Explore IdeasThat Shape the Future.

Is email marketing still effective? Do people even read emails at all? The answer to that question is a big yes. People do still read and send emails, and email marketing is even more effective than it was before.

Marketers have reported that among all the marketing techniques and strategies done, email marketing has the highest return on investment. Even higher than that of social media.

Now that gives businesses hope that they can still manage their email marketing strategy to generate more leads. But email marketing is not simply sending out spammy, promotional emails to anyone. If that’s your strategy, there is no doubt that your technique will not work out.

Instead, here are effective ways that could help you with your next marketing content.

PERSONALIZED EVERYTHING

Nobody likes to receive a gift that is not of interest to them or doesn’t add value to their lives. Email marketing is similar to that. When people receive emails that are not according to what they often research for or like, it is more likely that they will not open your email.

Therefore, one best way for businesses to make people click on their email is to personalize the content. For businesses to do so, there are software or apps they can use to track what users want and research. This gathered data can be used to create emails that are right for the person.

When people receive emails that are patterned to their likes, they might subscribe to your business and turn into a paying customer.

SEGMENT BY AUDIENCE

Isn’t it annoying to receive an email that you won’t be able to attend or something that you are not interested in? The problem with some email marketers is that they often send each email to everyone on the email list. This strategy is not helpful because people don’t like receiving an email that is not based on their likes or interest.

Sending people with emails that are not relevant to their interests may result in a lower open rate, and they could unsubscribe to your email lists. Therefore, it’s better to send emails according to people’s interests, location, and other factors. It is always a good practice to implement segregation in your marketing strategy.

39% of marketing experts who segregate their emails based on their customers’ interests achieve a higher open rate. The goal of sending emails to people is to make them click the email, engage on it, and turn them into valued customers.

Therefore, it is only proper to send emails based on people’s interests. There is software that can gather a user’s interest and past search behavior that can help your team know what people are interested in.

MAKE ENGAGING CONTENT

Most emails send out by marketing teams are static messages. Some of this email may work out, but most of it won’t. People nowadays like catchy, engaging content. They want to be part of something. Therefore, if you want to grab your customers’ or readers’ attention, an interactive email is the best way to do it.

Samples of interactive content you can use for your email are surveys, videos, digital scratch cards, polls, GIFs, and a lot more. These marketing tactics have an open rate of 300%, which means that there is a higher chance to convert readers to customers.

OPTIMIZE YOUR SUBJECT LINE

The first thing people read about your email is the subject line. If the subject line is too long, too short, or not based on their interest, it is more likely that users are not going to click your email. Therefore, your content will be useless.

It is important to know that when making a subject line for your email, it must grab your readers’ attention. 

Here are some tips to make an effective subject line.

• It must be written straightforwardly with no gimmicks.
• Tap into your readers’ emotions by making an emotional subject line.
• It must only contain 6 to 10 words, no more, no less.
• Adding numbers or questions will intrigue your readers
• Make it personal.

Now it’s time for you and your team to create a subject line that will make your readers click on your email.

TEST YOUR EMAILS

Not all emails are effective. Not all audiences are the same. Therefore, testing if your brand’s email marketing strategy is effective is a must. In split testing your brand’s email content, different emails will be sent out to your audience to determine which emails are opened, engaged in, and hence, effective.

This strategy is helpful for businesses to know which is the most effective way they can generate income and increase their potential customers. Split testing will not only help determine a good email content, but it also settles what subject line works, and what time of the day sending out email is the best.

Split testing your brand’s email marketing tactics work many wonders.

OFFER SOMETHING VALUABLE

Users or customers don’t sign up to receive emails from your brand if it doesn’t add value to them. Therefore, creating a highly valuable content that is enriching to the lives of your readers must be a practice, not only once but often.

When a content brings value to the readers, this will make them trust your brand. If people trust your brand, they could become a potential customer for your business. Not only will they turn into customers but, they will keep coming back for more.

OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE USERS

Gone are the days that people stay on their desktop or computers for hours. Most of the time people engage more in activities on their mobile phones. Since this gadget is convenient and becoming more and more popular, many software, applications, and programs on the desktop have a mobile version. This is to go along with what the users demand.

