IntegratedLive 2017: Key Takeaways

At Mailjet we are always looking to improve our marketing efforts and to be up to date with the latest trends. Yes, admittedly we like to try to be the coolest kid on the block ?. But to do this, we need to keep ourselves informed and we have to learn from others. That’s why we put time and effort into taking part at the most important marketing events.

This week our wonderful UK Team took part at IntegratedLive, a one-day summit that provides marketers with an overview and deeper understanding of the latest need-to-know digital trends. As the world of marketing continues to evolve, it’s important to keep pace with the rapid changes if you don’t want your business to pay a high cost for it.

This year at IntegratedLive we’ve learnt much about new trends, from integrated marketing plans and email automation to using VR, AR and AI for marketing purposes. We didn’t want you to miss out, so here we share with you our key takeaways of the day. Now sit down, and enjoy the ride into the present and the future of marketing.

The modern Marketing mix

The era of the customer

As we are entering the era of the customer, we need to understand what our customers want and how to give it to them. A sound marketing plan is based on asking yourself two important questions:

• Are you offering your customers what they need?
• Are your customers aware of what you are offering them? (And that it meets their needs!)

If you answered no to one of these questions, warning ⚠️! It’s a sign that your marketing strategy is not taking you quite where you want it to take you, and you need to adapt it.

“But how do I do it?” you are asking. The answer is… (suspense) …you need to create a culture of customer obsession. “What is that?” you are asking now. Well, first of all, you need to grasp who is interested in your business and product, why they are interested in it and how. This will give you a stable basis on which you can build your strategy.

Always remember that customers want to feel valued and they want to be intimate with brands, and you want to deliver a great customer experience that they will want to share with others.

We’ve said, others have said it, we’ll say it again

Recurrent themes at IntegratedLive this year seemed to be integration, automation, and personalization in marketing. We’ve covered these topics extensively in the email sphere, but the fact that many others are now talking about them just shows how important they are for marketers nowadays.

Integration

We all collect large amounts of data, which are then stored in multiple locations throughout the business. Integration does not mean that it all has to be brought into one place, but that connections need to be created. What are the benefits?

• • Less manual error. As everything is connected, there is no need for you to look for data in multiple places and transcribe it.
  • Data is available immediately. No need to search for it.
  • Security in maximised.
  • Data is always consistent throughout the business.

Automation

Automating your emails means that you improve the immediacy of your responses. What are the benefits?

• • • Less work for you to do (yay!).
    • Less missed opportunities.
    • Your responses will be consistent.
    • It will build trust between your brand and your clients.
    • Improved customer experience.
    • Your clients needs will be responded to.

Personalization

You want to produce personalized content, based on individuals’ data and rich in details. You are not asking why in this case, are you. At the end of the day, that’s what we all want. Someone who knows us and knows how to respond to our needs. Again, make your customers feel intimate with your brand. Like an old friend who’s always there for them.

What we brought to the game: How to get email right in 2018

Email is the platform most people think we will definitely still use in 10 years’ time. “Won’t the email era be over by then?!” You ask. That’s a great question. You couldn’t have asked anyone better. No, it won’t be over. But it will definitely change over time. Here is what you need to consider in your email marketing strategy in 2018:

GDPR

We have known for a while it’s coming, and in May 2018 it will finally come into effect. You need to ensure that you are compliant before it comes into effect if you don’t want to pay huge fines and damage your business. There are two things that you need to be very careful about. The first one is consent: you will need to ask for explicit consent, in a clear and concise way. The second one is data profiling. Yes we all love automated decisions and marketing automation. But unfortunately there can be some negative implications when it comes to data protection and consumer privacy. Customers need to be informed in detail about what type of content they will be receiving. For more information about GDPR, visit our resource hub.

The Transactional Email Experience

According to our recent research, important opportunities can be missed due to a negative transactional email experience. What can you do to avoid this?

• • • • Check the spelling and the grammar of your emails, you don’t want any mistakes in there.Don’t include any sensitive data.
      • Ensure your email is consistent with your website in terms of branding.
      • Ensure you land your emails in the inbox and not in the spam or promotions folder.
      • Keep track of the speed of your email. It needs to arrive quickly.
      • Add a touch of marketing to enhance the brand experience.

The Future of Email:

We asked ourselves what consumers could possibly want, and then we decided to ask them directly. It turns out that what they want, is an easy experience: emails tailored to products, real-time and location based messages, and the ability to shop within the email.

Keep your eyes open for the following trends in 2018:

• • • • • Interactive emails, say goodbye to static emails.
        • Data driven emails, that respect consumer privacy.
        • 121 emails, delivering the right message at the right time.

And here you are, ready to embark in a new year of marketing. If you want to find out in more detail how to get email right in 2018, we have created a handy slideshare presentation for you.

If you have a different opinion on the future trends of email, we’d love to hear them on Twitter.