This year, for the first time in history, the world’s best-loved fantasy sports game, fantasy football, will be played in-house by the US military. As part of its preparations for war, the US military is using email marketing. Specifically, it is using Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Email Marketing as a guide to prioritise its email strategy.
Gartner’s Magic Quadrant is a framework which provides a framework for businesses to evaluate their email marketing efforts. Using a combination of research and analysis, the framework has four distinct quadrants which represent varying degrees of excellence in the field.
The framework was first published in 2010 and since then, several updates have been released, the most recent of which was published in February 2019. The framework was developed and published by Gartner and is used by numerous industries, including technology, telecoms and finance.
Based on a combination of its own research and feedback from its readers, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Email Marketing provides insight into how businesses can put in place a sound strategy for their email marketing initiatives.
The Opportunity For Businesses
As well as being a useful tool for businesses, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Email Marketing also provides a useful framework for individuals seeking to improve their own analytical thinking and data-informed decision-making. Specifically, the tool can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to better understand how a business’ products and services can fit into a mission-critical environment.
On the one hand, businesses can use the framework to determine what email marketing strategy to follow; on the other hand, individuals can use it to understand how their preferred email marketing tools and platforms can help them to become more effective; and, ultimately, to achieve their desired outcomes.
Why Use Email Marketing To Prepare For War?
The last few years have seen a rise in interest in and use of anti-foreclosure technology, also known as a Robo-advisor. Using complex algorithms, these platforms allow individuals to manage their money and credit without needing a personal financial advisor. So while the personal financial advisor might suggest a cautious approach when it comes to spending, the Robo-advisor will likely give you an all-clear signal to go big or go home.
However, the last few years have also seen an increase in the incidence of cyber-attacks targeting the financial services industry. As a result, financial services firms have been forced to adopt a more restrictive approach to customer data due to data-breach regulatory standards. For example, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in the US now classifies customer data as critical infrastructure and requires firms to take steps to protect it.
How Can Email Marketing Help To Prepare For War?
During peacetime, businesses rely on traditional advertising techniques to reach potential customers. With the rise of online marketplaces like Amazon, it is now possible to target the right audience and engage them with relevant content at the click of a button.
However, during wartime, traditional advertising techniques become less effective. First, because potential customers are less likely to be wandering online on their computer while in the middle of a frenzy of war operations. Second, because businesses can’t afford to lose a single customer during wartime, so they put in place a number of countermeasures, including data-censorship, to protect their interests.
As a result, businesses are forced to switch to more sophisticated strategies to maintain relationships with their potential customers. One such strategy is email marketing, which allows businesses to send messages to defined lists of people with the click of a button.
While email marketing is a well-established technique which has been used for years, it becomes even more effective when used during wartime. One of the primary reasons behind this is that you can be fairly certain that your audience has a vested interest in your business. For instance, if your business provides support for the financial services industry, you can be certain that your audience will be highly relevant to your business.
The Four Qualities Of An Effective Email Marketing Strategy
Based on a combination of its own research and feedback from its readers, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Email Marketing provides insight into how businesses can put in place a sound strategy for their email marketing initiatives. Using a combination of research and analysis, the framework has four distinct quadrants which represent varying degrees of excellence in the field.
The four qualities which make up an effective email marketing strategy are as follows:
User-centered design.
An essential element of any successful email marketing strategy is a well-thought-out user experience. This means that the tool ought to be easy to use, intuitive and that setting up the campaign is as easy as possible.
While businesses need to be extremely careful about how they collect, store and process customer data during peacetime, they have no such restrictions during times of war. Therefore, it is important that businesses take the time to ensure that the email marketing platform they choose is fully responsive, meaning that it provides a good user experience across all major platforms, including desktop, laptop, tablet and smart phone.
Extensible architecture.
An important benefit of being able to use a single platform for multiple uses is that it provides businesses with the ability to easily add more functionalities to their tool. For example, QuickMailer, a tool which Gartner analysed in more detail, provides customers with the ability to create emails with various content types, send out regular emails with pre-set variables, create autoresponders and segment contacts.
Being able to integrate with other systems, such as CRM and ERP software, provides businesses with the ability to provide better, more streamlined customer experience.
Intuitive.
Intuitiveness is another important consideration when choosing an email marketing tool. After all, you’ll be using the tool to send emails which describe your business, so you want to ensure that the tool is as easy to use as possible.
Therefore, it is important that the tool is easy to learn, has a simple UI (User Interface) and requires little to no training to get started.
Users who have had little to no previous contact with CRM or email marketing tools prefer themselves to new users. This is because they are usually extremely simple to use while also having extensive functionality.
Mature.
Being mature, in this case, means that the tool is well-tested and provides a good general use case. For example, testing shows that users prefer tools which provide a strong value proposition, have a good rewards and recognition programme and are easily segregated into smaller chunks. These are all valuable qualities, especially in times of war.
Being able to offer these qualities means that a business will be able to choose an email marketing tool which has already been tried and tested, or at least offered a similar use case, rather than having to choose the lightest option and then adding functionality on a white plate.
Creating A Sound Email Marketing Strategy
Based on a combination of its own research and feedback from its readers, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Email Marketing provides insight into how businesses can put in place a sound strategy for their email marketing efforts.
The framework was first published in 2010 and since then several updates have been released, the most recent of which was published in February 2019. The framework was developed and published by Gartner and is used by numerous industries, including technology, telecoms and finance.
While the personal financial advisor might suggest a cautious approach when it comes to spending, the Robo-advisor will likely give you an all-clear signal to go big or go home.