It’s the beginning of a new year — the best time to ditch outdated practices and hop into future marketing trends.
While it’s obvious that social media marketing will continue to evolve as algorithms and user habits change, what about email marketing?
In 2012, a Pew Study revealed that text messaging is the most preferred form of daily communication among teenagers — 63% of them say so. For email? Only 6%, taking the bottom spot under landline calls and instant messaging.
The future of email in 2018 didn’t even seem to be brighter for some professionals because of Gen-Z workers who prefer to communicate through messaging apps or collaboration software like Slack. Email was “one-dimensional and simply outdated.”
So, are the days of email marketing almost over for this year? It doesn’t seem like it.
We’re actually seeing the opposite.
Here are some of the recent email marketing data that may surprise you:
- According to Forrester’s Email Marketing Forecast, email adoption among 12-17-year-olds grew from 69% to 82% in 2017.
- In Adobe’s Consumer Email Survey Report 2017, around 61% of 1,000 white-collar respondents who own a smartphone want brands to contact them through email.
- In the 2018 version of Adobe’s report, employees are spending more time checking their personal emails in 2018.
- There were 3.7 billion global email users in 2017 — and this is set to grow up to 4.3 billion users in 2022.
The good news about the continuous rise of email use goes on and on. Email marketing is certainly evolving as well — a sign that marketers should keep track of the best email marketing practices for this year and beyond.
The future is still email! There will be 4.3 billion GLOBAL email users by 2022. Read #emailmarketing tips from 12 experts by @DaniNofuente on @ExpWriters Click To Tweet
The Future Is (Still) Email: 12 Experts Share Their Email Marketing Tips to Increase Conversion in 2019
Clueless about the changes you need to do in your usual email marketing practices? Let’s ask the experts for some help. Check out these email marketing tips from the marketing pros that you should do right away.
1. Jordie van Rijn
“Review where you make ‘the split.’ The split is the point between the email and what is beyond the email.
That exact point is marked by a click. Which information do you put in the email and which do you sort out on the landing page.
Is your email effective with juuuuust enough to grab attention & foster curiosity, or does more info or repeated persuasion points work better? You need to frame the experience on the landing page in order for them to convert.
With all the possible email marketing A/B test you can do, you’d be surprised how often ‘the split’ is totally overlooked in optimizing conversion. Find the point which gives enough to take the next step, not more, not less. And then make sure that the next step is super clear.”
'Review where you make 'the split.' The split is the point between the email and what is beyond the email.' @jvanrijn on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetJordie van Rijn is the email marketing consultant behind emailmonday where he helps clients improve their email marketing strategy and select the right email marketing software. He has worked with top brands like AEGON, Unilever, Roche, KLM, and Heineken. He is also the founder of the platform for email marketing software selection.
2. Shane Phair
“Personalization goes beyond adding someone’s first name in the subject line. Marketers should be using the information they know about their customers to provide them with emails filled with relevant content.
By increasing the use of personalization — such as a publisher offering curated content in their newsletter based on a subscriber’s interests — businesses will see an increase in open and click-through rates, as well as a direct impact on ROI.”
'Marketers should be using the information they know about their customers to provide them with emails filled with relevant content.' @shanephair on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetShane Phair is the Chief Marketing Officer of Campaign Monitor, a company providing an easy-to-use email marketing and automation platform. Before Campaign Monitor, he led marketing and demand generation teams as VP of Demand Generation at Cleo and held senior sales positions with Brainshark, Ipswitch, and Motorola.
3. Sujan Patel
“Maintain a clean and healthy email list. Ensure your emails actually reach your intended target by using an email verifying tool. Voila Norbert’s verifying tool improves your deliverability and ensures your emails aren’t trapped by spam filters and eventually blacklisted.”
'Ensure your emails actually reach your intended target by using an email verifying tool.' @sujanpatel on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetSujan Patel is the co-founder of WebProfits, a growth marketing agency, and Mailshake, a cold email outreach tool for sales and marketing. He writes for top publications such as Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur and talks at different growth marketing conferences around the world. Listen to his content marketing productivity tips in this The Write Podcast episode.
