Email marketing is still an amazing way to connect with customers. But you need to keep up; email marketing is constantly changing. And no, we don’t mean the sort of emails that end up in your spam. Anything that has the potential to end up in the spam folder really isn’t effective email marketing after all. There have been many marketing campaigns in 2015 to learn from, including print, video, and of course email marketing trends. Here are three trends, however, that we expect to continue to grow and develop in 2016.
Welcoming the Lightbox
Although sometimes they seem to be annoying for the shopper or browser, lightbox opt-in pop-ups aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Why? Because they work. Lightbox popups capture more emails and increase site traffic and conversion because they capture the user’s attention and are incredibly easy to use. All the user has to do is type in his or her email address, and that’s it. No lengthy sign up process for joining the newsletter.
Moreover, because this is a newsletter that the recipient has voluntarily agreed to, they will recognise it once they see it in their email inbox and are more likely to open it. When you increase your mailing list with help from an email assistant like this type of service, you increase your marketing reach. Your email newsletter update can convert your one-time visitors or shoppers into returning loyal patrons by ensuring that your company is never out of sight and out of mind for too long, and by being able to offer targeted marketing incentives.
Harnessing Mobile
It’s pretty common knowledge now that the majority of people are accessing the internet and browsing sites through their mobile devices, and this includes email. So how can an email marketing campaign harness mobile? Well, for example, through location based mobile marketing.
Let’s pretend your company is Starbucks. You have a customer that comes into your store who is already signed up to your mailing list to receive coupons and to hear about the latest deals and products. If that customer receives an email from Starbucks offering an overview of new products and a discount before they enter the store, this customer is not only more likely to make a purchase, but with a discount incentive can be encouraged to spend more than they came in for. This is just one example of mobile and location marketing that is already very effective and will continue to grow in use in 2016.
Personalisation Sensation
The call for email marketing in 2016 is still to personalise or perish. Unlike the irrelevant spam cluttering a person’s junk mail inbox, what keeps effective email marketing campaigns effective is this notion of personalisation. This requires messages to be relevant and relatable to the reader. Personalisation is achieved in two ways:
- Explicit Personalisation – achieved through individual targeting
- Implicit personalisation – a more general call to action that resonates on a personal note
Explicit personalisation can be sending a customer a follow-up email with appealing offers based on their last purchase. Implicit personalisation can be more general, say an email from a charity asking for support and then highlight the fact that others in the neighbourhood have already helped. Although this isn’t a campaign specifically targeted to any particular individual, it gives the receiver a feeling of personalisation because others in their neighbourhood are said to already be involved. Of course implicit personalisation can also depend on age group, gender, career sector and so on.
If you get it right email marketing has one of the highest success rates of any marketing channel. So pay attention to the trends we’ve outlined above. And remind yourself of the basics in this great infographic.
