The new year is here, and we know the most critical questions on marketers’ minds:
- What email marketing trends will dominate the industry this year?
- How can you improve email marketing campaigns to generate more leads?
Here are some of the most influential 2022 email marketing trends you should ride to elevate your business to the next level of success.
1. User-generated content (UGC)
Online shoppers rely heavily on customer reviews to make purchasing decisions. They consider the reviews as personal recommendations. Brands with many genuine positive reviews online don’t struggle to win over customers.
In your emails, incorporate user-generated content, such as positive feedback and photos of satisfied clients using your products. The content will evoke positive emotions and show clients who are still on the fence that your products are the best in the market.
Encourage customers to submit feedback, videos, and photos using the product. For example, if you sell modern coffee machines, recruit a satisfied customer to take a short video showing how the machine works. Encourage customers to submit feedback using a feedback tool, videos, and photos.
Starbucks is one of the renowned companies that found significant success by using UGC in the famous #RedCupContest. Every year in December, the brand requests that customers submit incredible photos of themselves enjoying Starbucks coffee for a chance to win a gift card. The contest attracts hundreds, if not thousands, of people globally.
Whenever you post videos online, be sure to credit the customers by citing their names. Devise ways of collecting customer feedback without looking too needy or sales-like.
2. The use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is still a new technology, significantly impacting digital marketing. Brands use it to predict outcomes and make informed decisions.
With big data and machine learning technology, AI revitalizes how businesses handle email marketing campaigns. For example, suppose you intend to run a promotion and are unsure which email template to use.
In that case, AI can give you multiple ideal options based on an in-depth analysis of historical data and the target market.
The following are tasks AI can comfortably complete:
- Predictive analytics to help you prepare for possible future outcomes.
- Optimize and generate reports based on survey results.
- Recommend the best time to send an email.
- Enable you to select the best subject lines.(Jasper AI can write them for you based on a proven template)
- Organize email campaigns.
- Clean up your mailing list.
Concisely, artificial intelligence will crank up your email marketing campaign by improving efficiency and effectiveness in passing on your intended message and inspiring potential customers to visit your site and place an order.
3. Zero-party data
Zero-party data is data that customers submit to you voluntarily. Unlike data purchased or collected from online platforms, self-declared data is accurate and signals that the owner is interested in learning more about the brand and what it offers.
Research shows that 85% of internet users are willing to submit personal information, such as names and email addresses if the incentive is valuable.
In 2022, brands will develop intelligent ways of capturing customer data through templated experiences. The data will create custom content and promotions to spur engagement and conversion rates. Also, you can use the data to make other important business marketing decisions, such as pricing.
4. Hyper segmentation and personalization
Gone are the days when you would blast one email to everyone on your mailing list. Today, competition is cut-throat, and customers yearn for personalized experiences when interacting with brands.
To achieve this, you can:
- Segment the audience into groups based on their preferences and other demographic factors, such as age, social status, location, buying behavior, and stage in the buying cycle.
- Create custom email marketing campaigns for each group with this information. Otherwise, your emails will be marked as spam if the content doesn’t resonate with the recipients.
- You can also use a feedback button on your website to collect valuable customer insights.
The more personalized the content is, the higher the chances that the customer will read the email and take the desired action. You can hire essay writers to get professional help with comprehensive writing for any occasion.
Adhere to the best email sign-off practices to encourage the customer to click the CTA button. Ideally, the sign-off statement should be relevant to the email copy and your objective.
5. Omnichannel communication
Sure, email is one of the best mediums for communicating with your target customers. However, for it to effectively ramp up website traffic and conversion rates, it needs to be combined with other digital marketing strategies, such as:
- Social media marketing.
- SMS marketing.
- Programmatic advertising.
- Web push notifications.
- Marketing management tools.
- Lead Generation.
Limiting yourself to only one or two communication channels will hinder you from realizing the full potential of your business. You will also limit your opportunities to establish a deep and cordial connection with your customers.
One aspect that sets omnichannel-based marketing campaigns apart from basic multi-channel strategies is that the messaging is optimized based on how the target audience responds to or engages with the content.
The content in every channel should be personalized to match the customer’s current position in the buyer’s cycle/sales funnel. If not, you will struggle with low email open rates, low conversion rates, high cart abandonment rates, and high bounce rates.
