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The season has arrived! season of all things. For retailers, it’s complete chaos. No time for strategy. From here until the New Year, it’s been running all the time.
As Yoda says, there is no such thing as “trying”. Start stuff. to make money. Reach your year-end goals.
As an email strategist, I’ve been bored since November 15th after my team locked down holiday campaigns until the end of the year. my work is done. I did something to fill my time, but in his last six weeks of the year, no one asked me for strategic thinking. Everyone was in run mode.
Today, all of my agency’s retail clients are bowing their heads and launching their campaigns. Our team helps them get things done. Everyone is very busy towards the end of the year.
Teams in other industries fall into one of two groups:
- December is just the end of the year. You want to finish strong, and that’s great.
- Those looking to crush it to close deals by December 31st, especially B2B marketers.
No matter what field you’re in, take a few minutes to walk with me and reflect on what you’ve done in the last 12 months.
4 marketing lessons learned in 2022
Many of you will be doing this during your daily stand-ups, team meetings, during your commute (no reading or driving), or just chilling out and doing something else. I suspect you are taking time to read. I don’t want to do what I have to do, so I’m looking for something to do.
No matter where you are in your daily life, thank you for taking the time to reflect on the year with me, looking for things you can pat on the back, and remembering how you got through a difficult year.
1. The advice you shared in 2022 can get you through 2023
Looking back at all the columns I’ve written for MarTech this year, one thing stands out. Most of them are designed to help you take your email program to the next level. I often advise marketers to stop what they are doing, clear their heads, look at their efforts, and think about how they can improve.
Helping marketers achieve better results has been my goal since I started writing MarTech columns.
Now that I’ve been where you are, I’ll share some real-world advice drawn from my own experience:
- The person who presses the “send” button.
- Someone yelling, “Send me another email.”
- Marketers who had to find a way to fight for their email programs to live up to their potential without wasting their budgets.
If you’re wondering what to do in 2023 and don’t know where to start, visit my directory of articles on MarTech to find ideas. How to do an email audit, review your tech stack and migrate to a new ESP. A way to show off a little bit about your team and its results so your company understands the power of email and why it’s worth the investment.
You’ll find a year’s worth. — about strategic and tactical approaches that can make a real difference to your email program. Find 1 or 2 improvements you can make and a preliminary list of 5 or 6 and follow my guidance on how to make them happen.
No, you don’t have to do it now. Post a note on your cubicle wall or tape it to your computer monitor to come back to after vacation.
2. Brands are investing more in email again
I’m noticing a encouraging trend — increased spending. In 2022, we know that customers are investing heavily in email. When I ask business owners why, they say lessons were learned during the pandemic. They had to invest in a better platform to take advantage of everything email could do.
We also saw people withholding investments to see what would happen to the economy and workforce. By far, however, spending increases have outpaced cuts and retentions.
We also spoke with frontline marketers. They say they won a raise because they effectively communicated the power, benefits, and opportunities of email within their organization.
They filed a lawsuit by email. They educated executives and pointed out that email is great. They also highlighted non-marketing examples of how email can solve corporate problems caused by COVID-19.
This is the advice we shared a year ago in our 2022 forecast. Show off your program a little. Discuss your email program with management and point out what they do with email and how it contributes to the company.
This has been one of my consistent themes this year as we see an increase in business. If other marketers can come up with a solid business and communication plan, I would love to hear from them.
So, if you want money, you have to think like a business owner. Because we have business units in-house. Treat your marketing program like a business or asset, and communicate that asset to executives.
This approach increases spending for email-focused businesses. It comes from the people who own it.
Digging Deeper: 5 Email Marketing Lessons Learned During the Pandemic
3. RFP and ESP migration not planned
This is another long-term consequence of the changes forced under the pandemic. Many companies have found that their platforms aren’t good enough. They weren’t fast enough. They were unable to meet the new demands of rapid change and extreme digital transformation.
So many marketers ask, “Is there something wrong with me? Or is it my platform?”