4. Michal Leszczynski
“Email marketing has changed over the years, but the developments in the technology aren’t as dynamic as it’s the case with other digital marketing channels.
We still have some time before more advanced things like interactive emails, or proper video embedding becomes a standard. The future looks very promising, though. Just check out AMP for email – this thing can completely change how we interact with email messages.
So, before that happens – what tactics should marketers focus on to generate the highest engagement rates?
As the data from the GetResponse study suggests, what subscribers are looking for in their email communication is personalization.
They value emails that are sent at the right time and contain information that’s both interesting and relevant to them.
Privacy’s also becoming more critical. Countries, where the regulations are more strict (e.g., require double opt-in), continue to observe the highest open and click-through rates.
And finally, videos – even though their support is still limited. They generate very high engagement too.
The lesson here: subscribers don’t want to waste time on emails that are just generic or uninteresting. Instead, try offering them valuable content, one that’s tailored to their preferences. Your results will soar.”
'... subscribers don't want to waste time on emails that are just generic or uninteresting. Instead, try offering them valuable content, one that's tailored to their preferences.' @mrleszczynski on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetMichal Leszczynski is the Content Marketing Manager of GetResponse, an all-in-one online marketing platform with products for email marketing, automation, and more. He also regularly writes for GetResponse’s blog.
5. Joel Klettke
“A smart email marketing tip?
Torch your list.
No, I’m serious: periodically send out emails asking people to unsubscribe if they’re not getting any value.
Proactively eliminate people who will never, ever get value from you. You’ll not only keep your software costs down, you’ll also keep your list healthy, active, and interested.”
'Proactively eliminate people who will never, ever get value from you.' @JoelKlettke on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetJoel Klettke is the Saas and B2B copywriter behind Business Casual Copywriter. He has created conversion-focused copies for top digital agencies like HubSpot and WP Engine. He’s also the founder of Case Study Buddy, providing written and video case studies for businesses.
6. Adam Q. Holden-Bache
“The biggest email marketing trend I’m seeing right now is increased use of dynamic content, especially for personalization. With the amount of data that is being collected (through multiple channels, not just email), brands can now leverage that data for their email messages to create more meaningful and effective communications.
My biggest secret is… resend your emails. For any campaign where there is the potential for conversions, resend your email to anyone who didn’t open the email the first time.
When you resend the message, change the subject line so that it appears as a new message in the inbox, and because a different subject line may resonate better with anyone that didn’t open the first email.
I typically resend emails between 24-48 hours after the initial delivery. I’ve seen up to 40% of overall conversions come off a resend (but typically 20-30%), which can provide a significant life to your overall campaign results with little to no extra work.”
'My biggest secret is... resend your emails. For any campaign where there is the potential for conversions, resend your email to anyone who didn't open the email the first time.' @adamholdenbache on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetAdam Q. Holden-Bache is the Director of Email Marketing at Enventys Partners, an integrated product development, crowdfunding and marketing agency based in Charlotte, NC. He was also the CEO/Managing Director of Mass Transmit, a B2B email marketing agency later acquired by Striata where he worked as Director of Email Marketing. He’s the author of “How To Win at B2B Email Marketing: A Guide to Achieving Success.”
7. Max Modl
“Relevance is perhaps the most important factor in successful email marketing. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that you’re writing to real people.
We like to remind each other to ‘Check yourself!’ Here’s what we mean: Before sending out every single campaign, put yourself in the shoes of the target audience. (And, maybe you don’t have to imagine all that hard because you already are!)
Picture yourself going about your day, and now envision spotting this mailing in your inbox.
Do you want to open it?
Do you want to read it?
And if you do open it, do you enjoy reading it?
If not, then, what the heck are you doing sending it to other people?”
'Before sending out every single campaign, put yourself in the shoes of the target audience. (And, maybe you don't have to imagine all that hard because you already are!)' @maximilianmodl on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetMax Modl is the chief marketing officer of Newsletter2Go, one of the leading email marketing providers and fastest growing digital companies in Germany. His role is more than just the company’s CMO as he built the startup’s brand from the ground up since 2013. Now, the company has been gaining international reach across the USA, UK, France, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands.