Like all this software and applications, marketing experts must also pattern their content not only for PCs or desktop users. They must create content that fits a mobile user too. Nowadays, people open their emails on their smartphones more than they do on their desktop. Now, this gives you the idea that optimizing a mobile version of your email content is necessary.

RE-ENGAGE YOUR PREVIOUS SUBSCRIBERS

Getting new subscribers is great. Turning them into valued customers is a bit difficult as compared to turning your inactive subscribers to customers.

There are a lot of subscribers that become inactive after signing up for a campaign or newsletter. Often, marketers define an inactive subscriber to be someone who doesn’t engage in any emails sent to them within three to six months.

Now how can you turn an inactive user to become active and become a loyal customer? It’s easy, all you have to do is present them with engaging content, like polls and surveys. But it’s not only that, promise your inactive users with something like gifts or coupon for them to become active to your content.

When your inactive users become active, they could turn into your customers.

INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL PROOF

People like to gather information or purchase items from a credible source. If your brand has good reviews or has a lot of followers and subscribers, it is time to show them off.

Presenting your numbers to your potential customers will increase the chance that they will engage in your email content. People like products or services that are proven to have good results. This increases their confidence in your product.

CREATE A STANDOUT CALL TO ACTION

It is important to invite your readers to engage in your email’s content. The best way to invite them is to create an eye-catching CTA.

Your CTA must stand out among the rest of your content. Here are some pointers to remember when creating a CTA for your email content.

• Use a color that will make your CTA stand out.
• Use a lot of whitespaces to separate CTA from other content of your email.
• Use only one CTA. More than one CTA could confuse your subscribers on which action to take.

CONCLUSION

Email marketing is one aspect of digital marketing that will prevail even in the coming years. Therefore, it is important to lay these strategies to come up with effective content. Following these will get you ahead of the game and generate more profit for your business. 

AUTHOR BIO

John Ocampos is an Opera Singer by profession and a member of the Philippine Tenors. Ever since, Digital Marketing has always been his forte. He is the Founder of SEO-Guru, and the Managing Director of Tech Hacker. John is also the Strategic SEO and Influencer Marketing Manager of Softvire Australia - the leading software eCommerce company in Australia and Softvire New Zealand.

Mobile apps have become the need of the hour. Ready-made business solutions are a big no-no, you need to think out of the box. The mobile app market is one of the fastest-growing markets in the mobile industry. The figures depict that the mobile app economy will reach $188.9B worldwide in the coming. Instead of looking for the local business-partner, you should focus on the reliable mobile app development companies.

Softuvo Solutions is one of the leading IT consultancy firms in India. We are one of the early adopters of technology and are using several of them for over 3 years in application development. We have built numerous award-winning mobile apps for customers using various frameworks. We follow an agile methodology to build and manage exciting products for our customers across the globe.

Services Provided: Mobile app development, E-commerce mobile app development, Web app development, Android and iOS app development, hybrid app development, native app development, and more.

Softuvo has been ranked among the top app development companies on a renowned platform like - Trust Firms. With more than 200+ projects successfully we know how to efficiently accelerate business growth. We are delighted to be recognized as one of the top 10 iOS and Android app development companies in India on Trust Firms.

The technology has evolved over the years and set some new standards. The concept of IoT has become mainstream and marked its presence in various industries across the globe. Before we dig deep into the details, let’s know about the technology. What exactly is IoT? Internet of things is a system where computing devices and other digital machines transfer data over a network without any human requirement. According to a few predictions, there will be around 20 billion devices connected to IoT by 2020. And, if you want to stand out among the competitors, then you need to stay updated with the IoT trends.

Today, we will read about the top IoT trends that will rule in the year 2020.

Edge Computing

For a long time, IoT has been relying on cloud storage for storing the data. The IoT industry has now started evolving and begin to realize the utility of calculating, storing, and analyzing the data to the limit. This means that instead of sending data to the cloud, the data will be first transferred to the local devices. The local storage device help in filtering, sorting and calculating the data and further helps in sending the data to the cloud.

Edge computing offers many benefits to offer several benefits. Let’s check out a few benefits of edge computing.

• It has a low dependency on the cloud, thereby helping apps perform faster with reduced latency.
• It offers better management of the large amount of data that every device sends.
• IoT based apps consume less bandwidth.

