E-mail mailbox providers are marketers, too.  Shocking to remember, I know.  Yet, the product managers at the global mailbox providers like Yahoo!, Hotmail/MSN and Gmail have been busy trying to make their email services more valuable to subscribers.   They've noticed the clutter, too.  That's why we are seeing a whole new set of inbox management tools that make it easier for subscribers to avoid whatever messages are not interesting to them.  In fact, Hotmail did a major release of the new features in the last week of July, so more and more subscribers have access to the new Sweep feature and other filtering tools.  I call it the “Ultra-Managed Inbox”---and it means both an opportunity and a threat for email marketers.   

To continue to earn high revenue from the channel, e-mail marketers must adopt a new attitude about the importance of subscriber experience and loyalty---and focus on making our e-mail messages worthy of the inbox.  Earning entrance onto a subscriber's personal address book is huge now, but what makes your program really worthy of this level of connection?  Consider also how important the first couple of messages have become.  If you can't engage new subscribers early, they will quickly start to ignore or filter your messages.  Subscribers have a lot more tools to keep us out of sight--and out of mind.  That is bad for revenue and long-term relationships.

There are three really central strategies every marketer must consider to begin to adjust to the new reality.  Embrace them before the full suite of inbox management tools become ubiquitous over the next few months.

1. Segment your “from” addresses. From what we here at Return Path can tell from using the new tools, the Hotmail Sweep feature bases filtering on the “body from” domain, so the entire from address is what is filtered.   Therefore, marketing@returnpath.net and transactional@returnpath.net should be treated differently.  Unlike their current personal block list, Sweep won’t give the option to block by domain, only the entire address.  (Subscribers can still block domains with other tools.)  Please consider this carefully. As marketers, we know the nuance between marketing@ and transactional@, but subscribers may not.  The actual e-mail experience must be unique and tied to the from address; each e-mail message type must have a clear purpose to be viewed by subscribers as unique. Otherwise, they may sweep a marketing@ from address and wonder why newsletter@ is still coming to the inbox. That second set of messages may be quickly marked as spam.

2. Turn frequency into cadence.  When everything reached the inbox, being present was enough to earn a brand impression.  As users employ more filters, being relevant and timely will trump volume.  When I open the folder, I will expect to see timely messages tailored to my interest.  On the other hand, repeated reminders about last week’s sale may turn me off from visiting this folder again.

3. Segmentation by activity trumps demographics.   Messages sorted into folders are likely to be viewed by utility.  Defaults at Hotmail include Social Networks and Upcoming Events.  There is no “special offers” flag, so users will either create folders by sender (e.g., L. L. Bean) or activity (e.g., Sales, Banking, Read Later).  It’s up to marketers to create content and offers that is worth reading later. In the mix of message types, transactions are the new connectors.  As always, transactional messages are very welcome and could be a great co-marketing opportunity.  Consider appropriate marketing that is tied to the transaction rather than pure promotions that dilute the value of the original purpose.  (Also, remember that CAN SPAM governs what is considered transaction vs. marketing in the United States.)

As you look at these strategies, keep in mind the mobile implications.  Portable devices may have fewer features than PC-based email clients.  For example, Hotmail on a smartphone does not allow movement to any folder but trash. If you have a high mobile readership, consider segment and frequency options to reduce the clutter and engage more deeply.

The Ultra Managed Inbox can spell opportunity for marketers.  In fact, inbox management is not new---all these types of filters have been available for a long time. Soon, however, they will be automated and promoted heavily to new users.  There’s lots of good news for marketers here, but only if we get ready now and start testing what it really means to engage and compete with the clutter surrounding our messages.

The "rainy day" you've been waiting for to do a serious audit of your optimization of the email channel has arrived.  How are you planning to adapt for the new, ultra-managed inbox?  Let me know any questions or thoughts in the comments section below.