07 Aug Does Gmail’s New “Tabs” Feature Affect Your Marketing?
Gmail’s new system has caused quite an uproar among marketers. If you haven’t heard, Gmail, when viewed in a non-mobile environment, now automatically segments received emails into three folders, accessible with tabs at the top of inbox. These folders are “Primary” “Social” and “Promotions”. Primary is intended for email from real people. Social is for the variety of social networking updates. Promotions is for the rest, which is primarily email newsletters and commercial appeals. And that’s where marketers are getting antsy.
Fearing that the “Promotions” tab will be a new spam folder, marketers are sending panic-ridden emails telling their audience that they may never hear from them again if they don’t follow specific instructions. The theory is that people won’t check that folder much because it’s perhaps less urgent and personal than the Primary emails, and thus open rates will fall, directly affecting your business.
According to Convince and Convert, early analysis from Mail Chimp finds a .5% drop in open rates. That’s not a big drop, of course, but it is a drop, and considering they studied a billion and a half email accounts.
How do you know the affect on your business?
It depends on the number of Gmail users are on your subscriber lists. You should test the results and gather your own data before panicking. Gmail’s decision may be annoying but it’s no worse than Facebook’s incessant changes to what posts get seen and when.
Personally, I can’t stand the 50+ emails I’ve received from the lists I follow. I know they are trying to ensure that I still receive their emails, but I’m still checking my “Promotions” tab daily, so what’s the big deal? A new way to whitelist them doesn’t automatically mean they will be upgraded to the “Primary” folder!
The best way to overcome any issues with the new Gmail system is to continue creating great content and your audience will keep reading!
How about you? Have you seen any changes in your email marketing because of Gmail’s new tabs? Share by commenting below!