Smart Home

Another IoT trend to look out for is Smart Home. People who discarded the smart home as devices for youngsters now find it difficult to resist the technology. Smart Home will be popular in the coming years and the credit goes to highly innovative technology which is not only enhancing the home automation but also providing home security and safety of your family.

Another reason to consider IoT technology is the need to save energy. The smart lighting and intelligent thermostats help in reducing bills and conserving energy, thereby making people turn to IoT devices.

Blockchain for IoT Security

The integration of blockchain devices and IoT deserves special attention here in the security section. Many government and financial institutions, industrialists, consumers, and entrepreneurs will be self-governing, decentralized, and smart. There are many companies that are building their territory on the entanglement of IOTA to develop modules for firms without the cost of Cloud and Saas.

The coming year is going to witness the monolithic and centralized computer models which are separated in microservices and distributed to various devices and machines. In centralized, there is a minimal guarantee in terms of security as the data will be held by a specific party. Blockchain technology helps in eliminating the control of one party and issues of lack of security. There are ample benefits to the integration of Blockchain and IoT, thereby making it one of the most important IoT technology trends.

Smart Cities to Become Mainstream

In the past, states used to implement sensors and various other technologies to take accessible data collection tools. Smart Cities will now become a reality in the coming years. Soon, we will see cities investing in the pioneering exchange of data which allows the amalgamation of data between the public and private organizations.

The year 2020 will see the inception of several IoT apps that are directed to improving the social, environmental, and financial elements of urban living. This integration of IoT will decrease traffic congestion, unlock sustainable development, and improve security, thereby raising the urban living standards. The IoT trend spending efforts are anticipated to reach $80 billion by the year 2050, and that’s a huge figure to consider.

Incorporation of AI & Big Data

There are billions of industrial and consumer devices that are connected to the data transmission and IoT the amount of data that needs to be analyzed and processed will increase exponentially. Here, the idea is not just to collect rough data but to grab processable information from the data. To get this information, you need to integrate some artificial engineering techniques.

By incorporating technologies like - Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Machine Learning will define the trends of IoT in the coming years. By using the data analytics tools on the connected devices, it will become easier to base decisions around both the preventive and predictive measures.

Personalization in Retail

Well, we have to believe that IoT is making the retail supply chain management more efficient. By integrating smart beacon techniques and sensors, shopping experiences have become quite easier. In the coming years, IoT will rejuvenate the retail shopping experiences of people by personalizing the commercial presence.

Companies have already started using IoT technology to enhance the shopping experiences of consumers. You might have seen notifications on discounts or offers from your favorite shopping stores, but do you know the inside map of the store that takes you to the product you want. IoT will help in enhancing your retail experiences by

Healthcare Industry Will See Increased IoT Adoption

The healthcare industry has seen the implications of IoT and the coming years will see more of it. Various devices such as - medical equipment, portable devices, sends, and range of other healthcare devices are configured with IoT. Both the general population and the health service providers are knowledgeable about the technology. And, the increase in demand will increase the adoption of IoT in the world of medicine.

Today, various intelligent wearable and implants communicate with the patient’s parameters, virtual assistants, and mobile health applications to help in monitoring the patient’s health while sitting at home. All this happening with the help of intelligent technology, thereby remodeling the medical world.

Conclusion

So, the above-mentioned trends will dominate the IoT app development system in the year 2020. Both industries and consumers will see a series of benefits of technology. These trends are enough to predict the future of IoT is definitely promising and surely worth the wait. So, if you want to accelerate your business growth, then you should definitely don’t miss this one.

Ever since flutter has released there has been a debate on which is a better platform - Flutter or Ionic? The first-ever version of Ionic was released back in 2013. Earlier the Ionic version wads built on Agular JS, but with the latest stable version released in 2019, you can now select between React, Angular, or Vue. Flutter, on the other hand, was released by Google in 2018. It’s a cross-platform used by both Android and iOS.

Both Flutter and Ionic are known for creating high-performance and stunning apps that work everywhere. But, what’s the major difference between both? Which is a better platform to build apps? Let’s read out the details to understand the comparison between both.

What is Ionic?

