Not only email is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach out to the target audience, it is a promotional means that even the customers prefer. Emails are 40 times more effective when it comes to acquiring new customers as compared to the various social media platform. In the year 2018, it is expected to grow by 3%. In 2018, big data is expected to become even bigger. The e-marketers will collect more data before creating the email campaigns.
As we are at the end of the 3rd quarter of the year, here are some of the takeaways for email marketing:
- 75% of the professionals agree that Email Marketing is still the number one for marketing tool.
- 60% of the consumer accept that promotional emails influence their purchase decision.
- 54% of the emails were opened on mobile devices this year.
- With a click-through rate of 100.95% as compared to the unsegmented list, list segmentation is the best strategy when it comes to boosting the open rate of the email campaign.
With a close eye in the statistics mentioned above, here are some of the trends that are expected to be the game-changer in the coming year.
Optimized email for mobile
The mobile-first users have been on a rise for quite some time. This year observed a marginal increase in the mobile users. It is needless to say the mobile devices will soon the over the desktop computers. The responsive design will no longer an additional benefit. Here are few of the tips that you can consider in this regard.
- It is, in fact, a must have. The consumers will attracted to the contents with compelling images even in the future. Moreover, 1 second delay in the load time leads to 7% drop in conversion.
- So, the best way to deal with this situation is to reduce the file size without compromising the quality.
- Increase the size of the links and the call-to-action buttons.
- Go for the responsive email templates.
Dynamic content
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies are the future of e-marketing. It is surely a factor to find an edge for your email marketing campaign. Adobe is one of the companies that has already geared up for the futuristic technology. It is high-time to get ready for the e-marketers to delve into AI. Along with this, content remains the king year-on-year. Without a dynamic content, you can’t convince your customers to take up your solutions. The use of videos in the email marketing campaign occupies a top spot when it comes to ensuring conversions. Embedding videos and other animations can speak volumes about your brand. The playable links are a neat way to connect the content of the email with the website or your YouTube channel. Thus, subtle promotion can increase your site traffic.
Leveraging the power of social media
While social media has made its impact in every aspect of eCommerce, email marketing is no different.This is one of the latest progression in this aspect. The good marketer should not leave any chances of increasing the social media followers. Integrate the social sharing options in the emails. This gives you another platform to engage your target audience and boost the popularity of your site on the social platform. Listed are some of the things that you can do in this regard:
- Add social sharing icons in the email, so that, the customers can directly like your pages instead of searching for them Twitter, Facebook and others.
- Invite them to connect with you by hitting the subscription button.
- Provide them incentives in return of the Like, Share, Retweet and others.
- With the introduction of artificial intelligence in e-marketing, a smarter inbox could be closer. In fact, the softwares are already out that analyzes.
Leveling up the interaction with gamification
Gamification of the websites has leveled up the engagement of the eCommerce store owners in terms of customer retention and better engagement. Even the interactive email subscription pop-ups has proved a boon in increasing the subscription of the sites. The interactive design and function will help the e-marketers boost engagement among the customers and increase leads. Here are some of the innovations that you can include in the email marketing campaign.
- The countdown timers can create an impression of urgency and motivate impulse buying.
- Invite the customers to participate in poll, quizzes and surveys. Offers them discounts in return. This would give them an impression of hitting a bargain. This can boost the conversions even more.
Watch out for the spam
2018 will see an increase in the spam protection. The e-marketers will have to ensure that the recipients have opted-in to receiving the emails. Otherwise, there will be larger chances of SPAM compliant. The best way to make sure that the emails are going to the inbox of the receiver is to send them to people who have asked to hear from you. Do not tarnish your reputation by sending the mails to people who haven’t asked to hear from you. Sending the emails to the audience who are looking forward to receiving, increase the chances of getting your domain white-listed. Since, Google is constantly changing the algorithm, the e-marketers need to stay abreast to them and manage their campaign accordingly.
Concluding words
Even in the year 2018, email marketing will continue to be at the center of business to consumer communications. Even though it is considered conventional, the promotional emails will continue to contribute to the conversion of the eCommerce sites. Along with the growing popularity, the technologies in this field is increasing as well. The MailChimp automation module and tools like this can help you accomplish your goals with minimal effort. However, just sticking to the marketing tools is not enough. Make the email triggers interactive and add a bit of innovation. Keep testing if the emails are any good for your conversion. Revamp your email strategy as per the changing trends and the results shall continue to pour.
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