The renaissance of email or as we say how email responsiveness builds the trust of your clients. Who said that email is dead does maybe not know the facts. Today we are going to look into the powerful email marketing possibilities and how to succeed. 

Digital Marketing is not anymore like traditional marketing. In the era of digital transformation happening everywhere, marketers want a proof of their investment.

Dieter Hovorka

CTO, Co-founder, Skillz Middle East

Tweets by MESkillz

We could read it in newspapers, magazines and heard it maybe from analysts, they all have been proclaiming the death of email for over a decade.

“Email Is Dead” — Fast Company, July 1, 2007

“Email has had a good run as king of communications. But it’s reign is over.” — Wall Street Journal, Oct 12, 2009

“Email is dying. That’s pretty much accepted as a fait accompli in Silicon Valley. It will take a few more years for it to sink in everywhere else.” — Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, The Telegraph, May 26, 2015

“Email and cash are dead in China” — Forbes, Aug 18, 2019

Is email really dead, what are the hard facts telling us and how does the future look like?

By 2022, 126.7 trillion emails will be sent every year and 90% of Americans used email in 2017 this includes members of every age group.

none

We could experience that 91% of our young generation aged between 15-24 used emails, between 25-44 even 93%. Our Gen X and Baby Boomers grew up with emails and saw the full life span of how it improved over the century,  90% of 45-64 use email and above 65 even still 86%.

The daily habits say that 58% of people check their email first thing in the morning, even before social media, news sites, or Google. What may be changed over time is the habit to check emails on mobiles instead of desktop computers or laptops.

The question is valid is our Gen Z maybe killing email, since they are the most active generation online? The numbers tell a different story, 58% check their email several times a day, 23% once a day, 12% several times a week and 5% once a week. Only 1% never check email.

They have been asked for what they actually use emails for, 65% use it for personal, 14% use if for work and 19% use it for school or university.

But change is the only thing in life we can be sure of and email hast definitely changed over time. Today 3 companies are handling 82% of all worldwide email access. Apple (iPhone, iPad, Mail) dominates the email universe with a 44% market share followed by Google (Gmail) with 26% and Microsoft (Outlook & Outlook.com) comes to 11%. Yahoo can attract  7% of email users and the rest of 5% use something else.

Why Is Email Responsiveness Important?

It is a clear message which we need to not miss from all the emails received, 35% require a response and 23% require an immediate response. When it comes to our clients we can see that half of them expect and respond in just a view hours and 11% of them in 15min. But a surprise is that yet, the average response time for sales leads is 42 hours. These should also impact your email marketing campaign which should not stay unattended.

We should not miss the fact that it is not just the younger generations, 1 in 3 GenX and Boomers expect a response in less than 1 hour. The impact of not responding in time can lead to frustration and people feel annoyed or if responses take longer result in decreased interest.

Companies that respond to inquiries within 1 hour are more likely to qualify the lead. It has shown that companies responding within 2 hours are 7 times lesser successful and responses within 24+ will lose the lead.

Responsiveness Builds Repeat Business

80% of Americans say speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service are the

There is no limitation in which industry or job we work, it is all the time the same. Day-t-day tasks, datelines, and meetings are keeping our creativity back. Think Week is the secret sauce from Bill Gates to tank ideas and productivity, read today what can we learn from the co-founder of Microsoft.

Digital Marketing is not anymore like traditional marketing. In the era of digital transformation happening everywhere, marketers want a proof of their investment.

Dieter Hovorka

CTO, Co-founder, Skillz Middle East

Tweets by MESkillz

Do we ever, these days, have time to pause, contemplate, assess, strategize to go beyond the day-to-day to delve into some deep thinking?

Entrepreneurs like Bill Gates are setting for us the bars high how to escape on the day-to-day business and reload the brain. Bill Gates takes twice a year a seven days retreat in seclusion to read and think about the big problems. He calls these two weeks Think Weeks. and some of his best work came out of this routing. Today we look behind the curtain and see how you can make this happen for yourself.

How does Bill Gates do it? He excludes himself from civilization, friends, family, coworkers twice a year for 7 days on a secret two-story cabin in Pacific Northwest. A dedicated caretaker provides him daily with two meals.

The Result

Produced important thought pieces and technology from these, such as the 1995 “The Internet Tidal Wave” paper.

Benefits of Think Weeks

As of yet, no scientific studies have been done on Think Weeks. But many of their features come with proven benefits. In an environment free of co-workers, meetings, and office distractions, the ability to focus increases exponentially. For a bonus, remove internet access to eliminate one of the biggest sources of distraction.

The advantage of a new environment brings new ideas. Research has shown that studying in multiple and new locations improves performance.

none

Our home and living in the city make it not easy to detach from the noisy surroundings. By selecting a location surrounded by nature, there are essential health and focus benefits. Research suggests that inhaling forest air provides three major beneficial substances negatively-charged ions, beneficial bacteria, and plant-derived essential oils. 

Negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, as well as increase serotonin levels via biochemical reactions. This helps relieve stress and boost daytime energy. Sunshine & Vatimine D have a positive impact on our brain and body. Get another mood boost from vitamin D, which helps activate genes that regulate the immune system. It also releases neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine that affect brain function. 

One of the success factors is to define a specific start and end date. By having a specific start and stop date, you know that you have to accomplish your goals in this timebound period.

A healthy body makes a healthy mind. Pair your Think Week with complimentary exercise. Aerobic exercise appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. A study found that employees doing complex work are more vulnerable to decreased performance from office stressors. Remove yourself from that environment to reduce the effect.

It is by now already known that our digital world is maybe not the best for humans, so try to disconnect it improves problem-solving and creativity. One study found that hikers disconnected from technology and fully immersed in nature for four days improved creative thinking and problem-solving by a full 50%.

Lesson learned says to slow down to move much faster.  The busier you are, the more you can’t afford not to take a “Think Week”.

none

How to make your own Think Week?

There are many ways to do a Think

Today we listen to 5000 marketers about video marketing on social media, how they see promoting their brand and reaching new customers on social media. Read below and see the infographic to learn about social video trends in 2020.

Digital Marketing is not anymore like traditional marketing. In the era of digital transformation happening everywhere, marketers want a proof of their investment.

Dieter Hovorka

CTO, Co-founder, Skillz Middle East

Tweets by MESkillz

What are the popular social media platforms for brand marketers? Yes, Facebook is number one on the wish list of marketers and where their budget goes followed by YouTube and Instagram.

77% of marketers have published a video on IGTV (Instagram TV)

When it comes to a larger marketing strategy, 41% of marketers say Instagram stories have become more important over the last 12 months.

Over 50% of marketers spend video ad funds on YouTube.

More than half of the marketers mention that they use an Ad manager to place their video ads on Facebook and Instagram.

What’s IGTV? 

IGTV is a standalone video application by Instagram for Android and iOS smartphones. It allows for longer videos compared to Instagram. While IGTV is available as a standalone app, the basic functionality is also available within the Instagram app and website. The app is downloadable for free. 

In the study, marketers have been asked: Where are you investing?

96% of marketers responded they will put their funds into video ads, 70% of businesses acknowledged that they are producing more video than the year before.

none

So is video marketing keeping up what it is promising, is it worth the efforts which need to be taken to produce a video?

91% of marketers are satisfied with the ROI of video ads on social media

85% of marketers say that video marketing is an effective way

93% of business landed a new customer because of a video on social media

There are a couple of possibilities on how to place your video on social media. The majority posts them on Facebook (93%) and YouTube (90%), followed by Facebook Stories (87%) and Instagram feed (83%). However, 80% of marketers use them on Instagram stories.

For reaching new clients 64% reported to find them on Facebook in the last 12 months, 79% of brands have landed a new customer from Instagram and 73% with Instagram stories.

Animoto surveyed a representative sample of 500 U.S. adult marketers that have created at least one video in the past year. Are you already using video marketing and are you seeing the social video trends the same way?

Share and Enjoy !

Modern consumers are sharing more personal information than ever before, and expect closer, more relevant connections with brands in return. This infographic highlights key qualities that define today’s connected consumer to help you better understand and foster valuable relationships with your customers.

Digital Marketing is not anymore like traditional marketing. In the era of digital transformation happening everywhere, marketers want a proof of their investment.

Dieter Hovorka

CTO, Co-founder, Skillz Middle East

Tweets by MESkillz

The infographic today is provided by Gigya who offers a Connected Consumer Management Suite and enables the world’s largest brands. The graphic illustrates the fact of the hyper-connected consumer of today and how we can compare each of their possible endpoints for senses to a consumer marketing endpoint.

Eyes: Personalization

40% of consumers buy more from retailers who personalize the shopping experience across channels.

73% of consumers surveyed said they prefer to do business with retailers who use personal information to make their shopping experience more relevant.

Ears: Listening

90% of consumers say their purchase decisions are influenced by online reviews.

74% rely on social networks to guide purchase decisions.

Moth: Sharing

70% of Millennials say it is their responsibility to share feedback with companies after a good or bad brand experience.

42% of consumers believe brands should respond to their questions or concerns within an hour on any given day, including weekends.

Brain: Trust

77% of online shoppers would trust businesses more if they explained how they use their personal information

Over half of US consumers worry about their information being compromised every time they login to a business website, and 29% have abandoned logging in or buying on a website due to these concerns.

Heart: Relationships

79% of consumers state that their relationships with brands are more personal than ever before.

68% of consumers agree that shopping today is less about brands or products themselves and more about what they are feeling and needing.

