Return to Sender; Email Unknown

adobeAmericans are completely tied to their emails, and your message is not getting through.

If the results of a recent Adobe survey are any indication, marketers who rely on email for communication are facing some tough sledding.

“Adobe today released findings from its second annual email survey, focused on U.S. white collar workers’ habits and behavior related to personal and work email,” writes TNM Staff in Talking New Media. “The report shows that people constantly check their personal and work email, with smartphones overtaking computers as the device consumers use most regularly to check email. Time spent checking email increased 17 percent Year-over-Year (YoY) and people expect email will remain the preferred way of communicating at work in five years.”

Response expectations are rising too; the survey found that while half the people surveyed expect a reply within 30 minutes, the 25-34 age group expects those responses within minutes. And it doesn’t stop on the weekends, with an average of 19 work emails sent and 29 read on those precious days off.

Okay, so we’re addicted to email, and feel it’s critical to our career success. But what does this mean for marketers aiming to break through the noise? In this “always-on” email culture, marketing emails are at tremendous risk of being overlooked, marked as spam and generally ignored.

“Marketers must adapt their approach to address email behaviors and avoid adding to the noise of the inbox. This means fewer emails and ensuring those sent are mobile-optimized, personalized and contextual to offer the best possible digital experience,” said Kristin Naragon, director email solutions for Adobe Campaign.

Even with the best data and message targeting, it’s a tough sell to get your marketing message seen in this kind of environment.

Maybe it’s time to take a fresh look at direct mail and its ability to break through the clutter.

“Consumers spend on average 25 minutes with their direct mail before they act on it (keep or throw away),” wrote well-connected Millennial Jordan Alfonso in Dealer Solutions. “I know in my household my dad would set it on the counter top and then pester me until I opened all my mail because he did not want me to miss anything important.”

What’s old is new again, and direct mail is making a big impact on the future of marketing. That’s great news for marketers who are on top of the tech trends and able to deliver effective direct mail campaigns that make an impact.