Email, like most aspects of marketing, changes constantly. It can be tough to keep up with all the changes, but don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at four of the most important email marketing trends that made a significant impact this year.
1. Interactivity
An interactive element in an email is anything the reader can click on, tap (on a mobile device), or swipe. Interactive elements can be any of the following:
- Videos
- GIFs
- Clickable links and buttons (ex. social media sharing icons)
Creating interactive emails has become a standard practice among many marketers—and it’s easy to see why. According to data, marketers who add interactive elements to emails can increase their click-to-open rates by an average of 73 percent.
This increase in engagement can be attributed to consumer preference. In a survey conducted by interactive content company Zembula, 82 percent of respondents said they preferred interactive emails. Meanwhile, only 18 percent said they preferred static email content.
It makes sense. What would you rather read? A boring text-only email or something that jumps off the screen? There’s a reason this is one of the most important email marketing trends.
2. Mobile-responsiveness
With the amount of time consumers spend on their mobile devices each day, the fact that mobile-responsive emails is one of the important email marketing trends is hardly a surprise. Consumers perform a wide variety of tasks on their mobile devices, from watching movies and TV shows to, of course, checking their emails.
IBM’s most recent Marketing Benchmark Report states that approximately 50 percent of all email opens happen on mobile. For specific industries, the rate is even higher and reaches around 60 percent.
This is why brands are starting to adopt a mobile-first mindset when it comes to their email marketing strategies. The rise in email mobile usage means brands that don’t optimize for mobile are left behind—their emails either ignored or relegated to the users trash folder.
3. Data Security
When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented in 2018, it forever altered the email marketing landscape—and not just in Europe.
The GDPR states that consumers must now give explicit consent before any company can process their personal data. In addition, all companies must be able to demonstrate (in writing) that their customers have provided such consent. As a result of these new regulations, the vast majority of companies now use the double opt-in method of confirmation (also known as confirmed opt-in).
When a person enters their information on a company’s signup form, the company will get the person’s consent by sending them a short email. In the email, the company will ask them to confirm their subscription—usually by clicking on a link. Only once the person has completed this action will they be added to the company’s email list.
4. Prevalence of Junk Emails
Even with the implementation of regulations like the GDPR and laws that prohibit spam mail, spam continues to be an issue, even in 2019. In fact, according to current email usage statistics, spam will remain a problem for the foreseeable future.
Data from Spam Laws suggests that 60 billion emails will be sent each day for the next four years.
To combat the threat of spam emails and keep the inboxes of their users clean, internet service providers (ISPs) are placing much more stringent spam filters. It’s imperative that marketers keep themselves updated on how these filters work to ensure that their emails land in their subscribers’ inboxes and not their spam folders.
One simple thing email marketers can do is remove words that tend to trigger spam filters. These include words such as no obligation, eliminate debt, vacation, and this is not spam—ironic, huh?
Conclusion
Of course, there are several other arising email marketing trends this year, but these are definitely four of the most relevant. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you should be aware of these types of trends. Doing so will let you know not only what you need to avoid, but also what types of strategies you can keep doing.
The original version of this article was first published on V3Broadsuite.
- 4 of the Biggest Email Marketing Trends of 2019 - October 15, 2019
