Email marketing has evolved in many directions, starting with the tools you use to create your emails to how you generate and understand engagement reports for each campaign you send.
Here are six evolving trends in email marketing for 2024.
1. Make email a safer space
The email security landscape is undergoing a major transformation, evolving from recommended best practices to mandatory requirements, especially for high-volume senders. This change is primarily driven by updated guidelines from industry giants like Google and Yahoo. These new rules are scheduled to go into effect from February 2024, and we are at a pivotal moment in the industry's approach to email authentication.
What you can do: Adding the DMARC directive is one of the technical steps you need to take (if you haven't already done so) to comply with Yahoo and Google's new rule sets.
Employing authentication methods such as Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is becoming a popular strategy to combat phishing. BIMI makes your emails more trustworthy by displaying your company logo in the inbox, improving the user experience and further increasing trust.
As we head into 2024, we expect to see more brands implement multi-factor authentication and adopt multi-channel authentication methods such as email and SMS. This not only increases account security, but also provides users with the flexibility to choose the verification method that is most convenient for them.
What you can do: The most common example is the use of two-factor authentication in e-banking transactions. This security measure must also be implemented and used by email marketing platform customers to protect subscriber data.
2. Enhanced generation AI
Generative AI is revolutionizing email marketing technology and providing advanced capabilities to marketers. Contribute to creating more effective and personalized email campaigns while saving time and resources. Unlike basic automation tools, generative AI facilitates the creation of dynamic, highly personalized content at scale.
what will you do: If you're short on inspiration, you can ask ChatGPT to come up with an attractive subject line that you can change to match the content of your email. Additionally, you can use ChatGPT to search for educational content and generate content that is relevant to your audience.
3. Minimalist design: embrace simplicity
In 2024, minimal design will take center stage and the mantra of “less is more” will resonate strongly in email marketing.
The trend toward simpler email design reflects a strategic choice to eliminate digital clutter and foster authentic connections. In a digital environment where consumers demand authenticity, leveraging personalization within text-based emails can significantly increase intimacy and engagement.
what will you do: Using a personal name in the sender name (rather than a brand) and the recipient's first name in the subject line can make your message very personal. This is to get attention and get the recipient to open the email. Second, using the recipient's name in your email content will make your email more persuasive, strengthen your relationship with your subscribers, and help you generate more sales.
4. Mobile-focused: Prioritize responsive design
As mobile traffic continues to dominate, the need for mobile-friendly email campaigns has never been clearer. The best strategies include concise copy, mobile-friendly design, strategic call-to-action placement, and navigable spacing.
Designing for dark mode requires ensuring that emails look great and continue to function in all display modes, and the challenge is to maintain visual harmony in both light and dark settings. It becomes.
what will you do: To ensure compatibility with dark mode, use logos and other illustrations without background images. If your logo is black, add a white outer glow that appears to glow from behind the logo in dark mode and disappears in light mode.
Also, use short, powerful sentences and include spaces between sentences to make them easier to read. Most people just skim the text and don't actually read it.
5. Email Marketing Automation: Streamline Communication
In an era of content overload, email marketing automation has emerged as a strategic solution to ensure consistent and personalized communication between brands and subscribers. This technology not only streamlines interactions, but also empowers customers and gives them control over what comes to their inbox.
what will you do: Drip email campaigns have proven to be more effective than traditional mass email campaigns. These campaigns are triggered by specific user actions and deliver information as manageable “drips.” This approach fosters a friendlier, more engaging communication channel that doesn't feel overwhelming to the recipient. It's important to deliver the right message at the right time without burdening your subscribers with too much information at once.
6. Shift your focus to new email marketing metrics
In the face of increased privacy protections such as Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) and increased data restrictions, marketers are adapting by exploring new metrics to measure the success of their email campaigns. This evolution in measurement reflects a deeper understanding of what truly indicates engagement and value, beyond superficial metrics like open rates.
At the end of the day, the most important strategy to take is to respect your subscribers. Send valuable content, maintain a clean email list, and make it easy for your subscribers to unsubscribe from your emails if they wish.
what will you do: In addition to sales emails, you can send educational and informational content. This can be an article or a short list of things that will help your readers in their daily lives. They engage with (open/click) these emails. Not only will this be appreciated by your subscribers, but it will also help you get your emails delivered on time. Gmail and Yahoo notice this engagement and send more emails to your inbox or promotions tab instead of your spam folder.
