A couple of weeks ago Nike announced that it has made the iconic space-aged shoes worn by Marty McFly in 1992’s Back to the Future Part II.  The 2011 Nike Mag will make in a short production run of only 1,500 pairs to be sold on eBay, but it got me thinking about what we will be making from today’s films 22 years from now.  In thinking about email marketing today, it is clear that there is a significant shift happening in the way that consumers consume email.  This shift is happening in two different areas.  There is a shift in the devices that people are using to read and interact with email as well as a shift in the platform that is being used to distribute digital content.  This evolution offers a great opportunity for marketers to take advantage of the shift and stay ahead of their competition.

The device shift is important for marketers to pay attention to, as there are an estimated 99.6 Million smartphones in the market today and that number is forecasted to grow to 158.9 million by 2015.¹  The first time a user may see an email is going to be via an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or an Android device.  Messaging must be appropriately optimized to provide a robust user experience within these new form factors.  A look at recent metrics for email campaign opens showed an average of 7 to 10% of those opens were generated by a mobile browser.  As smartphones become more and more accessible, and phones stop just being phones and become mobile desktops, it will be increasingly important for content.

The rise of social networks, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, as examples, has increased the level of complexity for marketers in determining which mix of channel distribution offers the biggest return on investment in communicating with their audience.  Do customers respond better to a posting on Twitter versus an email to their personal email account?  Is there a loyal base of customers following a blog, such that a timely blog post may help to boost web traffic and sales?  It is clear that social networks are growing out of the novelty and fad phase and are presenting themselves as legitimate marketing channels that can prove a substantial and measurable return on investment.  That doesn’t mean that email marketing should be disregarded, it simply means that there needs to be a place in marketing efforts for both social and email.  The two channels need to work together to produce the biggest impact to ROI.  The social channel is becoming more of an integral part of the digital marketing mix and a place where your consumers are going if not already there.

What is clear is that the marketplace is changing.  I often think about my two year old and wonder if he’ll know what a Walkman is?  Will he have an iPod when he is older or will there be another device shift to something someone has yet to invent?  While new inventions, communication channels, and new devices are novel and trendy, it is important for marketers not to “jump the shark.”  It is critical to review and analyze the data you have on hand regarding your audience and how they are currently interacting with your marketing mix.  Information is readily available regarding your followers on Facebook and Twitter as well as where, when, and how people are opening your emails.  Use that data to influence your digital marketing mix while paying attention to the latest and greatest trends.  Once the analysis proves that a new channel/network will provide value, jump in with both feet.  Just make sure that your pair of Nike Mags are charged and ready to go.

¹ Forrester Research, March 9, 2011, Crafting Products For The Next Smartphone Owners .

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