With the advent of so many new marketing channels, it's easy for marketers to question the effectiveness of email marketing -- and whether the plethora of new channels makes it harder to attract and sustain interest in an email marketing campaign, especially when it moves from the desktop to the smartphone or tablet computer. Most marketers who have been in business over the past decade are pretty good at knowing how to create engaging emails for the desktop market; but with the current movement to mobile devices, they need to unlearn a lot of what used to work.

It's tough to believe Memorial Day has come and gone. And, in just a few weeks, we'll be at day 182 of the year -- halfway through 2014 already! That's only another month away from August and the ramp up to back-to-school and holiday seasons. Yes, time is flying fast, and the best marketing brains in the business may be getting distracted with visions of summer fun right about now. So, before you kick up your heels in a hammock, double-check your marketing plan and ask yourself: Are we ready to maximize our plans during the post-summer marketing push? If …

We live in a seasonal world, and how we act as consumers and businesspeople changes when days get longer, nights get shorter and weather gets warmer. I try to break down the summer based on how I might find ways to connect with consumers that differ from what I've already automated in my programs. Here are a few observations that may help you shift your approaches this summer: