Several rules of thumb regarding email marketing still work in 2023, like having good content, optimizing your email for mobile users, and having a clear call to action. However, fast-paced and exhilarating changes in technology and data laws in the recent past have presented new challenges and new opportunities alike. More and more emails are sent, but fewer and fewer get opened. One 2022 study showed that only roughly 21% of emails get opened.
So, with such bleak statistics, how will you make email marketing work in 2023? Here are 4 important things that you can do to maximize email marketing in the modern marketplace:
1. Personalize With Privacy In Mind
Email personalization is using details relevant to the customer in the emails you send to them. The details could be their names and other identifiers, for example, 'Hello Brian' or 'Hey Jenifer', and not 'Dear Customer' or 'Hello there'.
According to a report from 2021, 69% of consumers appreciate personalization, but only personalization that’s based on data that they willfully give to the company. A 2022 report further showed that 49% of buyers saw personalization as critical to their continuing relationship with a brand.
Whether you are a business running your email marketing campaign, or an email marketing agency, you must put in place measures to protect your subscribers' data. One of the ways to do this in 2023 is by communicating to your customers exactly how you will process the data they share with you.
You will also have to regularly update your software to detect vulnerabilities, which you then patch to ensure the safety of your subscriber details. To make email marketing work in 2023, consider implementing strict password policies for your customers, too. Using a secure email service to store your customers' details is also a good idea.
2. Take Advantage Of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. AI has arguably been the biggest buzzword in marketing so far in 2023. You might consider using AI to:
• Perform Email Targeting
One of the areas where AI tools can come in handy is segmentation. Segmentation groups subscribers into different sections based on their interests, past user behavior, and preferences. By studying past customer behavior, AI can properly group them for you. It can guide you on how to craft the appropriate emails for each audience.
• Create AI-Powered Chatbots To Respond To Emails
Email chatbots are capable of instant response to newly received emails. These chatbots have been trained in contextual analysis (the ability to translate information the same way a human would) and Natural Language Processing (the ability to understand written and spoken human language).
When a customer sends a query through an email, the bot searches through its pre-programmed database for the relevant information it gives to the customer. It can also guide them through the buyer journey. Chatbots also collect data on customer preferences and behavior.
An email chatbot can increase conversion, given the prompt response to the customer and the ability to handle requests 24/7. Remember, most sites nowadays have a section telling visitors how long it typically takes for a website to respond to user queries. The more prompt the response, the better the customer experience.
• Schedule Your Emails
AI can help you determine when your email subscribers are most active or when they are likely to engage with your email. Through an analysis of customer data, properly-leveraged AI can increase your email open rates and click-through rates, affecting conversion. Also, AI can collate information on the scheduled emails' performance and suggest the most effective strategies for future emails through a feature called sent time optimization.
Apart from those highlighted, AI can also help with A/B testing. A/B testing is where an email marketer shares two versions of the same email to a small group of subscribers to see which produces the highest engagement. The performance is measured based on click-through rates, open rates, and other metrics.
3. Gamify Your Emails
Another critical way to make email marketing work in 2023 is by gamifying your emails. A quiz, puzzle, or any challenge will likely improve open and click-through rates and increase engagement. You can even go a step further and provide incentives to the customer, such as rewards or prizes for attempting or completing a challenge or playing up to a certain level.
Apart from having your customer's attention, you will also gain insights into their behavior and what they like and don't like. Knowing how to keep them interested in your product or service would be easier with such information.
4. Combine Social Media With Your Email Strategies
Integrating social media platforms into your email marketing campaign will likely increase your email reach beyond your subscriber list. A well-crafted, relevant, and engaging email may be shared by your customers on their social media channels, allowing your content to get new ears and eyes.
Also, integrating social media into your emails enables you to track the social media activities of your customers, which will give you insight into how to engage them based on their interests and needs. Some ways you can integrate social media with email marketing are following your email subscribers' social media accounts, inviting followers to get into your email list, embedding social media buttons in your emails, and building social media communities for your email subscribers.
Effective Email Excellence
Making email marketing work in 2023 means keeping up with technological changes and following the trends. Both personalization and social media integration have been doing wonders with other marketing channels. Nowadays, they have also become a crucial element of email.
However, artificial intelligence and gamification are two trends you don't want to miss out on implementing in your email marketing strategy. Thanks to technological improvements, you can now use AI and gamify your email to boost engagement and conversions.
