1. Personalisation is no longer an option but an expectation
Personalisation has become an important component of advertising and marketing in the last decade — in all areas, including email. This is because it makes your customers feel more valued and less like ‘just a sale.’ When they know you’ve done your research thoroughly, know what they want, and are willing to position your products and brand where they need to be to meet those needs, they are more likely to go to you for their purchasing needs.
In fact, Campaign Monitor research reports that emails with personalised subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened, 53% of marketers say ongoing, personalised communication with existing customers results in moderate to significant revenue impact, and 94% of customer insights and marketing professionals across multiple industries said personalisation is “important,” “very important,” or “extremely important” for meeting their current email marketing objectives.
Great ways to personalise your emails include sending our birthday emails, anniversary emails, product recommendations, welcome emails, and using the recipient’s name in the subject line and your greeting. The best way to get this information is through first-party data collecting — using their own email habits to form insights into what they like and dislike.
2. User-Generated Content is gaining traction
Much of advertising is already putting user-generated content to use, but it’s also becoming popular in email. User-generated content is essentially any content that is not made by the company itself but rather by other people. It’s much more trusted content because although many of us genuinely believe our products/services are the best, consumers want to hear it from people who have had experience with your product/service.
According to Invespro, 90% of consumers read online reviews before buying from a business, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and customers are more likely to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews. This means that sharing your excellent customer reviews could make all the difference on that next sale.
Great ways to do this are by posting customer feedback, reviews, tutorials, etc. Better yet — if you have the capability — you should send customer reviews depending on the recipient’s product history and interests.
3. Recipients want more interactive and engaging content
Considering so many emails are sent a day, it can be pretty challenging to set your business apart from the competition. As of recently, customers are finding more value in emails that are more interactive and engaging. This is because they’re playful, entertaining, and often incorporate great deals in the process — adding more value!
HubSpot reports that not only are 62% of B2B marketers are already using interactive content and 34% of marketers using interactive elements in at least 10% of their content, but 88% of marketers say at least 10% of their static content will be made interactive in the next two years. The results are coming out positive so far — with 45% of B2B buyers say interactive content is one of their top three preferred content types — so it’s only a matter of time before these numbers grow significantly.
A good example would be an interactive game in your email that allows the recipient to ‘play to win.’ The prize could be something like first-time purchase discounts, buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deals, or similar
4. Customers are prioritising company’s that show they appreciate them
It’s also important that you keep in mind how many customers now value being valued by their favorite brands. By this, we mean the extra effort you put in to show your customers that you see that they supported you, and you appreciate that support. This is because, believe it or not, a simple ‘Thank You’ can go a long way.
In fact, Inc. reports some studies that show no matter how you choose to thank your customers for their purchase and loyalty to your brand, the results are ultimately positive. “The researchers noted that regardless of how gratitude is expressed, consumers agreed that appreciation should be conveyed by saying thanks directly to the individual recipient (60%) and personalized (44 %).” And the best way to do both is through email.
You can show your recipients how much you value them through emails that offer repeat customers money off on their next purchase, a bonus prize email for recipients who have made ‘X’ amount of purchases, reward and loyalty program mentions, etc.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making its way into email advertising
As technology advances, so does the capability of our most successful marketing strategies. In email marketing, the technology advancement making the biggest impact right now is artificial intelligence. AI is becoming so popular because it reduces all the guesswork that has plagued email for decades, replacing it with algorithms that can pinpoint the best times to send your emails to recipients. This means you’ll be reaching MORE people at the RIGHT time for them.
This trend is only getting more attention now that research is showing that 80% of business and tech leaders say AI already boosts productivity, 61% of marketers say artificial intelligence is the most important aspect of their data strategy, and when AI is present, 49% of consumers are willing to shop more frequently while 34% will spend more money.
The best way to do this is to find the right AI software that fits your business and email advertising needs. AI can do a lot for businesses in all areas of marketing, so it’s important that you discuss your options with different brands to find the best one for you. From there, you will be able to take the technology available to you — for instance, programmatic email advertising — and create memorable brand/consumer experiences for your customers.
Here are at least 5 innovations/trends of email advertising and marketing that Passendo believes is on the rise and are likely to impact email now and in the future: