As we ride the technological wave from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic era, the landscape of innovation has expanded exponentially. Concepts like smartwatches and 7D televisions, once unimaginable, are now a reality. In the digital age, the Internet of Things (IOT) has emerged, connecting billions of devices to the internet. For email marketers, this technological shift brings both challenges and opportunities, requiring a paradigm shift beyond traditional responsive emails.
IOT and the Email Marketing Landscape:
Futuristic Design:
Designing emails for the IOT era demands a shift from traditional approaches. Marketers must move beyond responsive design and embrace a futuristic design ethos. Staying attuned to emerging design trends while expanding horizons toward futuristic concepts is crucial.
Connected Checklist:
While testing emails across various clients has been a standard practice, preparing a beta checklist and compatibility guidelines for new IOT devices is essential. Marketers need to adapt their coding and compatibility guidelines to align with the evolving landscape of connected devices.
Consistent Messaging:
As the number of connected devices increases, maintaining consistency in messaging becomes paramount. Marketers should focus on cohesive omni-channel messaging using multi-part, plain text, or HTML-only emails. Adapting to new email formats may become a necessity.
Sophisticated Data Science:
The influx of data from various connected devices requires marketers to become adept data scientists. Analyzing data sets from different devices will be crucial for sending highly relevant and targeted email communications. Marketers must run analytics models tailored to individual devices to track engagement, unsubscribes, and other metrics effectively.
Testing Investment:
The proliferation of devices, resolutions, and browsers necessitates a significant increase in testing efforts. Tools like Litmus and Email on Acid provide insights into compatibility, but the sheer volume of permutations and combinations in an Internet of Everything (IOE) scenario demands a proactive approach. Testing costs will rise as marketers strive to deliver a seamless experience across diverse connected devices.
Key Takeaways:
Stay proactive in researching new connected devices.
Embrace futuristic email design principles.
Continuously monitor user behavior across devices.
Prioritize data sets and employ sophisticated analytics.
Conclusion:
As IOT becomes omnipresent, email marketers must evolve to meet the demands of a connected world. By staying ahead of the curve, embracing innovative design, maintaining consistency in messaging, leveraging data science, and investing in comprehensive testing, marketers can navigate the IOT wave successfully and engage effectively with their audience.