For example, if a prospect visits your website but abandons their cart, you can target them with a follow-up ad or email to encourage them to visit again and complete the checkout.
6. The use of AR and VR
Augmented reality and virtual reality are undoubtedly the most impactful new technologies in the digital marketing space. In 2022, the two technologies will be widely used by brands to offer personalized online shopping experiences.
Some barriers hinder marketers from fully leveraging the two technologies. However, tech companies are working on advanced devices and operating systems to support them fully.
Apple
Apple is one of the notable companies keen on leveraging the technologies. It already has an integrated support system powered by augmented reality for iPad and iPhones. iPhone users can also enjoy AR content from native applications, such as the Mail app.
Soon, you will be able to send out basic 2D images to customers via email. The image is transformed into a 3D AR object when the customer clicks on it.
Warby Parker
Warby Parker, an international brand that sells top-level eyeglasses, contact lenses, and sunglasses, uses VR to show customers how different glasses would look on them. Such a website function makes the shopping process interactive and engaging.
Since the two technologies are pretty new, most of the target audience’s devices might not support them. So, desist from sending emails in which the copy requires customers to use AR to access the content.
But it doesn’t hurt to prepare and run tests before AR and VR become mainstream. The results will give you a head start and place you ahead of the curve.
7. Interactivity
Naturally, people gravitate toward things that stand out from the crowd. Interactivity refers to what makes your email different from every cold email that lands in a customer’s inbox.
- One of the best ways to embrace this new email marketing trend is by doing extensive research to understand the needs and expectations of your target customers. The reports will help you decide which type of content has the highest potential of spurring engagement and conversions.
- Administer surveys and polls to understand the customers’ expectations of your brand. Use advanced email, survey tools, and marketing automation software to create and send user-friendly multi-question surveys and quizzes.
The more interactive your email copy is, the higher the chances of the customers responding positively by clicking on the CTA button or link. For instance, instead of just mentioning the discount, include a wheel of fortune in the email copy that clients can spin to win a random gift or Unbounce discount coupon.
Even if every spin results in the same outcome, the element of the unknown will surely pay off.
8. Mobile optimization
With most people relying on their smartphones and mobile devices to search for information on Google and access their email inboxes, you should ensure that every email sent is optimized for mobile users. The new generation of smartphones offers more functionality and speed.
In addition, the screen size has increased over the last couple of years, thereby giving marketers more space to pass along the intended message.
When creating an email marketing campaign in the US, it’s essential to know that most emails will probably be read on a mobile email app. Research shows more than 75% of smartphone users use them to check their email inboxes. More than 50% of all emails are opened on mobile devices.
It’s essential to make sure your email copy and visuals are optimized for mobile devices. If not, you will be locking out thousands of potential customers. Preview the content on multiple devices before sending to ensure the content is readable and visuals are visible.
For example, if you decide to include the wheel’s spin, make sure it is responsive, regardless of the device used to open the email.
9. Data privacy
Data privacy is more important to online customers than ever before due to a staggering rise in global hacking incidents. Just make sure that if you are using a CRM, then ensure it is compliant.
Governments and regulatory agencies are keen on safeguarding user data. They continually implement stringent measures on brands that capture and use customers’ personal information, such as email addresses and browsing patterns. Some regulations and requirements make it difficult for marketers to run personalized campaigns while adhering to local laws.
For example, Google’s plan to face third-party cookies means marketers have to look for new ways to track their target customers. It’s expected that brands will start to rely on first-party data and switch to contextual advertising to remain competitive and profitable in the ever-changing e-commerce industry.
In addition, you need to understand and adapt to the many unprecedented iOS and Android changes to take full advantage of these email marketing trends.
Check out educational resources posted on authority blogs and websites in the marketing niche for more insights into leveraging these email marketing trends.
Summing up
These days, email marketing is an integral and essential component of every business. EasySendy is an all-in-one email marketing solution that allows you to carry all your various marketing channels together and accelerate traffic, a higher conversion rate, and better ROI for online geeks, marketers, small businesses, and startups. In addition, you can easily send your emails with the help of email marketing tools with autoresponder features for your campaigns.
Digital marketers need to embrace these nine essential email marketing trends to continue to generate sales via email. Like anything new, it’s prudent to carry out split tests and experiment with contemporary elements to learn what works best for your business.
Be open to trying new ideas and tweaking the campaign based on the test results to give your business a sharper cutting edge in the market.
