10 Key Takeaways from Inbox Expo

By Adeola Sole

Last week I attended emailexpert‘s Inbox Expo summit in Valencia, Spain. It was an amazing event set in a beautiful location and brought together some of the greatest email minds from across the globe. The event was a chance for all email marketers to get together to share, discuss and debate not just our successes but our failures too. The conversations were magnetic and inspiring. The presentations were considered and educational, and the guests were carefree and fun.

The organisers, Andrew Bonar and Nely Bonar, asked me to be their official compère (that’s a fancy word for host) for the 2022 summer event. Over the event’s three days I had the pleasure of entertaining guests but also picked up a few things. So here are my top 10 takeaways from the Inbox Expo.

Email is not dead! I repeat, email is not dead. As a matter of fact it’s thriving. Email is a low-cost, push channel and when used correctly it can increase ROI significantly.
Send more emails BUT be smart about it. Thanks for this, Dela Quist. It’s proven that sending something as simple as a resend campaign to non-openers can generate incremental revenue that you would have missed out on if you didn’t send anything at all.
Inactives need love, too. Just because they’re not opening, that doesn’t mean they’re not paying attention. In 2021 a DMA study discovered clicking through to the website directly from the email was the third most popular choice for email users. What were the top two? Engaging indirectly and visiting comparative sites. That’s why “inactive” doesn’t always mean “not interested.”
Segmentation is king! Breaking your list into sizable and meaningful clusters is far more effective than batch blasting. Just ask Clinton W. from Namecheap, Inc. whose presentation proved this very thing! When the team at Namecheap began segmenting their base, revenue increased by over 100%!
Your subscribers are people first and foremost. Lead with a customer-centric approach in everything you do, rather than always putting your business interests first.
Gmail’s Promotions tab isn’t the spam folder. People interact with emails very differently today compared to a few years ago. The inbox has become a ‘visual sorting centre’. As Jennifer Nespola Lantz said, “The Promotional tab should not be seen as the worst place in the world”. In fact it’s where all the fun stuff lives. People will visit this tab at their leisure, so don’t fret the Promo tab if your emails land there.
Behave like a spammer and ISPs will treat you like a spammer. Move away from image-only emails and step into the realm of a considered HTML template. The ISPs will like you better.
“Deliverability” and “delivered” are NOT the same thing. You probably know this already, but it’s worth mentioning for those in the back. “Delivered” is the number of emails you sent. “Deliverability” measures the percentage of your emails that landed directly in the inbox. Know the difference, and keep track of both metrics.
AMP is being revolutionised. Faruk Aydin and Ozgur Tekin from Inbox Suite demoed their new tool, Ampier. It was incredible. Ampier allows email users to complete an action within the email without leaving the inbox. So you could play a game, donate to a charity or even buy a dress, all within the email. Awesome, right?
BIMI is like having a blue tick on Instagram. Being certified with BIMI is the next step in preserving customer trust and standing out amongst your competitors. It’s digital recognition that you are a trustworthy sender. Faisal Misle from Red Sift said he would help me get my personal email address verified so my face can be plastered all over everyone’s inbox. You’re welcome!

These are my key takeaways from all the wonderful speakers and presenters at the Inbox Expo. Which one stood out to you? Which do you want to know more about? Let me know in the comments.

Also, be sure to follow emailexpert to keep up to date on future conferences. There’s another in September, so get in early if you can.

If you have any questions you know where to find me.