The Internet has deeply affected the world of business generally, and marketing especially, in so many ways. Online marketing has witnessed leaps of development in the past few years. The rise of online mass communication means, like email, then social media outlets, has enabled marketers to explore new possibilities to enrich their businesses. AMP email is a quite useful update to the classic email service; 55.6% of the participants in a survey from Litmus were familiar with it, and the majority of them stated that they are likely to use it. One of the most renowned entities that use AMP in email is Pinterest; within their AMP emails, users can save whatever pins they desire in their inboxes directly without needing to open Pinterest site. And among the suppliers of the AMP email service is eSputnik. In this article, you will find all you need to know about the AMP in Email service.
What is AMP Email?
AMP stands for accelerated Mobile Pages; it is a website technology that Google developed and announced in 2015. As its name suggests, AMP aims to improve mobile web performance. The Applications of AMP, then, has expanded that it is not only employed to speed up websites but improve email’s marketing capabilities as well. AMP email technology equips your emails with interactive features, as purchase buttons, carousels, confirmation, among many others. The service allows the customers to benefit from these options without having to open new tabs to the original websites of the senders. Therefore, AMP in Email is quite a revolutionary addition that has indeed enriched the email service. To sum it up, we can borrow the words of Aakash Sahney, Product Manager of Gmail and Chat, who described AMP in Email as “a powerful way for developers to create more engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences.”
Inviting AMP elements into your emails
To send your clients AMP emails, you need to make sure that, firstly, the email service you are using supports AMP emails. Secondly, your recipients should have emails that support AMP, as well. Among the AMP-friendly email services are Gmail, of course, along with Yahoo, Outlook.com, and Mail.Ru. Finally, it remains that you register as a dynamic sender with Google. To do so, using Gmail for example, there are some steps to follow. But let us first view the different components of AMP emails, and the ups and downs of the AMP-in-email technology.
Components of AMP in email
AMP comprises a wide variety of components, including carousels, responsive form elements, etc. You cannot apply all the AMP components to AMP in email. However, AMP email is still far more efficient than traditional email. An AMP-powered email is capable of delivering way more satisfying user experience. The AMP-for-email components achieve interactivity by addressing three aspects: content, layout, and media. Now, let us examine the AMP email features and their effects on these three aspects.
Regarding the content, there are the AMP form with which forms can be created within the email itself, AMP selector, along with AMP-bind and AMP-state, which are a scripting language in AMP that allow interactions between different elements of the AMP email.
For the layout, AMP for email includes the amp accordion element, which enables showing and hiding different sections in the email. There are also the AMP carousels and sidebar; the later serves navigation purposes. The AMP lightbox and image lightbox are for including content and images. Besides, to adapt a text to a fixed area, you have the AMP fit text
Lastly, for the media, there are AMP tools to guarantee high speed and efficiency, including AMP-img and AMP-anim.
Pros and cons of AMP in email
Pros
1 A new technology
Being a new technology, using AMP in email is still limited to a low number of businesses and marketers. It means that adopting it would make you stand out among many competitors, for AMP email boosts your interaction with users or clients.
2 A vital refreshment for email technology
Email technology has grown outdated to some extent. It has not changed much since it appeared in the early naughties until the AMP technology was developed then employed in email. AMP for email refreshed it and made it capable of fulfilling the demands of today. Now, thanks to AMP tools, email has grown quite a reliable channel for marketers.
3 Provides web-page-like experience
Employing AMP components in the email enriches the users’ experience. AMP email saves their time and effort, encouraging them to interact with the sent content. These features provide the emails with elements that were exclusive to webpages until soon. Now, you can reply to comments, use carousels, forms, and confirmations in the email itself without needing to visit a new website.
4 AMP emails are dynamic
The dynamic nature of AMP emails allows the sender extra control over the content of the message. For example, details such as prices and weather reports can be updated. It guarantees that subscribers are always provided with the newest content without even needing to visit the original webpage.
5 Marketing-friendly
By significantly increasing the levels of personalization in the marketing emails sent to customers, AMP in email has turned email marketing way more effective. Today, marketers can include more interactive data than ever. It is a golden opportunity for businesses to emphasize their brands by personalizing their messages. In other words, the best employment of AMP email technology includes reflecting your website into your emails by picking AMP visual features that correspond to the design of the websites.
Cons
1 Works in a few email service providers
Not all email service providers support this new technology. Initially, AMP for email was only applicable to Gmail. Then, other services joined Gmail, including Outlook.com, and Mail.Ru. Plus, both the sender and receiver of the AMP email should be using email services that support AMP for email.
2 Takes steps to obtain
Obtaining the AMP in email technology also demands following some steps, including dynamic sender registration with Google. In other words, Google, the developer of AMP in email, should approve your email address to have the AMP service.
Now, let us view the steps you should take to acquire an AMP-powered email.
Steps to obtain AMP for email
- Firstly, you should have two versions of your email: a regular one, and a version that supports AMP components. This way, you’d be able to deliver the content of your messages to all your users/customers, whether they have regular emails or ones that support AMP.
- Test your email layout, using AMP Gmail for Email Playground.
- Then, you need to send the AMP-supported email to your email address. You may initially need to activate the dynamic email option in Gmail.
- Authenticate your email domain using SPF, standing for Sender Policy Framework; DKIM, DomainKeys Identified Mail; DMARC, Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance.
- Register as a dynamic sender with Google by sending prepared emails and filling in the registration form.
Applying a new technology like AMP in email might be a bit complicated, yet you will find the results quite satisfying and worthy of the effort that the process demands.