8. Tim Watson
“Don’t feel compelled to make a fancy looking graphical template, just because it’s email marketing and you think that’s what people expect. In many cases, the graphics get in the way. A plain formatted email can outperform a fancy creative. The crux is the email copy.
Email is conversational, copy should be natural. Many marketing emails sound false, using a style that nobody would ever use in a 1 to 1 email. I recently saw an email that began ‘Hello Tim, Brand name is proud to inform you that we have …’ and carries on with this pompous and clumsily style. It doesn’t impress anyone.
Firstly, try writing the email as if you are writing to a friend. Or even literally write it to a friend. Secondly, make sure the copy is about them not you. A good way to check is to count the number of ‘we’ vs ‘you’. It should be a least twice as many you as we.
Rather than ‘We’ve worked hard and made our website much faster’, write ‘Our updated website means you’ll now find what you need faster.’
Finally, get rid of all the words you don’t need. Keep to short elegant sentences.”
'Firstly, try writing the email as if you are writing to a friend... Secondly, make sure the copy is about them not you.' @tawatson on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetTim Watson is an email marketing consultant with 14 years in email. Providing strategic support to brands, improving results through an analytical process. From small to large – working with complex broadcast and automation programs delivering up to 90 million emails/month. A public speaker across half a dozen countries and twice-elected member of the Direct Marketing Association email council.
9. Kath Pay
“Old is new… again. The best new secret is something that we’ve known and have gone to lengths over thousands of years to master the art of it offline, and that is, ‘Customer Experience matters’. It is key to acquisition, conversion, and loyalty, however, online marketers are really only just getting their heads around it.
Everything we do as an email marketer affects our customer’s experience with our brand, whether it be our strategy, creative, tone of voice, copy, segmentation, personalization and much more.
Being a push channel, we often kick-start the customer’s journey as we drive them through to the website, and so we must recognize that email is an essential part of the customer’s experience. Therefore, it’s imperative that we always start with what matters most – the customer and what they value.”
'Old is new… again. The best new secret is something that we’ve known and have gone to lengths over thousands of years to master the art of it offline, and that is, 'Customer Experience matters.'' @kathpay on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetKath Pay is the CEO of Holistic Email Marketing, an email marketing consultancy company that has worked with big brands like Facebook, Barclays, Arsenal, and Kate Spade — and also with the government office, Transport of London. An industry veteran of 19 years, Kath is also an author, blogger, expert contributor, international conference speaker, and trainer.
10. Skip Fidura
“’The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.’ – Lady Dorothy Neville (1826-1913)
I stumbled across this quote recently and was struck by how even though it was first uttered more than 100 years ago, it perfectly sums up the essence of being an email marketer.
Don’t get me wrong — there are some very interesting emerging technologies in the email space but too often I see brands not getting the basics right and then compounding the problem by throwing new technology at it.
For over 20 years, we have talked about relevance, and it is very easy to rationalize that a message is relevant even if deep down we know it isn’t.
We are all under commercial pressure so it is almost easier to send the email to everybody than to justify to our bosses why we did not send it to some.
The real art of email is to send the right message to the right person at the right time but not send the wrong message because of content or time no matter how tempting.”
The real art of email is to send the right message to the right person at the right time but not send the wrong message because of content or time no matter how tempting.' @skipfidura on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetSkip Fidura is a customer-centric digital marketing expert with 20 years of experience, helping clients have engaging human conversations with their customers. He has worked with BT, Fred Perry, Paul Smith, DHL, and Copa Airlines, and now he’s the Non-Executive Director of Direct Marketing Association (DMA UK), UK’s largest trade body for the marketing industry. He is also a keynote speaker and writer.
11. Val Geisler
“The most effective emails come when they’re written from human to human.
Of course you’re human so what do I mean?!
Too many marketers write emails to their list forgetting that there’s a person on the other side of that computer screen reading what you write. So write your emails as you might talk to a friend. In fact, put a friend’s name at the top of your draft copy and think about how you might tell them what you’re writing about.
