Persuasion: It's not just the title of a Jane Austen novel. Persuasion is at the heart of all effective advertising and marketing. I’m not talking about dodgy tactics that trick customers into opening and clicking on emails. Instead, I mean the persuasive principles and tactics that help customers to make decisions...

How does anybody have time to read this article right now? We are in the throes of Q4, the busiest time of the year! But if you’re thinking, “Eh – I have a little time right now,” I’ll do my best to make this worthwhile. My last OI column of the...

Artificial Intelligence: a term that's as exciting as it is intimidating. It's revolutionized numerous industries, and email marketing is no exception. But the question lingers - can AI truly be trusted? Can machine learning and complex algorithms understand the intricacies of human communication and psychology in order to effectively market a...

Are you an email marketer who grapples with the perennial dilemma of being urged by business stakeholders to send more emails? You want to deliver value to your business, but you're equally concerned about losing subscribers or tarnishing your brand's reputation. If this scenario feels all too familiar, you're not alone....

Ever wondered what influences your audience as they open, click, or engage with your emails? This article is your key to understanding the psychology behind those choices. We'll unravel the science and craft of creating emails that not only capture attention, but also drive action and long-lasting customer connections. Note: The...

I found the silver bullet! The one that will guarantee you inbox placement! The elusive, but oh so powerful, UNSUBSCRIBE … (pause for dramatic effect) Ok, maybe announcing it as the ‘silver bullet’ and a ‘guarantee’ was a bit much and maybe a tad bit of an overstatement, BUT hear me...

Modular email design is not just a trend — it's revolutionizing email marketing.  Beyond well-crafted email snippets, modules offer a novel approach that reshapes email production workflows, allowing marketing teams to prioritize strategic initiatives over technical complexities. Evolution of email production Email has transformed over the past 50 years, adopting various...

Today we're diving into the world of email campaigns, but not just any campaigns—ones that nurture and grow your relationship with your audience. Trust me, there's a difference between email lists and loyal communities, and we're aiming for the latter. What Does 'Nurturing' Even Mean? Nurturing is like taking care of...

Many of us on the agency, consulting, and vendor sides of the email industry have been in the business for a decade or more. And if you’re like me, there are times when you think to yourself, “If I see one more article or sit through one more conference session on...

Is this going to be another blog post about AI? To be blunt, yes, it is. But it is a blog with a difference. There has been tremendous excitement, interest and fascination with the possibilities of using generative AI tools like chat GPT, Bard, and so on. But what does this...

When I brainstorm topics for an upcoming OI article, sometimes I focus on bigger trends in the industry (AI!) or areas where I can speak with some authority (email compliance). But I also like to think about topics and conversations that have come up on our Thursday OI-members-only Live Zoom calls,...

You can’t change people. You can only change how you react to them. That is something we say a lot in our household. It’s a hard-won pearl of wisdom from years of working with therapists so my wife and I can be better parents to our autistic son, be better spouses...

Feeling burnt out? You’re not alone. I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret secret: email marketing burnout is a real thing. I’ve personally experienced it, without actively recognizing it, and learned the hard way how to keep myself physically and mentally healthy in order to maintain my drive for...

Marketers build Customer Journey Maps (CJMs) to see how customers behave from the moment they first need the product till they finally buy it. But what if your product can solve the problems your potential clients haven’t thought of yet? Why customer needs are essential for building a CJM I think...

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been a regular feature here on Only Influencers, from conversations on the email lists and in our regular Thursday members-only calls to blog posts like this one. People like Chad S. White of Oracle Marketing Consulting, Dr. Matthew Dunn of Campaign Genius, and countless others have...

Introduction As email marketers we think of ourselves as a data driven decision makers. We have stats coming at us from all angles such as open and click rates, transactional data like average order values and customer data such as time since last shopped. Yet the phrase “lies, damned lies, and...

We’ve noted an increase interest in Gifs recently, presumable because they are now supported by virtually all email clients and even (gasp!) Outlook. Animated GIFS are known to increase reader attention and help to improve the email experience as well as support key messaging. These short meme-like animations can quickly catch...

Email has always been more than just "hitting send." With the constant evolution of digital communication, career opportunities in the world of email have expanded exponentially. If you're considering stepping into this realm or are just curious about what it entails, here's a comprehensive look at the roles, settings, and keys...

When a new subscriber adds themselves to your company’s email list, what events and records are triggered? That signup process seems like such a little, commonplace thing — a few lines of text, a few fields, another record or two somewhere — that it tends to be set up once and...

Let's take a moment to consider a universal truth in our digital age: we're all trying to be heard. In a world flooded with content, messages, and countless brands fighting for attention, standing out can feel like a monumental task. Think about it. Social media gives us a vibrant, dynamic platform...