To Delete or Not to Delete: That is the Email Question
I hope this email finds you well.
We all have come across this frustrating opening salvo at one time or another from some unknown person, touting a product or service that is of very little or no interest.
The good news is that email marketing campaigns have evolved. Technology and social media are enabling email marketers to deliver relevant content to intended recipients. The bad news, however, is that we are finding more emails in our inboxes.
And it’s only getting worse. According to Statista, the number of daily worldwide emails is estimated to increase to 319 billion next year, a 20 percent jump from the 269 billion sent in 2017.
When it comes to email marketing, our basic advice to clients, whether publicly traded or privately owned companies, is focused on content and consistency. Communications should be engaging and “on brand,” with a specific call-to-action, including click-backs to a website or online platform. Frequency also is important, keeping regular communications at a minimum, not overdoing it.
But myriad emails continue to arrive in our inboxes, creating a conundrum for many on whether to hit save or delete. Management experts and even psychologists advocate for zero tolerance on unopened emails. The theory is that a positive psychological effect occurs when completing the task of clearing an inbox, thereby making a person more productive, or at least feel that way.
Full disclosure: I currently have 2,782 unopened emails. That number pales in comparison to others, who have boasted amounts in the tens of thousands, even surpassing 100,000. For the record, I have seen all of my unopened emails. For us in the communications biz, think of it in terms of impressions. I’m constantly looking at emails to determine what needs to be opened immediately or saved for later. I do, however, delete “junk” most of the time.
I like to think of myself as super organized and very responsive, so cleaning my email inbox won’t necessarily make me more productive. Rather, I am relieved that perhaps one day I will need that email I saw months ago. It sounds silly, but my email inbox serves as a database, enabling me to search for past client-related communications, news stories, relevant research, conference opportunities, among many other topics.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to managing email inboxes. What’s important is that it works for the individual and does not jeopardize productivity, which is essential for managing today’s increasingly complex, multi-faceted, work-life business environment.
I hope this blogpost finds you well.
George Medici, gmedici@pondel.com
