There are approximately 4 billion daily email users in 2021 and that number is expected to reach 4.6 billion by 2025. Even more telling, four out of five marketers said they’d rather stop using social media than email as part of their marketing strategy.
Yes, email continues to rule the roost as one of the best ways to engage your audience. However, anyone who has dabbled in this channel also knows it has its challenges – the top one being sustaining your readers’ interest in an inbox flooded with content from multiple brands.
So, what can you do to make your email marketing strategy perform even better in 2022? In this blog, we share some of the email marketing trends worth paying attention to.
1) Is open rate a thing of the past?
You’d have been right in thinking that measuring open rates would always be a reliable way of seeing how well your emails have engaged your audience. This prediction may come as a shock but the days of open rate being a top email metric may soon be over.
Why? This heavily comes down to technology giant, Apple. In September, Mail Privacy Protection was introduced. This update allows users to prevent senders from knowing when they open an email by masking their IP address so it can’t be linked to other online activity or used to determine their location.
As a result, your open rates are likely to change, and you’ll no longer be able to consider them a reliable metric. We recommend shifting your focus away from your open rate and move towards other customer engagement measures instead, such as conversion rate and list growth.
2) Artificial intelligence
Your email marketing could benefit from using the latest technology, one of the most popular being artificial intelligence (AI). AI has become a marketing aid allowing marketers to understand what their audience want and need so they can better serve them.
Some forms of AI for email include content personalisation, subject line testing and optimisation and campaign automation. As email campaigns are an effective source for collating data, AI can also help sort through and organise this information so that you can use it to fine tune future campaigns.
3) Advanced personalisation
An extension of AI is being able to use advanced personalisation in your emails to make a deeper connection with your audience. You probably already use names in your subject lines or segment your email list, but it’s time to take your personalisation strategy up a notch.
Personalised emails can extend past subject lines alone to body content, timing and even the specific offer or content that is provided within the email. Each interaction should be developed to make every prospect feel like the only prospect.
4) Up the interactivity
Interactive elements of an email can make it more accessible and more engaging for the readers. Including this kind of content within your emails enables the recipient to interact within the email rather than clicking on a link to visit a website. Although, a website link is still worthwhile to support a continuing user journey.
Examples that you could use within your email content include:
- Polls and surveys
- Forms
- Games
- Videos
Adding these types of interactive features are not only user-friendly but also helps to reduce the number of steps required for a user to complete an action. In turn, this can increase email performance by maximising engagement and conversions.
5) User generated content
User generated content (UGC) has become a staple of social media marketing and is a key part of demonstrating social proof. When combined with the power of email, it’s a marketing force to be reckoned with.
Consider using this tactic within your email marketing strategy. For example, include customer reviews, images from customers or tutorials of the product/service being used. When recipients see actual people authentically using your product or benefiting from your service, they’re likely to be more influenced to engage with it themselves compared to reading your own marketing material.
Plus, because this content is free and created by your users, including UGC in your emails can not only increase your conversion rate but your ROI too.
6) Less is more
Your subscribers see an awful lot of emails on a daily basis. Some people even have multiple email accounts which means they’re seeing even more content than the average person.
This is where quality over quantity comes in. To ensure your subscribers open your email every time one lands in their inbox, your content needs to be worthwhile. This means it needs to be straight to the point, relevant and engaging. Think of it as your next opportunity to impress your audience, convey your message and get them to take the next step.
In 2022, customer experience is still expected to be a top business priority so it’s critical to put yourself in the shoes of your reader when thinking about email design and copy.
7) Mobile optimisation
Mobile optimisation has been all the rage for website design but having a mobile-first strategy is just as important for email too. Plus, the majority of people in the UK (63 percent) are more likely to read emails on their mobile than any other device.
If your emails offer a positive experience for mobile users, you’ll capture the interest of more prospects who would otherwise ignore the email or, even worse, form a negative opinion of your brand. If you’re yet to design your emails with mobile in mind, 2022 is most definitely the year to begin.
8) Accessibility
Are your recipients able to view your email in dark mode? If not, consider adding this as a feature in 2022.
Dark mode has become more and more popular and is slowly taking over email. It’s becoming a method to reduce eye strain and is one of the many ways you can make your content more accessible to readers.
Alongside this, don’t forget the basics such as using larger and easy to read fonts, good contrast and simple, clean layouts.
9) Privacy
Users are only becoming more aware that entering their personal details online could put their data at risk. To mitigate these concerns, it’s important to put details in your email communications that can provide your recipients with confidence that their data is protected. This could be as simple as explaining that your processes meet PCI and GDPR compliance standards.
It’s also important to keep your customers informed if changes are made such as any upcoming data privacy amendments. They can then make the choice if they want to continue receiving your emails. In line with this, a recipient should always be able to easily find an unsubscribe list.
10) Multichannel
Businesses today make use of multiple channels for their digital marketing including social, paid media, SEO and, of course, email.
It has become increasingly important that you ensure these channels work in synergy to drive the best results possible. Customers don’t always use the same channel every single time they interact with your brand. For example, one time they might engage with your email whereas another time they may choose to visit your website or social channels. Ensure you are viable across channels that are most relevant to your audience and your strategy is connected.
How’s your email marketing strategy shaping up for 2022?
Email marketing continues to cement itself as a core communication and marketing channel for businesses across all industries and this isn’t expected to change any time soon.
It’s time to get ahead of the game ready for 2022 with a powerful email automation platform that will empower you to reach your subscribers’ inboxes when it matters most. Book a demo today.
