Emojis are on their way out as an engagement strategy for email marketers. 75% of marketers report they never use subject line emojis and at least 41% plan to use them even less in 2017.

72% of companies using buy buttons on social media are seeing no sales as a result, so marketers have been using less of them in 2016.

72% include newsletters in their content marketing strategy, and findings indicate marketers will use more newsletters overall in their content strategies next year.

Quizzes and interactive content are rated the least effective content tools for email marketers in 2016. In fact, one in three marketers plan to use these tools less in the coming year.

Infographics show moderate performance as effective content for email marketers. While one in five marketers plan to increase their infographic use in 2017, 23% will use them less in the year ahead.

Only 26% of marketers currently use video in their content marketing strategy, and marketers report an even split on whether this number will increase or decrease in 2017. Video is one of the most popular mediums for absorbing information, but email marketers are still challenged with leveraging this format within their emails.

Emojis

Subject

Digital Marketing Report

Marketing Strategy Performance

Grade Comments

Social media buy buttons

Email newsletters

Videos in Email

Infographics

Quizzes & interactive content

Email marketing

Social media marketing

Search marketing

Brand awareness Brand loyalty Attracting new customers

Online advertising

SEO

2017 Performance Goals

Areas for Improvement

N�ds Improvement

68%45% 21%

Throughout 2016, email marketers implemented new content and tools in their marketing strategies to help them reach and exceed their business goals. In closing out the year, Campaigner Email Marketing assessed how these tools were used this past year and how marketers plan to use them in 2017. Below is a report card overview of these findings.

Click-through rates are an even bigger challenge for marketers this year — an increase of 37% over 2015. Marketers need to distribute content that improves not only open rates, but also click-through rates to move customers further down the funnel. Marketers’ goals are shifting away from customer acquisition and towards building brand awareness and loyalty. Email marketers will need to focus their content strategies on boosting visibility as they head into the new year.

Social media buy buttons have failed to drive sales this year. Marketers need to find new ways to influence consumers to make a purchase.

Digital Marketing Insights from 2016 and Trends to Watch in 2017

INDUSTRY REPORT

Summary

Email marketers are graduating from emojis, buy buttons and MMS marketing — noting they plan to use these less in 2017.

Use of informative tips and infographics also decreased in 2016, but marketers don’t plan to phase these out in the coming year.

Newsletters get the A grade in terms of content, followed by blogs/articles, videos, infographics, then quizzes/interactive content.

Email marketing reigns supreme, with at least 73% electing to increase their use of it in 2017, followed by social media marketing (60%) and newsletter content (46%).

EMAIL INTO REVENUE