Keys to Success in Email Marketing: How the 50-Year-Old Giant is Continuing to Change, and How to Stay Ahead of it
The first email was sent in 1971 and since then people have conversed, learned, and laughed at emails. Businesses have learned how to target consumers to reach them about new products, sales, and company news. Email marketing isn’t new, but it is changing. This article will highlight why email marketing should be a key segment of any advertising or marketing budget. Emails can create key advantages, and knowing how to leverage styles and user interfaces can lead to success. As technology evolves, email marketing strategies are also changing. We’re here to help you stay on top of it.
Why is email marketing so important to business success?
There are many reasons to establish a strong email marketing presence for your customers. Repetition of emails can help build awareness and entice consumers to continue to come back time and time again. Email has over 4 billion active daily users making it an easy way to connect with a target market. In one study, email marketing has shown an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent (HUBSPOT). This ROI highlights why email marketing can be so vital when it comes to spending money on marketing and other forms of advertisements. 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the past 12 months, once again proving that it can be a very effective form to build awareness and create retention with previous customers. Email marketing isn’t going anywhere either, email revenue is expected to continue climbing all the way through 2027.
Many businesses have seen this trend coming, 37% of brands even increased their email budget while only 1.3% decided to make cuts.
How does email create a competitive advantage for one business over another?
Understanding how to leverage your email marketing properly can be the difference between a record month and a below average one. Having the knowledge and expertise can lead to that differentiation to elevate any business. Some keys to email marketing include segmentation, many CTAs in different forms, and compatibility with different user interfaces.
Segmentation is key to generating a large success in CTR and generating leads. Segmentation is separating email lists into groups based off interests, geographical location, previous shopping patterns, and more.
Branching off segmentation is utilizing personalization in emails. Showing the recipient’s name at the top of the email creates a higher likely hood that they will open the email.
Having more than one call to action (CTA) is important too, even if they all lead to the same spot. Some users are more likely to click on an image over a link or text. The continual rise of mobile device engagement has shown an expected rise in those who open emails predominantly on their phones compared to their computers.
Forming the layouts of the email in a way that is easy to read and follow on both devices is vital as well when it comes to design. Smart phones also have a “dark mode” setting. This creates a black backdrop on apps instead of a white one and if a picture or logo has a default white logo it will look strange in dark mode and could lead potential customers away.
When creating an email there are seven aspects that need to be added when setting it up.
1. Brand Header with a tag line and the company logo
2. Image CTA and button CTA
3. Compelling body copy with text/link CTA
4. Similar content carousel
This will highlight items or services that are not emphasized in the main body of the email, but the customer may enjoy. Showing the variety of the business.
5. A postscript promo
6. Store categories
7. Social media icons
What is trending in email marketing?
With email marketing on the rise so do the trends that come with it. Ai can be a great tool to help create compelling subject lines, establish a constant flow to the body and generate segmentations based on the email lists. 95% of marketers say that Ai email creation is “effective” and 54% say it is “very effective” Leading us to examine how Ai will continue to help marketers develop higher quality content.
The average attention span is about eight seconds, not giving an email much time to get its point across. Compelling subject lines, images and use of quick form video can help retain the user to read what the rest of the email has to say.
When crafting an email, a question must be asked. How does this bring value to the recipient? An email shouldn’t just try to sell something, it should tell how a specific product, service or company can help bring value into the recipient’s life. Lastly, email automation is here to stay, and marketers should be familiar with its abilities. Email automation can send follow up, confirmation, and specific emails to targeted leads. Saving time and money to focus on tasks that require more attention. Automation can also repurpose existing content to reframe it in a new email.
Conclusion
Email marketing is a powerful tool and can lead to a high volume of both sales and brand awareness when used correctly. It forms loyalty and excitement for new products or sales. Following proper email design can lead to a competitive advantage resulting in higher CTR and open rates. Email has existed for over 50 years, and new trends including Ai highlight how email marketing can be extremely effective for the next decade.
digital marketing associate
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Winston Law
Winston graduated from Grand Canyon University with a degree in Marketing and Advertising. While in school Winston enjoyed working with small businesses and start-ups to help them improve their brand identity online. It was through these projects that he found his passion for digital marketing. Outside of work, Winston enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing board games, watching sports, and going camping.