Gmail has taken control of your inbox. Worse, it's taken over the inbox of your newsletter subscribers. My friends at MailChimp have confirmed that open rates to your subscribers who use Gmail have dropped since the tabbed interface went into production.
Google has decided that "We know best". So Gmail users now have a shiny new tabbed inbox. Unfortunately for you, your bright shiny blog or newsletter announcement now appears under the Promotions tab. The most obvious question is, "How can I get my content moved to its rightful place, the Primary tab?" I'll share that secret in a moment, but here's a less obvious but more important question. Have you earned a place under your subscribers Primary tab?
Sonia Simone, CMO of CopyBlogger, raises some important questions in her post, 7 Ways to Survive Gmail’s New Promotions Tab . Are you writing for the masses, or for your fanatical fans? If you miss a publication date, do you get anxious phone calls? I'm seeing a disturbing trend on the net this year, a sense of entitlement by Internet marketers. It's as if they are trying to change the definition of permission marketing. Do they really believe they have permission to market to subscribers no matter what? It is a dangerous assumption.
The quick fix is to provide instructions to help your subscribers move your newsletter message to the Primary tab. A permanent solution will involve increasing the value of your communications. Not in your mind, but in the mind of those you serve best.