In my 20 years of working on RFPs, migrating to new platforms and onboarding new clients, I’ve seen people doing RFPs because they don’t understand what the current platform can do. They hadn’t tried everything or taken ownership of the process of learning every detail.
We are currently receiving inquiries from people who have done such work but know that their platform does not allow them to go where they want to go. You don’t have time to deal with system sluggishness, downtime, workarounds, and extra processes. These companies are being asked to change, and they need a platform that can adapt to change.
Don’t be tied to the platform you’ve been using, whether it’s email, marketing automation, or CRM.
Digital transformation in its broadest sense means moving to new platforms that enable cross- and omni-channel marketing, reaching the Valhalla of real-time dynamic content and connecting customer intent and product demand. means to bring out a closer relationship between
This rush to RFPs will continue in 2023. The complaints we hear from our clients are visible. This is a challenge for the existing ESP industry to do better. You can’t just say “email me”. People want more than pipes. They want functionality beyond email and want to be able to do more with email.
Will there be an RFP in the future? Maybe. But before you put one together, make sure you’re using everything the current platform has to offer. Audit your platform usage to make sure you’re accomplishing everything you need to do today.
Digging Deeper: 5 Tips for Successfully Switching Email Service Providers
4. Finding Balance Is Necessary, Not Just Wanted
COVID has reinforced the idea that people want a balance between work and family life. As I wrote last year (“Marketer: What will happen in a year?”), it turns out that the elusive work-life balance will be his priority in 2022. 2022.
I wish Elon Musk had followed my advice.
After buying Twitter a few months ago, he sent the now-infamous memo telling him he had to work harder nights and weekends or quit.
My response: someone wasn’t reading the room.
Whether Musk appreciates it or not, we have exceeded such demands. We have gone beyond the corporate mandate that work is all and final.
Yes, some employees signed up for that 24/7 job. It’s good. it’s in their DNA. But many others have chosen to have a life, choosing between more work and more life.
We hope this trend continues through 2023. Manage your work so that you have time for yourself. If you are devastated, so is your job.
In my 2021 column, I advised marketers to keep their resumes up to date and take any interviews. You may be happy as hell with your current job, but keep an eye out for the next great opportunity.
Finally, continue to brag about your email program. Help others discover all the great work you do and earn the respect you deserve.As some of my clients have shown, it can pay off.
get ready for the new year
As we enter 2023, let’s remember this. It’s been tough getting through the upheaval that COVID has brought to his 2020 and his 2021, but we’ve made it to the other side. No, COVID is not over. We are facing another winter with the triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and RSV, a respiratory virus. RSV is extremely dangerous to young children and the elderly.
And let’s not forget the twin challenges of inflation and recession, and what dangers lie ahead. Can we meet? yes. can we conquer it? Yes!
Over the 20+ years I’ve been in the business, I’ve always been impressed with the spirit, grit, and ideas of email marketers.
We are a talented industry and should take pride in what we do.
Over the next few days, ignore Elon Musk’s advice and take some time for yourself. Watch Spongebob Squarepants. Please put down your phone. Turn off notifications.
To start 2023 with a new perspective, distance yourself and your work. Give yourself the gift of balance because you deserve a break.
I think everyone reading my words is a wonderful person.
Have a great holiday. See you on the other side.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
About the author
As co-founder of RPEOrigin.com, Ryan Phelan’s 20 years of global marketing leadership have brought innovative strategies to high-growth SaaS and Fortune 250 companies. His experience and history in digital marketing has shaped his perspective on creating innovative orchestrations of data, technology and customer activation for Adestra, Acxiom, Responsys, Sears & Kmart, BlueHornet and infoUSA. I was. Working with his colleagues to advance his marketing digitally and mentoring young marketers and entrepreneurs are two of Ryan’s passions. Ryan is Honorary Chairman of the Email Experience Council Advisory Board and a member of numerous business community groups. He is also an in-demand keynote speaker and a leader in the digital marketing sort he is.
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