There are so many platforms where one can reach an audience on the internet nowadays. Messaging and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all over the place and it makes one wonder.
Do emails still exist and is it still worthwhile to invest time and effort in email marketing?
The Numbers Still Rack Up
The answer is yes. Emails are still very much alive and kicking.
Proof:
Find out what people are expecting to see in their inboxes this 2018 with these email marketing forecast for 2018.
Interactivity in Emails
Interactive emails are a great trend in 2017, according to 27% of marketers in a poll, and shows that it will be staying for 2018.
Interactivity that is present in the email enables users to engage with the brand even without leaving their inbox. It is found that people like seeing polls, image galleries, surveys, quizzes, check-out carts, and more in their emails.
Elements in the email which offer consumer involvement increase click-to-open rates by 73% thus reducing the chances of being ignored and exit-rate.
A great example of interactive emails that you can gain inspiration from is the Conversational Design Experiment and Infiniti-Mobile Color Changer from TMW Interactive.
Mobility of Mobile Emails
More and more emails are accessed from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets which accounts for 53%.
As the use of mobile devices when exploring and browsing the web grows so does the demand for usability and mobile-friendliness. Having a responsive design for both email and websites is a need rather than a want.
Other than email content, sticky headers and responsive email forms should be a must-have in each and every email.
Another factor to improve email campaigns in mobile is to enhance the speed of the page loads. Either lessen the heavy images in your email, switch to SVGs(Scalable Vector Graphics) or optimize images.
Doing these should improve user usability and UX(user experience) which increases your chances of returning customers.
Plain Jane Emails
Emails should be filled to the brim with images and text to make it look appealing. Furthermore, 2 out of 3 people prefer having images in their emails.
Does that mean that plain jane emails are doomed to spinsterhood in the world of email marketing?
Just like what people thought about email marketing is a part of history, the answer to that is no. Text-only emails are found to be winning despite how many people said that they prefer HTML emails.
This may be caused due to faulty coding in some HTML emails that instantly marks it as spam, hurting deliverability in return. According to HubSpot’s A/B test, HTML-heavy emails decreases open rates by 37% compared to plain text-based emails.
AI-Powered Emails
It is no secret that the future is turning out to include AIs or Artificial Intelligence. One of these days, you will have your very own Jarvis just like Tony Stark has.
Since we aren’t there yet, AI and sophisticated machine learning are helping us in small yet meaningful ways. One of the ways how it helps is automating emails.
It is reported that AI-powered emails increase open rates by 228% while open rates for AI-personalized emails are racking up to 63%!
Adobe is just one of the big companies that already embraced the function of AIs in their email marketing campaign. Having the power of AI and machine learning on your side makes it easier for you to deliver those sought-after personalized emails for your customers.
Engage in Video Mails
The power of moving imagery never fails to reach for success. Videos have proven their usefulness yet again.
Videos are both engaging and entertaining. Not only that, they also make explaining and presentations easier to understand. There are many types of how you can utilize videos to make your brand capture audience attention when using it in your emails.
Moreover, the overall population is has a growing number of visual learners which process information more through visual stimulation such as images and videos.
Use it to your advantage and increase your click-through-rates by 96% by adding videos to your email marketing strategy.
Personalize Those Emails
Mass email marketing is so 2015. As a matter of fact, it is already outdated in 2015! No one likes spam, everyone hates them. Don’t let it ruin your reputation by annoying your customers with it.
How do you think your email will fare regarding an offer your product of women’s apparel sent to a man’s email? There will be a small chance that that man will be using the information for their mother, sister, lover or for themselves. However, it increases the chance for it to be ignored or deleted.
Personalization is the key to get their attention and their interest. An email with offers that answers to their specific needs are what most consumers will expect in the year 2018.
Furthermore, since you are seeking some personalization in your emails, you can take it up a notch. You can apply a friendly and conversational tone in your emails for a human and personal touch.
Final Thoughts
The golden classics are really hard to kill. You should never underestimate the power of email marketing no matter how old school and traditional the technique is. It has already been the star of one too many companies that owe their success to it.
2018 is going to be another exciting year for email marketers. It is going to be the perfect opportunity for them to enhance their gameplay to attract more customers to their businesses.
Expect to see more personalized and interactive emails in your inboxes in the next year. These trends will help keep those customers captivated with your email content.
