5 Ways That Gmail’s New Priority Inbox Will Affect You

Google announced on Monday that it will be rolling out a new feature to all Gmail and Google Apps users’ inboxes called Priority Inbox. Although by name this sounds very different from Hotmail’s new interface, at a basic level it appears to be a similar idea: Give the inbox owner a better view into the email they want the most.

Gmail’s filters will look at the email you read or reply to most often and prioritize that as your most important email, and display at the top of the inbox. Gone are the days of inboxes being sorted by date. Instead, Gmail users have a view showing them what Gmail’s filters think is most important to them. Users will have the ability to fine-tune things by telling the filters if messages are a higher or lower priority than where they were originally put.

What does this mean to you as a sender? Here are five ways.

First, it’s important to note that this covers more than just @gmail.com addresses. Google Apps hosts all sorts of personal- and enterprise-level domains, so the impact to your particular email list is hard to judge.

Second, this just reinforces the need for marketers to stay relevant to their subscribers. With Gmail’s filters, if a subscriber has been opening your messages, then it’s more likely that your future messages will show up on the top of the inbox. Better yet, if your subscribers are interacting with your messages — by replying or clicking — then they are telling the Gmail filters that your messages are important to them. On a similar note, this is not the time to over-message your subscribers, as that will more likely end up with several messages going unread and bumping you to the bottom.

Third, it’s important to make sure you encourage your subscribers to add you to their address book. Knowing you’re a priority sender puts you higher in the inbox.

Fourth, if you aren’t already talking with your customers through social media, then give it a try. Social media is a great way to get your customers engaged with you and your brand. This will carry over to them wanting to read your emails as well.

Fifth, take a deep breath and relax. If you’ve been marketinging effectively all along, then you are probably all set. If, on the other hand, you have low open and click-through rates, then it may be time to reconsider your strategy to say relevant to your customers and keep them engaged. It’s never too late to start.