15 Fascinating Facts about Email

Remember MySpace? In the early 2000s, the social network was one of the most popular websites in the United States and actually surpassed Google as America’s most visited site in 2006. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the past decade.

Stability is important for businesses. After all, you wouldn’t want to cultivate a marketing tool only to find that a year or two later it’s no longer relevant. Unlike MySpace, email marketing has a great track record – one that spans nearly 40 years and that keeps growing. In fact, email marketing has a $38 ROI for every dollar spent – the highest return on investment out of all marketing channels. In honor of this effective business tool, we’ve compiled a list of the 15 most interesting and useful facts about email.

1. Computer programmer Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971. Where did it go? The inbox of the computer right next to the one on which the email was composed.

2. The “@” sign has medieval roots.

3. On May 24, 2004, the 160th anniversary of the first public telegraph transmission, the “@” symbol received its own Morse code combination (di-dah-dah-di-dah-dit). This was the first official addition to Morse code since World War I.

4. Bill Clinton claims he only sent two emails during his presidency. Though there’s some debate about the truth of this statement, the fact it is even in question shows how email has transformed over the last 20 years from a rarely used capability to a ubiquitous tool.

5. Pope John Paul II was the first pope to use email. His email address was john_paul_ii@vatican.va.

6. The first promotional email, sent in 1978, advertised the capability for users to access their email networks using dial-up phones.

7. The majority of emails are opened on a mobile device.

8. On average, Americans check their phones 46 times a day.

9. iPhones cut off subject lines over 32 characters.

10. Receiving too many emails is the top reason people unsubscribe.

11. 80% of recipients scan emails instead of reading them. (Source: Nielsen Norman Group)

12. The average open rate for a welcome email is 50%.

13. Subscribers who receive a welcome email from a brand show 33% more long-term engagement. (Source: Chiefmarketer.com)

14. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text.

15. Email campaigns that include videos have been shown to increase click-through rates by up to 300%. (Source: Wistia)

Today, having an email address is practically more important than having a telephone number. Launching campaigns that will get noticed despite the barrage of promo emails sent to consumers’ inboxes each hour is challenging but necessary in order to grow your eCommerce business. If you’re interested in expanding your email marketing efforts, contact San Diego Media today at 1.800.808.8696 or by email.