In the world of instant messaging and video calling, email tends to be relegated to the “old-fashioned” section of communication. However, it would seem that even in a world in the grip of a social media craze, email marketing is still the number one choice to engage with clients, especially on a personal level. In a recent study entitled ‘The State of Email Marketing in 2018’, data suggests that nearly 70% of businesses actively invest in email marketing services and campaigns. The evolution of search engine algorithms and advertising policies on social media often make it difficult to stay connected to your target audience. A reliable email marketing campaign, integrated with creative content marketing, is a proven way to build your audience. Here are a couple of email marketing trends you can look out for in 2019 that will help you revolutionize the way you connect with your clients:

 

Marketing Trend #1: Email Interaction

It is important to equip your emails with the necessary features that make it stand out in your client’s inbox. We are not simply talking about a catchy subject line. You should make your email interactive so that consumers can…well, interact with your content. For example, if you are running an email marketing campaign to boost sales, it would be a huge plus point if you could create your email so that users can make purchases from the inbox itself. It is also worth noting that since most email users access their accounts on their mobile phones, over 50 %, your email should have a mobile-first approach. You can use the open source markup language MJML to code your emails and preserve the overall look no matter which device consumers use to open the email.

Marketing Trend #2: Targeted Personalized Email Content

Unfortunately, the word ‘spam’ is synonymous with email marketing. It is futile to bombard your clients, or potential clients, with random emails in the hopes of earning the desired click-through rate. Almost all email service providers have efficient spam filters that will instantly block your message from ever reaching your target audience if your emails are detected as spam. The key here is to create dynamic content that is relevant and valuable for your customers and does not appear as merely promotional. There are several tools and email marketing services that you can use to personalize your email so that you speak directly to the recipient. Customers are more likely to open and read emails that come across as personal, even if it is simply a ‘Hi Jason! How are you?’ at the beginning.

Marketing Trend #3: Brand: It’s only human!

Discounts, offers, and affordable prices will no doubt allow you to make sales, but what builds a company is customer loyalty. Building a more conscious consumer base means building a relationship with your customers. Effective email marketing involves making your brand more ‘human’ and helps to build an emotional connection between your company or your brand and the customer. You can humanize your brand by giving your customers an insight into the story behind your company and your values. While there may be many companies that may offer the same products or services that you offer, your story and your core values are what make you different from the rest, allow this difference to shine out in your emails. For example, a leading cosmetics and fashion company decided to stop printing long sales receipts and send their customer email instead, as a way to save paper and help the environment. Research suggests that customers respond to positive initiatives and brand storytelling much more than aggressive selling.

Marketing Trend #4: Collaboration and Connection

Email marketing involves a cohesive effort across company departments, including content marketing, SEO services, graphic designing, and so on. Collaboration is one of the fundamental trends in email marketing that bring together more people and adopts a coordinated approach to creating email campaigns. You can explore different solutions, such as Email Planner, to improve collaboration between your marketing teams and ensure a thorough review and iterations of email content before you send it out to your clients.

Marketing Trend #5: Data in the Digital Age

Data privacy and data protection are among the top concerns for users in the digital age. Amid the many data scandals over the last one year, it is no wonder that #DataProtection was trending throughout 2018. The General Data Protection Regulation, passed by the EU last year, is one of the most comprehensive data privacy laws designed to help users regain control of all their data and sets guidelines on how businesses can process personal data. When creating your email marketing campaign, you should adapt to these new laws to ensure compliance with all the government regulations in your business industry.

Whether it is that personal nature of the communication or the simple means of implementation, email marketing has managed to retain its spot as one of the top performing marketing channels. Email marketing can impact all aspects of your business from lead generation to content distribution. If you are looking to expand your business through email marketing, you can reach out to us at your website. We at UNIbizTEC offer you a range of email marketing services that help you connect with your customers and build brand awareness.