Email marketing remains a vital component in any business strategy, and more so in the year 2021.
However, that doesn’t mean you can just rehash what you did last year and expect it to produce excellent results. You will need to pay attention to new trends and best practices.
Made Just For You
As vain as it sounds there’s nothing consumers want better than marketers directly addressing their specific needs and concerns.
Data plays a huge role in knowing exactly what your customers need, and they expect it anyway since they’re giving up so much information.
Personalization in email marketing is key to generate revenue and sales. Mistargeting is a mistake you’ll want to avoid, since your email will most likely be deleted, unsubscribed from or worse, categorized as ‘spam’.
Hyper personalization is the name of the game in 2021. You’ll want to use triggered emails, recommend content or products per individual and tailor offers by audience segment.
Make Your Email Attractive on Mobile
It only makes sense that you format your emails to be short, sweet and to the point. However, there’s one more thing you need to do, and it’s to make it look good on a small screen.
The more creative you are per inch of space, the better. Mobile browsing has overtaken the traditional desktop browsing by a significant margin, but most marketers and brands fail to realize this.
The truth is that mobile optimization is not easy, and there’s a lot of extra work to be done, including code and design processes. You can opt for the easy route by using technology, namely automation and tools that are tailored to improve the mobile experience.
Interactive and Entertaining to Capture Attention
It’s safe to say that email has evolved tremendously over the decades. Before, email only consisted of texts and a signature, but now almost any element can be added in.
Marketers should take full advantage of email design capabilities and make the experience unique. Specifically, dynamic effects, animated buttons, interactive images and gamification, just to name a few.
There are so many ways to craft a marketing email, and all you need is time and creativity. The more entertaining it is the higher the chances that the reader scrolls through to the end. This level of engagement is usually enough to warrant a positive response.
The More Organic, The Better
Working from home is the new norm with the pandemic still in place. It has shaped our lifestyle, activity and yes, email marketing as a whole.
With the world more relaxed the trend is that people are looking more towards the organic. Whether it be comfortable clothing, a photo of an indoor activity or a person, it’s all about relatability and warmth.
This trend is in full display with big name brands and businesses, and it should be a point in your email marketing campaign as well. Design that hits close to home are some of the best themes to use when captivating an audience.
The Power of Themes
Email design is a must-have especially if you want to supplement your killer text. Fortunately, there are several themes that were popular last year, and it’s safe to say that they will continue to perform well beyond 2021.
Taking a cue to fashion weeks and trends in technology the 3 best themes are bright colors, dark mode and minimalism.
Dark mode has captured the public’s imagination as it allows them to view content and videos without hurting their eyes. Bright colors are traditional in-your-face aesthetics if you want to stand out from the crowd. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a minimalist approach can be as effective especially if your content is powerful and compelling.
Make sure that your email copy will look good on a mobile screen or else it won’t be as effective. Email marketing is a fine art, and sometimes you need the help of a professional.
Privacy is In
The world of email marketing changed when GDPR was introduced in 2018. Three years later, big names such as Apple are now extolling the virtue of privacy and protecting user data.
Email marketers can appeal to their readers’ good nature by focusing on data privacy. It shows them that you’re more than just a business- you care about your customers and want only what’s best for them.
To achieve this end you can present people with unsubscribe options. This may seem like a loss but then you’ll be left with readers who will listen to what you have to say (or offer).
Make It Useful
Not all emails should be about convincing your readers to buy something. Smart marketers will sprinkle in useful content every now and then so the audience will have one more reason to stay.
Creating useful emails is about the same as creating web content, only shorter. You can diversify and make emails about Q&A with experts, useful links, gated content or free downloads, among others. The bottom line is that it should have substance and something that people will want to keep in their inboxes.
These are just a few trends that make an impact for 2021. As technology grows more tools will become available for brands and email marketers. The trend for email marketing may shift and change but as long as you keep an eye out you should be able to catch up and reap the rewards of a well-designed, thoughtful and provocative email.
