2016 was a year that solidified email marketing as one of the most effective tools at the marketer’s disposal. It proved that it could deliver the highest rates of conversions, return on investment, and continuously outperformed other marketing channels as demonstrated by its impressively high statistics.It really is no secret that email marketing will continue in full force throughout 2017, but what will be the trending techniques of the year?Email marketing is constantly evolving, but this is part of what makes it such a strong medium for advertising. 2017 is expected to be another big year for the marketing tactic and here are just a few predictions of what is likely to become the next big trends.
Smarter Segmentation
The importance of segmentation was recognized last year, but there is an increasing emphasis on narrowing the field of focus during the segmentation process. The specificity of selection has a direct impact on open and conversion rates, which means that a marketer who understands their audience in 2017 will receive the best results from the email campaigns.“2017 demands for something beyond the regular profile-based segmentation. What time of the day do your subscribers generally open your emails, what type of emails do they open, etc. are some of the factors to consider,” says Kevin George, contributor to Business2Community. “Integrating this data with other customer information will help you stay ahead of the lot in the coming year.”
High Level Personalization
Emails that used first and last name personalization were received very well in the past, but now that it has been completely overused, it no longer holds the same impact as it once did. In fact, now it is a fairly primitive attempt and it is expected that personalization will go much further in 2017.“Personalization will now surpass this basic stage. Algorithms applied to behavior of subscribers on your site will help to find out what they are about to do next. Geo-targeting can prove useful in delivering custom branding offers to subscribers,” says George. “Demographic, firmographic, behavioral and psychographic data can together help in building a buyer persona, a trend that is likely to pick speed in 2017.”
Maximizing Mobile Optimization
The majority of email users now read emails on their mobile devices. This means that an email that isn’t mobile optimized is an email that won’t be read.“It will thus become quintessential for email marketers to think mobile first; there is no option but to create responsive emails (single column template is the best solution),” recommends George. “The content of the email, too, should be written with mobile users in mind. The subject line, the main copy, and the CTA- all will need to be short, crisp and to the point. CTAs must be prominent and easy to click on the mobile device.”
Innovation In Email Interactivity
Interactivity in emails has already hit the stage, but it will definitely be one of the top email marketing trends for 2017 as it becomes more integrated into email campaigns. Marketers will be seeking new ways to engage audiences with interactive content.“The innovative elements make today’s emails truly engaging. But apart from adding a zing, interactivity also helps to offer more content compressed in a short and user-friendly format, which in turn enhances user experience. So, it is a win-win situation,” says George.
1 comment
Great post. I think that we can also expect more companies using marketing automation this year. With software providers, such as GetResponse, making it more accessible it’ll be one of the more important trends. Interactive content in email is something I keep my eye on. I wonder what results can we expect and how engaging it really is?
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