It took Paul McCartney long enough, but last year, he finally responded publicly to rumors that he had been killed in a car accident back in 1966 and that the Beetles had been keeping it a secret all this time. In addressing the rumor, McCartney repeated a well-worn Mark Twain saying, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
The same might be said of email marketing. Doomsayers have been forecasting its death for some time, but global internet company Statista says that’s not so. The results of their study this spring predicted that the number of global emails would rise from 281 billion a day in 2018 to more than 347 billion in 2023. The firm also reported there were 3.9 billion global users in 2019 and predicted that it would increase to 4.48 billion in 2024.
These findings bolster a 2018 study by Campaign Monitor that email marketing can deliver up to $44 ROI for every dollar spent. This would suggest that email marketers could benefit greatly if they’re flexible and willing to adapt to a changing marketplace.
Upping the Email Game
Personalization is even more popular than ever. A survey by marketing firm Smart Insights revealed that segmentation and eCommerce personalization alone has the potential of delivering up to 68% of eCommerce revenue. T
This means delivering individualized offers, product recommendations and content based on customer data in association with previous actions and demographics. A study by customer identity company Janrain supported that in reporting that 74% of those surveyed hated being sent irrelevant content.
Content
According to statistics gathered by Jupiter Research, more than half (55%) of homes in the U.S. will have smart devices like Google Home or Echo by 2022. The firm predicted there would be 250 million smart speaker users worldwide by the end of this year. Wise marketers can gear up for this expansion by generating accessible content. It should also include auditory calls-to-action (CTAs). Doing both will be an overall benefit in emails and not just smart devices.
Another consideration. Baby boomers, those born between 1943 and 1964, are now the third-largest demographic group in the U.S. and number about 70 million. As they grow older, an increasing number will be challenged with visual impairments and other disabilities that will drive more dependency on smart devices.
Those not yet on smart devices will be relying on email for their communications. Accessibility will be critical, and marketers need to adapt. Such things as semantic HTML, alt text for images, and HTML tables that can be interpreted by screen readers will reduce stress and make life easier for this demographic.
Also, simple changes like larger font sizes, bigger spacing between lines, and clear visual hierarchy in the content will make reading easier and connecting more effective. In general, keeping content shorter will also retain interest.
Artificial Intelligence
Like it or not, AI is here to stay. Effectively used, it will not only automate parts of the marketing process and free up valuable time for other chores, but it can also heighten cross-channel optimization by uncovering more important data. Also, consider doing more A/B testing with AI to validate strategies.
Mobile
Although the use of email is on the rise, the preferred platform to access it has moved from desktop to mobile device. It’s critical that marketers not only recognize this but also ensure mobile optimization so that users don’t encounter issues loading and seeing the content.