A lot has been said about email marketing and its likelihood of surviving the major digital disruptions. The truth is email marketing is here to stay and it will continue to be a main player in marketing. With a lot of sites implementing ad blockers, email marketing is now more important than ever.
Research shows that 3 in every 5 people check their emails several times a day. When it comes to customer service interaction email was the preferred channel with 54%, in-person interaction was at 40%, online chat at 19%, SMS at 16% and social media at 10%.
Research also shows that millennials and Generation Z prefer getting offers from the emails they have subscribed to. They also found the method less intrusive and they expect to use the same email address for the next 5 years.
Done right, email marketing can lead to a lot of conversion, better conversations and brand loyalty. There is a reason why email has survived being in the industry for over forty years while other platforms have risen and fallen.
Here are a few tips to implement:
1. Personalization
This is the crafting of individualized experiences based on where your consumer is at in your marketing funnel. The marketing funnel has dramatically changed as well. In the past, the marketer was only responsible for awareness and acquisition in the consumer lifecycle. But with the changes, marketers get to be in charge of the whole consumer journey and thus need to engage with the consumer as per the level they are at. Consumers expect product recommendation the same way Netflix does.
Gone are the days when just personalizing the subject line was enough. Consumers want you to market to them based on their demographics, interest, web activity and purchase history. This will not only drive them deeper into your marketing funnel, but it also increases likelihood of retention and the increase of Customer Lifetime Value(CLV).
2. Email interactivity
Imagine making a purchase without having to leave your email. Email interactivity is all about giving more options to your consumers without them having to go to a different landing page. More and more companies are integrating these into their emails.
From making an order, adding items to a shopping cart, integrated forms and surveys, social sharing, live pricing to menu options. These are just but a few features that you can add to make your email more interactive. You can also use 3D design to make it more appealing and engaging to the consumer. By doing this, you are able to collect the needed information and make the perfect buyer persona. There will also be an increase in clicks and more positive engagement.
3.Conversational tone
Would you rather read an email that sounds like it has been written by a robot or by an empathetic human? Emotions are crucial in the buying process and therefore very important to capitalize on it. Use plain text over HTML with your design, ask questions about your prospect.
Let the email feel natural, personal and genuine. Think of yourself as the consumer at the receiving end. That way you will be able to open up more and be vulnerable. Use humor as it always leads to positive engagement and people would rather be associated with the positive. Use inclusive language; instead of ‘we’ and ‘I’, use ‘you’.
Last but not least, embrace the power of your voice. Find it. Consumers relate more to the voice.
4. Optimize for mobile
Mobile, mobile, mobile.
I don’t think I can emphasize enough how important it is for your email to be optimized for the mobile design. 70% of the world population uses the smartphone to check their emails with this trend being popular with millennials and Generation Z. The older generation prefers desktop over smart phone.
Research shows that 50% have purchased through mobile website after receiving a marketing email, 35% on a computer and 24% in-store. The number is set to increase this year; especially if marketers get their consumer’s needs right. Everything has gone mobile, so why shouldn’t your emails too?
5. Email drip campaigns
These are pre-drafted campaigns sent on triggers you determine. Initially, this trend was mostly adopted by large companies but now SMBs are claiming their piece of the cake. The emails run on their own with the help of marketing automation software.
Some of the drip emails include:
Welcome email- This is when a prospective subscribes to your list. It can be a series of emails. The first one being you thanking them for signing up, followed by what your company offers and lastly how they can get in touch with you.
Renewal drip- This is a reminder sent to the customer reminding them of the renewal dates and the payments that need to be made.
Lead nurturing drip- Content to new leads in an effort to qualify them overtime. Mainly used to see the level of interest in a client.
Customer retention drip- This is when a client begins to show desire to leave. You engage them to see if they will opt not to unsubscribe.
6. Editorial content
The first rule of email marketing is send the email with a purpose not an agenda. Send dynamic content that will address your customer’s painpoints. Some of the editorial content include gift guides, recipes, how-to, tips & tricks, related news.
Instead of just going on and on with your product, add some value to your email reader. Give them a reason to want to open that email and go past the headline. Personalize the content based on their different interests and likes. Give them a reason to look forward to your marketing emails.
7. Integrated omnichannel email strategy
This means integrating data from other channels. By using each channel on its own, you limit the number of possibilities and results that you would get if you had decided to mix and match the data a little bit. By doing this, you are creating a more segmented list which means targeting more of the right audience.
You can take your Facebook and LinkedIn audience data and add it to your email marketing list and see how that audience interacts with your content. You get to deepen the relationship with those consumers and get to learn more about your audience. The vice versa also applies; upload your email list to Facebook and try reach your subscribers in a different way. That way, they get to see the online community, that is if they were not aware of the page initially.
Conclusion
Email marketing is here to stay but with the shift in consumer behavior, a few changes have had to occur. Don’t be left behind. To contribute further, leave your ideas in the comment section below.
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Elle voyage 