• by Jess Nelson , June 8, 2017

Two out of three email marketers believe they don't have enough resources to optimize their email marketing campaigns, according to a new report released Wednesday by Emma. 

The email marketing software company surveyed more than 200 organizations at its annual Marketing United conference, and the results suggest that marketers struggle to manage their workload.  

A third of respondents don’t have enough personnel to do the type of marketing they would like, while 30% of marketers said they simply don’t have enough time. Interestingly, only 16% of marketers responded that a lack of data was hindering their marketing activities. It appears that marketers have the data and software they need to be successful, but simply don’t have enough time to get everything done. 

This is likely why only 12% of respondents believe they always meet the expectations of their customer and company, while 13% assert they rarely do. 

Both B2C and B2B marketers described hurdles to their email programs. Over 30% of B2B marketers responded that they lacked the personnel to do the marketing they would really like, and almost 40% wished they could do more targeted and personalized marketing. A third of B2C marketers responded that they equally lacked the time and team members to be truly successful.

One solution for time-restricted marketers is to develop a customizable email template with a modular layout. 

This was a common theme at last week’s MediaPost Email Insider Summit, where marketing leaders discussed how they have optimized their resources by automating certain procedures. For example, Electronic Arts uses a modular email template that permits a trillion different permutations. This allows the company to quickly send detailed and personalized emails in an automated fashion.

Lauren Gentile, vice president and executive creative director at Epsilon, also discussed how her team designs flexible master email templates.

“We come in and put together template systems so that our clients can be more efficient in personalization,” says Gentile. “Every marketer’s goal is to drive more one-to-one communication, but creating that content can be a challenge.” 

A flexible email template, combined with a marketing automation system, can streamline email personalization by plugging in content. Modular email templates can also incorporate both static and live content, giving marketers the ability to personalize campaigns to any level.