Ionic is an open-source and free framework that is used to create high-performing mobile and desktop applications with integration of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. The framework targets to enhance the front-end user experience. Ionic reloves around the feel, look, and UI interaction of the apps.

Key takeaways from Ionic:

• It inspires beautiful UI designs with a simple framework.
• MIT license and open-source.
• The framework is used to build progressive web apps and hybrid apps.
• It allows rapid prototyping.

What is Flutter?

Flutter has been around for a while now. Introduced as SDK for creating mobile apps. Using this you can easily create native and high-performing applications for both iOS and Android. The core language of Flutter is Dart which helps in producing first-rate native experiences. It is integrated with in-built Swift and Objective C on iOS and Java Code on Android.

Key takeaways from Flutter:

• It has ready-made widgets.
• Low-code frameworks.
• Backed by Google
• Excellent performance.
• Hot Reload.

Although Flutter is a new entry in the market, it has gained popularity in the less time span. Many big companies like - Alibaba, Google Ads, Hamilton Musical, and more are already using this framework.

Which one is right for you?

Well, choosing between both is daunting. There is a fierce war between both and choosing which is stronger is a critical decision. Let’s consider these parameters to understand better about these platforms.

Performance

When we talk about apps, performance plays a key role in deciding which platform is suitable for your business.

For example - if you are planning to build apps that are more consumer-facing then you should choose Ionic. One the other hand, if you are looking for something exclusively for animation, then Flutter is a smart option. In short, code quality plays a major role in deciding which is a better framework. And, the performance relies on the size of your app. Flutter uses heavy code to create a basic app while Ionic uses a standard size of 2,991 bytes.

Code Portability

Another aspect to consider is to understand the code portability between both Flutter and Ionic. This defines how both codes behave in different processors, environments, and operating systems.

• Well, both the Flutter and Ionic code perform equally when deployed on mobile and web.
• Flutter has web deployment limitations. If you want to deploy PWA apps, then you should go for Ionic.
• With Flutter, you can easily create stunning looking apps for both Android and iOS.

Knowledge and Skillset

Ionic is a JavaScript framework while Flutter is not. If be proficient in Flutter, you must know Dart language and the current market is dominated by JS developers. With JavaScript, you can work on more than 100 frameworks for mobile, web, and native development. Dart, on the other hand, is highly custom and can help in creating apps with ease.

With Flutter, you are only learning Flutter ways of creating the apps, but Ionic teaches you how to code JS style with CSS. And, this prevails longer than the other platforms.

Native Look and Feel

When choosing the frameworks the approach to native UI element matters a lot. Both Ionic and Flutter allow and access the native APIs via ready-made plugins. However, the native implementation of Flutter is customized. Ionic and Flutter don’t use the native UI elements. They both update automatically.

Learning Curve

Speaking of the learning curve, Flutter requires developers to learn Dart language while Ionic offers an easier learning curve thanks to the web technologies. If you are looking forward to creating a game or graphical apps then you should go for Ionic. Flutter is a newbie in the market and it requires support from the best developers of Google and the community.

Sustainability

Sustainability is another key aspect to consider when choosing between Ionic and Flutter. What exactly does sustainability mean? Here it means the flexibility and shelf-life of the project.

We all know how powerful Flutter has come up in the past few years, Ionic is still more sustainable than Flutter. When building an app using Ionic you embrace the open web standards. You need a much wider platform than Flutter that allows you to create a uniform script to develop cross-platform applications.  Not just that, you can use the application with any JavaScript framework.

Who won the battle Ionic vs. Flutter?

You must have come to a conclusion, don’t you? Who’s the winner - Ionic or Flutter? Well, in our view Ionic is the Flutter.

If your focus is on building hybrid or Progressive web apps, then you should go for Ionic. But, if you are not emphasizing on building web apps, then Flutter is a convenient option.

Note that not every business is the same. However, a professional app development company is well-versed with the latest trends and technologies. They will guide you with better solutions and help you choose the better platform that caters to your business needs.

“Content is the king of marketing,” and it’s a fact! Creating quality content enhances your brand’s credibility online and multiply invaluable benefits to your company. Framing quality content is time-consuming and needs a lot of creativity. It is not necessary that people will like what you write. But, one needs to keep on experimenting. 

