Welcome to 2024! A new year is like a new car. It smells of great promise, untainted by life's events. So let's figure out what you can do to make this New Year's scent last as long as possible in your email marketing efforts.
This new year should be all about setting goals for the year, setting aspirations, and deciding what you need to accomplish. For example, how to achieve the seemingly impossible sales figures your boss gave you for meeting your 2023 goals.
If you're sitting in the front seat of the struggle bus, do what I do. Think of three words that describe my priorities and personal goals for the coming year. So there are only three.
I didn't invent this practice. This is due to his Chris Brogan, an author and speaker who popularized this technique about 20 years ago. This exercise is also a lot of fun because it allows you to frame his three words for a wider audience (in this case, the email industry).
Dig deeper: How email marketing is changing: Take this master class
Three words for 2024
Before signing on for 2023, I shared my views on 2023 trends and takeaways and how you can use what you learn to plan for 2024.
After reading this article, write down three words of your own during your next break or commute. Let's think about it for a moment. This is more than just homework. Classes are closed!
Also, when you come up with three words, don't keep them locked away in a document on your phone or desktop. Write them on sticky notes and post them somewhere you'll see them every day, like your computer, cubicle, or office wall to remind yourself of your intentions. Let them be your North Star this year.
My three words for the email industry in 2024 are:
1.AI
After years of tracking and working with various forms of artificial intelligence, I have come to believe that it is time for marketers to take it seriously. It's not a fad.
AI has become a serious mechanism for change. Also, it created two types of people. Those who have embraced it strategically and those who have left their heads in the sand thinking they can drag their feet without it.
Making AI the first word of 2024 signifies its importance. At my company, we looked for AI tools to help our business in 2023. we didn't give up. We talked to people who were on the same quest but abandoned the process because it wasn't working at the time.
While that may seem wise in the short term, it's just a waste of time. While AI is well established among many in marketing and related professions, it is important to remember that AI-driven tools such as generative AI are still in their infancy.
Let’s fight the urge to future-proof AI and wait until the tools and data are robust enough to bring the most value to our efforts.
If you give up too soon, you'll never learn how to use AI properly and how to differentiate between real AI and attractive scammers. The only way to learn the AI you want is to try, find a place for it, fail, and try again.
One possibility: If the free version of a large language model like ChatGPT is working well for you, find money in your budget to upgrade to a paid service and make room for it in your workflow. please. I do that in my business and it works well.
As email marketers, we need to explore how our current toolset can help us achieve our business goals. No, he's not reaching AI nirvana if he's using ChatGPT just to write and test subject lines.
Gaining expertise is hard work. It's like when you're training with a trainer. If you're not out of breath at the end of your session, you're not trying hard enough. If you don't get frustrated or can't see the vision from the AI, try again.
Digging deeper: 3 ways email marketers should actually use AI
2. Change
If it were up to me, 2024 would be the year that changes everything. Nothing should be off limits. Everything is on the table, including our approach to email and what we think about our customers, tech stack, vendors, work processes, and test plans.
“That's the way we've always done it” is never a successful business strategy, so you have to be open and willing to change.
But that doesn't mean we change for the sake of change or on a whim. Instead, consider your strategy. Identify what needs to be reformed, why it needs to be done, and what you want to achieve.
This requires some thought. To do that, we need to change the way we do business. The first step is to shift away from a “just get it done” mindset that emphasizes tactics over strategy. This tactical approach was necessary in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on. But now is the time to adopt a change mindset.
Why the shift? Because when you're focused on getting things done, you're not thinking about how you're going to make them happen. When you change your mindset, you start looking at how things get done and looking for ways to do them better.
We encourage you to approach your business with this mindset of change. Don't get me wrong. Email If he is a marketer, he owns a business. You own the business because you are running a program that generates revenue. It's your responsibility to own your email and know the best way to run it.
I understand that you need to pause. We work with marketers and executives who are hesitant to make changes because they're afraid of change. I don't know what's on the other side, but I know that things aren't going well and could be better.
By being proactive about changes, you can keep the New Year's scent for a long time.
Dig deeper: Why you should always ask “why”: Strategy must lead tactics in your marketing plan
3. Learn
This year marks my 26th year in the email industry and my first as CEO of RPE Origin, an email digital agency. I've spent years listening to people's stories and learning from them. Even after 26 years, I still haven't reached the point where I don't have to learn anything.
If you think you've reached “marketing god” level in your career and are so important that people need to listen and learn from you, you're wrong.
I should be humble enough to say that everyone needs to learn. The email industry is evolving faster than ever thanks to technology, privacy, customer expectations, and government regulations, and no one can claim to know everything.
Additionally, email communities make self-learning easier, whether you're talking to the people who pay you to run your business or learning from your customers. At my company, we teach, discuss, learn, and share information. We seek and share our expertise by participating in industry groups and communities, attending conferences, reading and writing articles and blog posts, and attending and hosting webinars.
Keep learning about new platforms, processes, and workflows. But start with a humble spirit: “I need to learn.”
In 2023, my agency made several key hires. Their jobs included helping me understand what I didn't know and teaching me what I needed to learn. Some bosses find it difficult to say, “I don't know about this.” It's just the first step.
Be a sponge in 2024. Soak it all up to better understand what you have to learn, and use that knowledge to identify and drive change.
Dig deeper: 8 inexpensive professional development ideas for martech pros
Embrace AI, drive change and keep learning
January is a tough month for everyone. We just took a break after an exhausting fourth quarter, and now we have to do it all again. You're not just sitting on the struggle bus, you're driving it.
It takes discipline to get started. But if you want to succeed, you need to invest in the journey again.
This “three word” exercise, combined with strategic and planned goals, will help you pull the cord to get off the bus at the right stop.
Take five minutes and think of three words for 2024. Let these words guide you through his year and inspire you to learn and develop a mindset of change that opens opportunities for success.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.
