Email marketing, a tool to reach millions of prospects, has greatly evolved in the last few years. Even today, when consumer demands are constantly changing, and technological developments are on the rise, email marketing is playing a great role.
Over the years, we have seen how email marketing has changed from promotional and newsletter themes to personalized, event-driven, and focused messages.
Since the marketing landscape is expected to keep on changing, email marketing will have some major improvements. Let us discuss how email marketing will progress in the upcoming five years:
1. Personalization and Automation
We can already see personalization in email marketing in terms of basic names, designations, etc. However, this is not enough. Since consumers are becoming more demanding, they want more personalization.
For this purpose, demographics and basic information will not suffice. Brands are running to know what their prospects are doing at the current moment. Having this information helps them in designing their next marketing tactic.
Here, marketers take steps to know where the prospects are standing in the sales cycle. Then, as per the user’s behavior, they take appropriate steps to keep the person engaged. For instance, data collected for Facebook dynamic ads help in retargeting customers.
This data is collected based on previous searches by website visitors. Some visitors view a specific product on the website and then leave. Facebook dynamic ads display the same product to the same visitor for retargeting. This retargeting can also be done in a more personalized manner through email marketing, which is expected in a few years.
For instance, if you have a business that offers gas safety certificates to landlords, you can use customer behaviour patterns identified through social media to reach them more effectively. If they are someone who visits sale pages often, you can offer them a discount, or if they are interested in local surveyors, you can tell them that your assessors are located in their city for higher conversion.
Similarly, some e-commerce business owners focus on sending abandoned cart emails. However, this strategy is not so common. But, in the future, every consumer will expect a cart abandonment email. Some apps that help in sending these auto emails include Mailchimp, GetResponse, Drip, ConvertKit, etc.
2. Importance of First-Party Data
Your e-store or loyal consumers may be your most valuable asset today. But, in the future, first-party data will be the best part of your business. Since personalized email marketing will be in full swing, marketers require first-party data for implementing major tactics.
Since business owners own this data and they have full rights to control it, they will require proven tactics for data collection. Besides social channels and mobile apps, email marketing programs are highly useful for getting this valuable data.
For instance, a company providing digital marketing services can get first-hand data through personalized emails to B2B consumers. Since B2B consumers give prime importance to emails in comparison to social channels, getting data will be easier.
3. Transparent Use of Data
Undoubtedly, brands will adopt every other technique of data collection. However, experts believe that consumers, on the other hand, will become more vigilant in providing information. Cybersecurity issues are increasing rapidly, and consumers are finding it harder to trust brands.
Today, data works like a superpower, and brands can use it in multiple ways. Therefore, consumers will need solid proof of appropriate use of data. This highlights how email marketing will change in the coming years. Though the importance of email marketing will increase, marketers will need to show transparency in data usage.
Furthermore, any additional use will violate the trust of consumers. So, transparency will be the new trend of email marketing, and brands with high transparency will be able to develop longer relations.
4. Location Data will Get Prime Importance
Brands are mostly concerned with knowing who we are. But, in the coming years, brands will investigate where we will go? Yes, location will play a key role in future marketing tactics.
Even email marketing will be planned as per the consumer location. Knowing the next move of the consumer will help the brands in planning their new deals, promotional offers, and discounts.
Schools, restaurants, vocational spots, and malls will play a key role in designing new marketing offers. Thus, the content and goal of email marketing will change as per the consumer location.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
In almost every industry, we can notice the use of augmented reality. Be it healthcare, entertainment, gaming, or a spaceship sector, the use of virtual reality is everywhere.
Big names like Way Fair, IKEA, and many others are already helping customers in knowing how the product will look like in reality. The use of 360 views and 3D technology is in full swing these days.
Moreover, it is expected that digitization will increase, and so is the use of virtual reality. People will get the ease of having the real look of every product.
Even in the clothing line, people will get a view of how well they look in a certain clothing product. All this will reshape email marketing in a big way. The content, timing, email list, and goals all reshape in the next few years.
5. Intent-Based Marketing
Rather than focusing on new products and offers, email marketing is expected to focus on relationship building. How can we help you? We are here for you, and we can do it together are some common sentences showing affinity. Brands will design their email marketing campaigns on this approach.
Therefore, they will get better engagement. Product-based marketing is an outdated approach and is short-term in nature. An approach that is focused on building trust and relationships lasts longer. Furthermore, consumers are becoming highly demanding, and they want a brand in which they can trust blindly.