Gmail’s New Inbox: It’s Kind of a Big Deal!
Google announced it’s re-re envisioning of the inbox today. Why do you care? Well, you probably shouldn’t unless you’re an email marketer or inbox neat freak in which case I suggest you read on.
Attention Email Marketers
For many of us reaching the inbox consistently can be quite a struggle. With Gmail’s newest addition to the inbox getting your material in front of readers is going to be even more difficult – just skipping the spam folder simply wont cut it anymore. This means that we need to write email that has more value or connection. Give your people a reason to wait eagerly at their home screen for your e-letters.
Selling is great – and you should never be scared of selling your products or services if they have value – however it’s important to pepper in some free, actionable value in your messages.
Whether it be as simple as showing your subscribers a nifty subject line character using miscellaneous symbols to increase conversions ★ or just telling a story to put a smile on their face give them something to look forward to in your emails. Take a moment to think about who you’re mailing and what would be useful to you if you were in there shoes (maybe some tips on how to get better affiliates or a strategy you use in your business). By doing so you’ll see:
- Better open/click rates.
- Higher placement in the inbox/folders.
- Engaged customers and more referrals.
We’ve known it for awhile – but engagement is going to become king. Keep your readers interested and you will flourish.
Attenion Inbox Neat Freaks
One of the new releases highlighted features are inbox groups. Similar to Gmail’s existing system of filters, tags and folders your email can be separated into different categories depending on what type of mail it is.
Different is it’s interface. Now each folder will appear as a tab at the top of your inbox – better yet the Gmail mobile interface will feature an easy to navigate menu – something most mobile inboxes fail to provide.
You’ll have the ability to choose between displaying one to six different tabs that you can separate to your liking. I could see the most popular being social notifications, receipts invoices, educational newsletters, and sales messages. Best of all, Gmails new inbox can be toggled – meaning those scared of change or just stoked on their current setup can retain their classic view.
Will Gmail’s new inbox last? Only time will tell, but from the preview things are looking up and I don’t think it will suffer the same fate as AOL’s Project Phoenix. See more on Gmail’s newest feature via the original blog post or their dedicated product page at gmail.com/inbox..
About the author: Brendan Dubbels is the Postmaster and Director of Advertising for ONTRAPORT.com
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4 Comments
by Phil Schott
Gmail’s new inbox isn’t a big deal.
People fear change. Veteran Gmail users who are used to the inbox as it’s been aren’t likely to change when it’s all said and done, especially since Gmail isn’t forcing the change on users and they’ll be able to switch back to the comfortable inbox they know and love.
For marketers, this new inbox isn’t going to make your mail any more or less wonderful. If it’s awesome today and folks want it, it’s still going to be that way after Gmail’s new vision for the inbox. And, if it sucks today, well… People are going to seek out and read your email if they’re expecting it and looking forward to it, regardless of the latest “feature” from their inbox provider. And, your subscribers will figure out how to make sure it gets routed to the right folder, inbox or elsewhere, if Gmail decides to change delivery disposition.
For those who are inbox neat freaks, they’ve long ago devised their own methods of keeping unwanted or uninteresting email out of their inbox. If you’ve already got a system that works, you’re going to stick with it.
Is this a change? Absolutely. Is it different? Sure. Is it a “big deal”? Nope.
by Feather
I just opened my gmail account and the new inbox prompt is visible. I do not want to click on “okay, go it” because i don’t want to use the new look.
Do I have any other options to get into my box now?
by Scott Hardigree
Not that I’m aware of, sorry. However the changes, from a usability perspective at least, are not all that extreme.
by Brendan
People fear change – but they also love innovation (especially the early adopter/productivity crowd).
It’s one of the reasons services like other inbox have become so popular amongst both individuals and organizations.
Yes, if your email is wonderful now it will still be wonderful after the change. However after the change your email will be wonderful AND more easily accessible.
A clear win in terms of marketing. Even with the best of subscribers the more loops/clicks you require to get to your info, the less of a response you’re going to receive. This is seen in everything from opt in forms (number of required fields) to landing page position (below the fold gets less readership even amongst an engaged crowd).