A new year has rolled around and with it comes changes in trends and practices in the marketing industries. The start of a new year is always a time where reflection on the trends of the past year occurs, but also predictions as to what new innovations are right around the corner. The opportunities that lie with email marketing are endless, as long as you apply best-practices. In this blog, we will cover five of the best email marketing practices that are set to take off in 2019.
Trend 1: Embrace mobile, but don’t forget the desktop
In today’s world not having access to a mobile phone is a foreign concept. Everyone is accessible at all times of the day, which means that at least half of all emails that are being sent are read on a mobile device. Because of mobile’s reach, it may seem like sending emails formatted for desktop is obsolete, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In business to business enterprise, only 35% of users read work emails on their mobile device, compared with 59% for personal email.*
The best way to approach email is to create a strategy that is applicable to multiple devices. Mobile optimized emails should be attention-grabbing and geared for things that can be dealt with and consumed quickly. If the email sparks an interest or requires a thought out response the user will usually switch to desktop. A successful marketing strategy will have a balance when doling out content for the two approaches.
Trend 2: Simplicity is Key
You may be familiar with the acronym “K.I.S.S.” or keep it simple, stupid. This principle is still alive and kicking in 2019 and is especially applicable to email marketing. When thinking through the design elements of your campaigns it is important to resist the urge to include elaborate graphics and an over the top format. These extra elements may look impressive but they’re not the best in the performance department and they are more likely to trigger spam alerts.
Surprisingly enough recent studies have shown that most email users actually prefer emails that are in a plain text format over ones that are too graphics heavy. To the users, there is a more personal and sincere element instead of them being over the top and too sales-oriented. So when it comes to designing the emails for your next campaign stick with the basics. Keeping them simple content and format-wise will allow your subscribers to focus on what’s really important.
Trend 3: Introduce Interactive content
While your emails shouldn’t be showy and graphics-laden, there should be some element of interactivity. Interactive content offers value and can increase your levels of audience engagement. Interactive elements can be a variety of things: videos, short surveys, blogs, webinars, infographics and many more. Creating these micro-experiences within your emails helps to capture the interest of your audience and by giving them the option to interact, keep them focused. These email experiences will keep your audience coming back for more and actively interacting with your brand instead of passively reading the content you produce.
Trend 4: Send fewer, but smarter emails
Marketing campaigns may evolve and new tools may develop, but email will always have it’s value- as long as it is a part of a smart campaign. In 2019 terms, smarter means emails that contain relevant content and are engaging to your audience members. Not only should you be using segmented customer lists and sending targeted content, but you should also send out non-intrusive emails that serve as reminders and that keep your brand at the forefront of your customer’s mind.
These emails are the ones that help you to build and strengthen the relationship you have with your audience, which makes for better customer retention. Engaged customers are more important and valuable than customers that are uninterested. Sending out brand blast emails will help them interact more and in turn increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Trend 5: Invest in new technology
All of these trends are just trends if you don’t have the proper tools to execute them properly. One of the most important and valuable software systems that you can invest in is a marketing automation platform, like the one that we use here at Marketing Armor. Our platform helps to eliminate human error by making sophisticated analytics capabilities more accessible, automating menial and repetitive tasks and personalizing all elements of your marketing strategy. Marketing-based technology is only getting better, and the possibilities are endless.
If you would like to learn more implementing these marketing trends into your current marketing strategy click on the banner below to schedule your free 30-minute consultation with us.
*https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/40495/five-email-trends-and-best-practices-for-2019