Legs: Omni-Channel

45% of consumers prefer a cross-channel combination of online, mobile, and in-store shopping.

Over 20% of consumers ages 18-49 visit websites from 4 different devices each week.

Hands: Engagement

8 in 10 Millennials want brands to entertain them by allowing them to co-create products, responding to their questions and comments via social networks, and providing online content like videos and games.

Gamification increases consumer commenting by 13%, sharing by 22%, and consumer activity feeds engagement by 68%.

none

Feet: Location

Over 50% of adults under 34 are willing to share their location for more relevant content.

74% of US smartphone users use location-based services.

Read to complete infographic below and learn more about the “Anatomy of a connected customer.”

 

Share and Enjoy !

There is no limitation in which industry or job we work, it is all the time the same. Day-t-day tasks, datelines, and meetings are keeping our creativity back. Think Week is the secret sauce from Bill Gates to tank ideas and productivity, read today what can we learn from the co-founder of Microsoft.

The renaissance of email or as we say how email responsiveness builds the trust of your clients. Who said that email is dead does maybe not know the facts. Today we are going to look into the powerful email marketing possibilities and how to succeed. 

Digital Marketing is not anymore like traditional marketing. In the era of digital transformation happening everywhere, marketers want a proof of their investment.

Dieter Hovorka

CTO, Co-founder, Skillz Middle East

Tweets by MESkillz

We could read it in newspapers, magazines and heard it maybe from analysts, they all have been proclaiming the death of email for over a decade.

“Email Is Dead” — Fast Company, July 1, 2007

“Email has had a good run as king of communications. But it’s reign is over.” — Wall Street Journal, Oct 12, 2009

“Email is dying. That’s pretty much accepted as a fait accompli in Silicon Valley. It will take a few more years for it to sink in everywhere else.” — Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, The Telegraph, May 26, 2015

“Email and cash are dead in China” — Forbes, Aug 18, 2019

Is email really dead, what are the hard facts telling us and how does the future look like?

By 2022, 126.7 trillion emails will be sent every year and 90% of Americans used email in 2017 this includes members of every age group.

none

We could experience that 91% of our young generation aged between 15-24 used emails, between 25-44 even 93%. Our Gen X and Baby Boomers grew up with emails and saw the full life span of how it improved over the century,  90% of 45-64 use email and above 65 even still 86%.

The daily habits say that 58% of people check their email first thing in the morning, even before social media, news sites, or Google. What may be changed over time is the habit to check emails on mobiles instead of desktop computers or laptops.

The question is valid is our Gen Z maybe killing email, since they are the most active generation online? The numbers tell a different story, 58% check their email several times a day, 23% once a day, 12% several times a week and 5% once a week. Only 1% never check email.

They have been asked for what they actually use emails for, 65% use it for personal, 14% use if for work and 19% use it for school or university.

But change is the only thing in life we can be sure of and email hast definitely changed over time. Today 3 companies are handling 82% of all worldwide email access. Apple (iPhone, iPad, Mail) dominates the email universe with a 44% market share followed by Google (Gmail) with 26% and Microsoft (Outlook & Outlook.com) comes to 11%. Yahoo can attract  7% of email users and the rest of 5% use something else.

Why Is Email Responsiveness Important?

It is a clear message which we need to not miss from all the emails received, 35% require a response and 23% require an immediate response. When it comes to our clients we can see that half of them expect and respond in just a view hours and 11% of them in 15min. But a surprise is that yet, the average response time for sales leads is 42 hours. These should also impact your email marketing campaign which should not stay unattended.

We should not miss the fact that it is not just the younger generations, 1 in 3 GenX and Boomers expect a response in less than 1 hour. The impact of not responding in time can lead to frustration and people feel annoyed or if responses take longer result in decreased interest.

Companies that respond to inquiries within 1 hour are more likely to qualify the lead. It has shown that companies responding within 2 hours are 7 times lesser successful and responses within 24+ will lose the lead.

Responsiveness Builds Repeat Business

80% of Americans say speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service are the esse

The renaissance of email or as we say how email responsiveness builds the trust of your clients. Who said that email is dead does maybe not know the facts. Today we are going to look into the powerful email marketing possibilities and how to succeed.

Facebook and Co are for a couple of years a new aspect also in life for our younger generation. They use it on a daily base and maybe even spend to much time on them. To protect children, the major social media platforms have age restrictions to prevent those underages from creating profiles, but this does not always block them of using it.

We are all surrounded by electronic gadgets, wires, and batteries each day. Consequently, more and more electronic waste is piling up, making it a primary environmental and health concern.

From time to time I get into the debate with marketers who don't believe in social media. But I try to repeat myself, "it's not about yourself where you want to be if they are your potential clients you need to show up and pick them up where they are." Social media is a potentially invaluable medium for marketers.