Is email marketing a thing of the past?
- eringilbank
- Sep 28, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 28, 2021
Some people think email marketing is going the way of the dinosaurs: extinct. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing us to move into a virtual world, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, email remains one of the leading channels, and there is evidence that the pandemic has permanently changed the marketing landscape. Here’s a snapshot of how email has evolved over the past year:
Statista forecasts that daily email users will rise to 4.6 billion by 2025, up from 4 billion in 2020.
80% of marketers have reported an increase in email engagement over the past 12 months. (HubSpot Research, 2021 Global Survey)
Email is generating $42 for every $1 spent, which is an astounding 4,200% ROI, making it one of the most effective options available. (HubSpot Research, 2021 State of Marketing Report)
Clearly, email marketing should take center stage, but with our environment changing so rapidly, how do you adapt your campaigns to maximize results?
Well, we have some insights!
Check out these 5 strategies to help your email marketing campaigns stand out from your competitors during the pandemic:
1. Personalization is key
Personalized content is extremely important and vital for retention. People want to be seen as individuals! To achieve this, content should be relevant and tailored to their unique needs and interests.
But how do you do that when marketing to thousands of people?
Use Automation
Develop automated customer journeys to serve the right info at the right time.
Trigger emails after the subscriber takes an action or reaches an important milestone. You can also leverage these important moments to reconnect and re-engage with your audience later.
List Segmentation
Segment your audiences based on the information they provide during opt-in, such as gender, age, or geographical location.
Set up triggered emails based on recent customer behaviour and engagement with your brand. This type of messaging will help nurture your audience and increase conversion rates.
Dynamic Content
Create multiple versions of the same email and serve different content to different segments, as seen in the example below.
2. Empathize and show humanity
The pandemic has lasted longer than anyone thought possible. Global lockdowns have separated people from each other, and everyone is craving human connection.
Instead of simply pushing product, don’t be afraid to show empathy in your email communications.
Customers are also aligning with brands that are taking a stand and are acting on social, political, or environmental issues that they are passionate about. But remember, if you’re going to use this tactic, follow through. If customers don’t see you living up to the values that you claim to represent, they could turn on you.
3. Agility and adaptability
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that nothing goes as planned.
According to Litmos Research, 53% of marketers say that it takes at least 2 weeks to send a single email.
Being adaptable to your customers and the world’s changing needs will be paramount to your survival. If you’re not agile, you run the risk of appearing like you’re completely out of touch.
If possible, be proactive and create a suite of generic email templates so that content can be easily customized on the fly.
4. Improve your email deliverability rate
Sometimes confused with email delivery, email deliverability is the rate at which your emails reach your subscribers’ inbox.
To stop emails from going straight into a spam folder, simply make the following tweaks to your campaign and you’ll be sure to see an improvement with your performance:
Throttle your emails by sending them in small batches and at regular intervals.
Avoid the use of all caps, exclamation points and spammy words in your email subject lines. For example: FREE!!!
Keep your email lists clean and up to date. Many inactive or unengaged recipients will damage your sender reputation and increase your bounce rate.
Use a double opt-in for new subscribers to help weed out inactive accounts, leaving you with only qualified users.
5. Experimentation
Best practices are constantly changing, so don’t be afraid to try new things that will make your brand stand out in an overcrowded inbox! Here are some emerging trends that might make a difference in your next campaign:
Dark Mode – reverse the colour and brightness scheme in your emails.
Interactive Mode – ditch the static images and incorporate some animated elements. Even small effects can have a major impact on performance.
Implement AMP – embed interactive elements like purchase buttons, accordion drop-down menus, and carousels right into your email without the user having to open the links in a new window.
Not sure if your audience will like your changes? Don’t forget that you can always A/B test to find out.
As we adjust to our ‘new normal’ companies must become even more intentional with their email marketing strategies. We’ve never been more connected to connectivity and that isn’t changing anytime soon. As one of the most cost-effective channels available, email is here to stay. And unlike the dinosaurs you can make the changes you need to survive.
How will you adapt your email marketing strategies to ensure your business doesn’t become a thing of the past?
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