According to data from HubSpot, 77% of marketers report an increase in customer engagement via email over the past year. Email is still one of the most powerful ways to promote your business. It's also a constantly evolving communication channel. When planning your next campaign, consider how these new email marketing trends can improve your open and conversion rates.
Use AI to devise email topics and content
Artificial intelligence (AI) is constantly in the headlines, with technology companies experimenting with using it for everything from flipping burgers to composing rap music. Perhaps one of the better use cases for AI is to help small business marketing teams create content for their email campaigns. Tools like Google's Bard and Open AI's ChatGPT can be used as “content assistants” to generate topic ideas for blog posts, draft email subjects, and simplify long texts. . A recent survey found that 95% of marketers using generative AI for email creation rate it as “effective” and 54% rate it as “very effective.” .
[Read more: Keep It Quirky: 5 Small Business Owners Share Their Best Email Marketing Tips]
Emphasize quality over quantity
No one likes being bombarded with email messages. When it comes to email marketing, fewer is actually better. Extensive research by GetResponse found that businesses that send fewer than five newsletter emails per week have higher open and click rates.
Focus on creating content that brings real value to your audience. Emails should be personalized to each individual and targeted based on your customer segmentation strategy. Don't just add your subscriber's name to the greeting; craft emails that are specific to your recipient's interests.
Consistency is also important. “Someone is joining your email list because they want to hear from you. If you consistently send them useful content, they will expect and even look forward to your emails.” ” writes The Fool.
[Read more: How to Plan a Drip Email Campaign]
Perhaps one of the better use cases for AI is to help small business marketing teams create content for email campaigns.
Understanding Apple's privacy changes
In 2021, Apple launched Email Privacy Protection (MPP) to give users more control over their data. This policy applies to all Apple Mail users using iOS 15, macOS Monterey, and iPadOS 15. As of June 2022, 89% of iPhone users have adopted iOS 15. It's safe to assume that many customers receive emails that follow Apple's MPP rules.
The headline around MPP is that some traditional email marketing metrics, such as email open rates, click-open rates, and individual email data, are no longer as reliable as they used to be. A/B test results may also be slightly affected. Instead, focus on engagement metrics such as return on investment (ROI), list growth compared to unsubscribe rate, email forwarding, and email replies.
test everything
Email marketing is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Modern email marketing tools allow you to capture and test every detail of your campaigns in great detail. Try A/B testing your subject lines, email content, and CTA buttons to see how your email design and copy affect engagement rates.
Additionally, consider testing these elements outside of individual email messages to see how well your sales funnel is working.
- form: See which offers are generating the most sign-ups.
- landing page: See which pages will be converted.
- series: See which abandoned cart reminders or welcome emails get the most engagement.
Be sure to test your design to ensure it loads correctly on mobile devices and is accessible to all customers, including those who are visually impaired. Testing regularly can also help you avoid spam filters.
Make your subscribers feel like VIPs
Getting someone to open your email is only half the battle. The overall goal of email he marketing is to foster strong customer loyalty, and to do that you need to treat each customer like her VIP.
“One of the biggest perks that customers get by subscribing to our newsletter is getting exclusive access to sales, participating in some type of rewards program, and being the first to know about new products. It can be done,” Buffer wrote.
Your targeting strategy should segment your customers into different loyalty groups rather than demographics. Use email to build customer loyalty. Offer discounts, previews, and other special access to make each customer feel special.
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