tab the highest priority and it is the default tab opened upon signing into your inbox.


• Social – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social and gaming networks notifications.


• Promotions – Where users will now find their marketing messages.


• Updates – Automatic notifications of bills, statements, and reminders.


• Forums – Messages from groups and/or forums you may interact and participate in.

Users also have the option to override the filtering of these tabs. For instance, if you don’t agree with the placement of a message under the tab Gmail selected, you have the option to drag the message to another tab and even route all future messages of that type to the same tab.

What Does This Mean?

According to a recent MailChimp study concerning the effects of Gmail’s new tabbed inbox on marketing emails, the new inbox is nothing for marketers to get worked up over… BUT, there has been a consistent decrease of about 1% in Gmail open rates since the new inbox’s launch. Any e-mail with markers such as headers, footers, and “unsubscribe” buttons will be filtered into the Promotions tab; there’s no way to escape the tabs if you’re sending mass e-mails. Of course, there is some good news: The large majority of Gmail opens happen on mobile devices, and the mobile version of Gmail’s email client does not have the tabbed inbox at this time.

Amp Up Your Email Marketing

The goal for email marketers now will be to ensure emails are seen by the recipient. How, you ask?

1. Content and creativity are now more important than ever to engage customers. Start with a stellar subject line and continue with interesting, relevant content through to the body of the email. Be sure to also include a great call to action.


2. Monitor your open rates. Different users and senders will have different experiences, but in all cases measuring and troubleshooting are the way to improve open and placement rates.


3. Ask your clients to put you in their Primary tab. Educate your contacts on Gmail’s drag and drop feature to move future messages from you to the Primary tab. Certainly they won’t want to miss out on news and special offers from your business!

 

Keep in mind that this new Gmail inbox is still in it’s early launch stages, so we will have to wait a while to see what the long term effects may be. It’s best to experiment with your email marketing and Gmail’s open rates now to have an edge on the competition in the long run.

 

email marketing campaigns have taken a hit with the new Gmail inbox configurations. – See more at: http://blog.signalhq.com/2013/07/23/4-email-marketing-tips-for-dealing-with-new-gmail-inbox-tabs/#sthash.qqLEhuGl.dpuf

The New Gmail Inbox and Email Marketing