Predicting marketing patterns and consumer trends is helpful for any brand marketer. And as email marketing develops, knowing what’s to come can help marketers better serve subscribers and stand out from the crowd.
Ben Lack, founder & CEO of Interrupt Media, a demand generation marketing agency headquartered in San Francisco, shared his thoughts on email marketing tactics that are gaining traction, email subscriber needs and what subscribers are giving priority.
Overview
- Personalization is growing in relevance
- Cross-enrollment and integration are becoming stronger consumer needs
- There's a greater emphasis on interactive content
What consumers are looking for in emails today
Email marketing is changing rapidly and brands need to stay ahead of the curve. Luckily, brands have an exclusive look into the future by way of subscribers. Open rates, click-through-rates and conversion rates can paint a clear picture of what an audience is interested in and which emails will get the strongest response. Lack says personalized, interactive content is top of mind for consumers today.
“Consumers are becoming more and more selective about the emails they open, so it’s important for brands to stand out from the competition. Consumers expect a highly personalized experience relevant to their interests, so brands should focus on segmentation and targeting to capture their attention,” said Lack.
That’s not all. Consumers are regularly exposed to audio and video content, and they aren’t letting go of it any time soon. If anything, they want more.
“Consumers are also looking for engaging, creative and interactive content. They expect an entertaining email that grabs their attention with attractive visuals or captivating formats such as videos, quizzes and GIFs. Brands should also be aware of the trend toward mobile-friendly emails. If the content isn't optimized for different devices, it's likely to get overlooked,” said Lack.
Email marketing tactics to prioritize
With email personalization gaining more traction, accurate segmentation will be even more important to your email list. Build segments that are tailored to the individual customer's interests, needs and behavior to deliver a more personalized experience. The rise of AI-powered automation tools for personalizing content and analyzing results helps make this process easier than ever.
Meanwhile, some of the tried-and-true tactics that have resulted in email marketing success are remaining reliable tools for serving subscribers. A/B testing and optimizing delivery times will continue to help brands and consumers reach their goals.
“The key is to constantly test different variations of emails or experiment with different send times to find what works best for your audience. With proper testing, brands can find the times and types of messages that work best for their clients. This will help you maximize your results and increase engagement,” said Lack.
What’s to come
In the future, expect automated email campaigns to gain popularity as they provide more relevant messages to the right people at the right time. AI-powered personalization will take center stage, allowing for more accurate segmentation and targeting of potential customers, leading to greater success rates.
Additionally, email marketing will continue to be integrated with other digital channels such as social media and website analytics, creating an even more comprehensive picture of customer needs and preferences.