User-generated content is the solution to create an effective online presence. And, it has become one of the most desirable marketing tools. Wondering why it is important to create user-generated content? By using your follower’s content, you can nurture relationships with your customer base and build trust in your brand. Research shows that more than 85% of consumers find user-generated content more influential than content from brands. Using UGC, you can easily track the conversions and track mentions about your brand. This gives you an insight into what the consumers think about your services or products. Not just that, the user-generated content helps your brand save time and money and allow you to focus on other areas of work.

Today, we will discuss a few ways that can help in encouraging more user-generated content from your followers/fans.

Select a Powerful Platform

If you want your UGC campaign to be effective, brands must have a strong online presence. For those who haven’t gained a huge number of followers, need to look for ways to understand their audience. To do this, you need to understand which content is working best on each social media platform.

Here is a brief suggestion on what works on which social media platform.

• Instagram: Quotes, High-resolution photos, stories.
• Facebook: Curated content and videos.
• LinkedIn: Company News, job openings, and professional content.
• Twitter: Blog posts, News, and GIFs.

When it comes to content, one needs to be concise and clear with what you need.

Keep the Hashtags Game Strong

Well, hashtags are extremely valuable to your brand. They categorize your content and reach much wider audiences. When doing a hashtag campaign, don’t go overboard. It has been seen that tweets with hashtags go viral and make twice the engagements. For example - Coco-Cola! Remember when they make a #ShareaCoke campaign? Millions of users across the globe used the hashtag and more than 500,000 photos were shared. The best part about this campaign is its simplicity. This allows the users to share their story which sparked organic conversions.

The hashtag you create should be easy to remember, catchy, and must include a powerful call-to-action. A strong hashtag is sure to engage more users and give your brand a better recognition.

Take Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are the best way to know how your strategy is content strategy is working. Studies show that more than 60% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And the negative reviews adversely affect your business.

Customer reviews are a powerful way to know the authenticity of the site. This is why it is important to get reviews from third-party review websites. This lets your customers know that you are not manipulating the data. People are smart these days, and they can easily spot fake reviews.

Reviews, whether good or bad, help the customers to make better buying decisions. People love to see genuine views. This not only helps your business as a whole but help the other buyer in making a better decision.

Offer Rewards

Rewards always excited the users. And, the best thing about rewards is they don’t require much work to be earned. It only takes a few minutes to create a photo, video, or short review. You can encourage your followers by participating.

It is not important to make rewards expensive. Let’s say you have a reputed blogging site, you can even feature the tweet or article on your site as a reward gift. No wonder, if people are dying to post their blogs on your site. These simple gestures will engage your users and give your brand a better recognition.

Support a Cause

One of the best ways to connect with your audiences is by supporting a cause. This shows the brand doesn’t solely rely on making sales but also focuses on better things. For example - Dove-Real Beauty. Women handle a big amount of pressure and to deal with this pressure, Dove came up with a campaign focuses on real beauty. The campaign targets women regardless of their color, skin-tone, and any other discrimination. Ample women have come up with different stories and shared their sides of stories.

Apart from this, there are ample of campaigns about cancer, aids, women empowerment, and more. This allows people to come up and speak their views. This surely helps in keeping the brand in limelight.

The audience is smart and this techy-savvy generation knows better to take the brand word over others. And, we have to admit that user-generated content is more robust than any other brand-driven content. This can help you build a brand that is authentic, personable, and trustworthy.

We would love to hear your thoughts about this. Share your views in the comments.

If you are working in the tech world, then you must be aware of UX writing. Well, a UX writer is someone who writes to enhance the user experience. Many top companies like - Airbnb, Spotify, and Google are already recognizing the need for UX writers to market their products.

Today, we will discuss how UX writers bring value to your brand and ultimately put life to your product. Before we dig deep into why UX writing is important for your product, let’s understand what the UX writer does. Don’t stress much over this! UX writers write the text that guides the users to interact and navigate the product, including the help content, calls-to-action, and more.

Although it seems to be a simple job, the reality is different. They need to have in-depth knowledge of the product design and technical skills to understand the user needs. Let’s have a look at a few ways how UX copy can enhance the user experience.