Would you be more personal? Add a joke? Say something heartfelt? If so, do that. Then make sure you delete your friend’s name and add your own personalization before sending.
When you use email to talk to people (not to just “blast” at people), you have a leg up in the inbox.”
So write your emails as you might talk to a friend... Would you be more personal? Add a joke? Say something heartfelt? If so, do that.' @lovevalgeisler on #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetVal Geisler is an email conversion strategist and copywriter with knowledge in customer experience and research. She has worked for SaaS and online businesses like email marketing service providers AWeber and ConvertKit, the digital design platform InVision, and the online payment platform Stripe. Check out our #ContentWritingChat recap where she shared tips on how to create amazing email content.
12. Julia McCoy
“There are many ‘best practices’ out there — but there’s only one YOU as a marketer and a unique brand, and your audience is and should be different than everyone else’s.
So, that’s why this is my only and #1 tip for my contribution:
Don’t be afraid to break the norms, stop following what everyone else says, and experiment with your emails, yourself.
I followed best practices for years in my email marketing, then I decided to break the mold and kill the formulas, techniques, and even schedules I was using that came recommended by many different experts.
Breaking the mold ended up garnering me one of my most successful email campaigns ever.
I wrote a personal story about a ‘lightbulb moment’ I had that I thought would be perfect for our ideal buyers, who I’ve had many real-time conversations with. It was informal, inspirational, and quite personal, going against my typical emails. Finally, I had it proofread and edited by one of our conversion copywriters at Express Writers and scheduled it from ConvertKit to go out late on a Saturday night.
Every standard was broken, from the style of the headline I used to the time and day (Really? People want to read your marketing lessons on Saturday night, Julia?).
Well, we saw a 400% ROI increase from that email campaign, in both reads and sales, as opposed to nearly all campaigns I’d sent prior.
That email took time, care, and thought. The entire idea for it was born during a moment away from the desk when I was inspired. I don’t create those kinds of emails weekly (and brands shouldn’t send sales emails too frequently, either — I follow the 3:1 rule, send three valuable, pitch-free emails for every sales email).
I’m not giving you an example of the email I’ve mentioned because you shouldn’t take inspiration from me. You should look at your audience — what do they care about?
Also, look at who YOU are — what makes you different than every other brand and marketer out there?
With millions of content pieces going out now every day, it’s the only way to stand out. And don’t forget to get a conversion-minded copywriter to help. That’s critical to refining your final piece for that conversion-friendly voice.”
Breaking the mold ended up garnering me one of my most successful email campaigns ever. Read more about @JuliaEMcCoy's email success story in our list of 12 expert #emailmarketingtips Click To TweetJulia McCoy is the CEO of Express Writers (that’s us!), 2x author, podcast host, YouTuber, guest contributor and writer for top industry publications like Content Marketing Institute. She also teaches content marketing strategy and SEO writing online.
The Common Denominator Among All These Email Marketing Tips? Being Personal
Email stays with us in the future. And reaching out becomes easier thanks to the available email marketing tools ready to help in organizing our email subscriber lists, automatically sending emails at the right time, and making emails visually engaging.
But, despite all these continuously improving tools, it’s interesting to know that at the end of the day, creating an email that converts requires this one unique element: being personal.
And personalization goes beyond saying “Hi [FIRST NAME HERE]!” to start your email copy — people already know that a robot can simply do that. Readers want to feel connected and feel special for receiving a message that speaks to them.
In other words, being personal requires being human.
You, as a marketer (and hopefully, a human too), should get to know who you’re talking to on the other line because behind all of these email addresses are people with interests, problems, and feelings that no automation tool can understand.
Sounds like a lot of work, isn’t it? Not really when you know how to properly segment and clean up your email list — two other email marketing tips worth doing ASAP.
It will surely be an interesting year for email marketing, and we hope these email marketing tips from the experts have given you new ideas to start getting ahead in making high-converting emails.
However, despite understanding who your subscribers are and the message that can resonate with them, finding the right words to say in your email can be a time-consuming problem. If that’s the case, let Express Writers create your own personalized email copy!
