Did you party like it was 1999 last night?  Well if you did you have now realized that you did wake up this morning and you do have a screaming headache.  The world is still standing, but you might need to lay down after that doomsday party you attended.  Throwing caution to the wind; participating in the wheel of beverages.  Shots? Never a good idea, but why not since the Mayan calendar essentially gave you the freedom to make different decisions.  Were you burning down the house?  Hmmm, that reminds me of a song.

Well, we made it.  We are all still here.  Now what?

If you put off any decisions on what your e-mail strategy will be in 2013, time to get on it.  Grab that mug of piping hot coffee and let’s get going.

• Mobile, relevant content, and multi-channel touch points become the mainstays of effective email programs in 2012.  2013 will be the year that email marketers will need to optimize and grow by addressing their subscribers’ changing habits
• Effective marketers will focus on customer centricity, relevant content, and multi-channel, data-driven lifecycle programs

OK, got it.  But how?

• Triggered email programs are critical – Now go multi-channel
• Add SMS, mobile application push notification, or frequency from display ads to your email
• Determine where multi-channel touch points can be most valuable. SMS is great at driving a sense of urgency through a last-minute reminder, while targeted display excels at reinforcing value while customers are deciding
• Go multi-channel – Yes I am repeating myself.  As we know in advertising, frequency is important

In 2013, the majority of e-mail will be opened on a smartphone. Thus, “mobile-friendly” scalable templates will no longer be enough. You will need to rebuild your templates to account for responsive design.  Responsive email design is the only truly mobile-first strategy.  Get on it now.

Why responsive design? Econsultancy reports that 63 percent of Americans and 41 percent of Europeans would close or delete an email not optimized for mobile. Therefore, if you don’t get mobile, your emails will be relegated to the digital circular file.

Thanks for your support and readership in 2012.  Have a great holiday season and happy new year.  And just remember

Webman