The UX writing empathize with the user

The UX writings are a clear display of the user’s needs, emotions, and intent. Let’s understand how Google understands the user when they write a review. Google first intimidate the users that their review will be posted publicly. This builds trust among the users and they know what they are doing. For example - when a person visits a new place, they ask how you like the place. This not only gives you the right feedback about the product but also help in building a loyal customer base.

UX writing helps to clarify the uncertainties

Whether it is a new product or an old one, users need some guidance now and then. Here, UX writing can act as a helping hand and make the product clear and intuitive to the users. Let’s talk about Airbnb, the leverage amazing UX writing that helps to mitigate the fear the user may face during the overflow of bookings. What people want while booking rooms online? They want a holistic view of the prices and other details.

Airbnb makes sure that till the time all the user answers are not answered, they won’t be charged until they press “Book.” They make sure the user trusts the brand while making bookings.

Humanizes your product

UX writing is known to add life to your products. It differentiates your product by giving a personal touch. Many companies add chatbots that literally acts as a live support agent to the users. Not just that, companies also add friendly voices to make customer support experience interactive. This surely gives the user a delightful experience and makes them stick to your product.

Check out a few practical tips that will enhance your UX writing and help in engaging more users.

Make your writing more clear and simpler

Before you write anything, ask yourself a few questions. Will you be able to understand the UX copy for the first time? If not, then how do you expect the user to understand your message.

To make your message clear, you can follow these steps:

• Try to be conversational. You need to make the product more approachable for the users so that they understand your product in detail. You should write like you are having a conversation with your audience.

• Avoid using highly technical terms. The UX copy will reach a varied audience, so you have to use simple content. Using technical terminology may make it difficult for audiences to understand the language. So, go for simpler texts.

• Provide enough content. While writing the UX copy, make sure you write enough content to provide to shape and support the user’s experience. The text you write must make sense.

UX writing is useful and efficient

Your product needs to be convincing to attract the user’s interest. You should aim to solve the user’s problem. Wondering, how will you do that? Let’s read a few points that will help you in achieving your UX copy goals.

• While writing the UX copy, make sure each word is serving a specific purpose. Write catchy text that motivates the user to buy the product and enhances the user experience. Not just that, you need to stick to the character limit and make copy accordingly.

• Only a few percentages of people read web pages word by word. They usually scan the page and choose the text that is of interest. The UX writers must craft the content that can easily be understood by the readers. In short, they should write the content that users scan for. For example - LinkedIn offers a dashboard to you which allows you to know your personal stats showing profile views and other information. This allows you to alter the online strategies and offer user-friendly content.

• The  UX copy you create must allow the users to take accurate and efficient actions. Keep the content crisp and to the point so that the user understands your point clearly. For example - when we use Google and enter the wrong password, it simply displays the wrong password message.

UX writing reflects the brand voice

All in all, UX copy is a great opportunity to display your brand’s unique personality. If you execute the UX copy in the right way, you are sure to create a delightful user experience. A good UX copy will help you in creating loyal customers and make you stand apart from the competition.

Example? Well, the marketing efforts of MailChimp is an inspiration for many brands. The way it channelizes the brand's message in a fun and quirky way makes the audiences love the product. And, just like Mailchimp, UX copy is a give your brand a voice and further makes the product experience really pop out.

Whether you hop on the trends of UX copy or not but with the stats in mind, UX writing is here to stay. For all those who look forward to creating a UX copy, prioritize the clarity, simplicity, efficiency, and stay true to the product. Overall, your goal should be to attract loyal audiences and give them user-friendly experience.

Halloween season is here! Its time to bring out the scary costumes, get high on sugar and lit the night with spooky vibes. You must be looking forward to a fun-filled Halloween this year. How about doing something different this year? Let’s have an eco-friendly Halloween this time.

Wondering how?

• Switch your old clothes into a new costume.
• Recycle the candy wrappers and mold them in some creative stuff to enhance home decor.
• Do you wear colorful wigs? Go for organic materials!
• Don’t forget to give away the organic treats to your guests.

Reduce Waste and Recycle! Go Green!

Let’s make this Halloween different and do your bit to save the environment. Doing this will surely give an overwhelming feeling.

Have a frightening, spectacular, and eco-friendly Halloween!