The initial emergence of email manifested from a simple academic context that ultimately revolutionized how many messages are disseminated worldwide daily, with all credit attributed to computer programmer Ray Tomilson, who left a legacy after he died in 2016.
The Story Behind EMAIL
Here is the story behind email, which has grown from its humble beginnings in the 60s to the influential hold of this technology today. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched the first functional email prototype in 1965 to enable efficient transmission of messages plus files within the university centrally via remote terminal access.
Tomilson is responsible for drawing up the early concept of sending emails within a network through ARPANET, the US Defense System’s Internet, and directing messages to specific users with the @ symbol in 1971.
Tomilson’s initial concept evolved to incorporate fields for to and from and a forwarding feature, which became ARPANET’s final standard by 1977. 1976-2004 resulted in numerous milestones for email’s growth over time, namely, Queen Elizabeth II sent the first message and successive launching of various email platforms such as BerkNet, EMAIL, Microsoft Mail, CompuServe, Lotus Notes, Outlook/AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, and Gmail.
Attachments are a necessity in this world
1992 brought the introduction of attaching items other than text into email through the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) protocol, but its inception faced limited inbox space. This multifaceted evolution of email at a rapid rate resulted in the detrimental downside of spam, initially started by two Phoenix lawyers trying to promote their business.
Do We Love SPAMS!
The continued prevalence of spam with no end in sight compelled European nations and the US to enact laws restricting its spread, but to no avail. It compelled a more nuanced approach of elaborate measures in 2005 by inventing several anti-spam programs to verify senders.
Mobile email became a significant advancement in 2007 with its availability on the 1st generation iPhone for everyday consumers, unlike Blackberry, which only offered the feature for work emails. By 2015, it was clear that email was here to stay as a critical tool to function productively in society.
Radicati Group found that people use 4.4 billion active email addresses and send 205 billion emails daily.
and here is the fall …
The increased prominence of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook partly dethroned email as a default quick communication tool but remains heavily utilized professionally. The threat of email scams continues as an expected issue, mainly through phishing and advance fee fraud. Still, most email services like Gmail can detect and warn customers about potentially harmful messages. While email is a tool composed of cons and pros, it is an integral vehicle for successful marketing in modern society.
Email Marketing campaigns
Developing a fruitful email marketing campaign entails balancing strategy and execution with seven main steps to keep in mind for guidance. Before even considering the design of a campaign, an imperative first step is to grasp the prime motivation behind it and structure everything with goals following the SMART approach to remain focused plus aware of improvements over time: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. Before delving deep into the email marketing journey, one must delegate roles and responsibilities among all active members so that everyone is on the same page to propel the campaign forward without any setbacks.
An ideal strategy involves :
- Utilizing customizable email templates for campaigns rather than scratch to save time and money
- Don’t use complicated designs, which are a detriment instead of an asset, with simplicity instrumental in increased success for meeting goals
- Consistent headers and footers to showcase the company brand and sufficient whitespace to ensure a tranquil, positive experience
- Focus on potential client needs, namely refraining from a no-reply sender name, a clear and concise subject line that captivates, and a brief preview of message highlights
Bibliography
Email history: Remarkable years – since 1965 to today – scriptutex. (2018, October 19). Send Newsletters. https://www.scriptutex.pt/2018/10/19/email-history-remarkable-years/
Email marketing for beginners: Easy step-by-step guide [Updated 2020]. (2020). SendGrid. https://sendgrid.com/en-us/resource/how-to-create-a-successful-email-marketing-campaign
Gibbs, S. (2016, March 7). How did email grow from messages between academics to a global epidemic? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/07/email-ray-tomlinson-history
TBH, T. (2022, December 11). The role of email marketing in effective digital marketing strategy. The Brand Hopper. https://thebrandhopper.com/2022/12/11/the-role-of-email-marketing-in-effective-digital-marketing-strategy/
