Personalization

Personalization has the power to reach your subscribers, not just inboxes, when you hit send. The key to personalization is connecting with your subscribers through relevant content. Most people already have their inboxes full of emails addressing them by name, so to make a greater impact, bring value to each subscriber through your content. 

“In 2021, personalization is not just a hot new trend, but rather a bare necessity.” – Olga Petrik, CMO at NetHunt CRM

What are ways to stay relevant through your email marketing? One huge way is thinking about your voice as a brand. Are you more conversational or formal? Does your email sound like you’re talking to each prospect on a one-on-one basis?

Responding to consumer behaviors is another key to personalization. Email segmentation is a technique you can use to send targeted emails by dividing your subscriber list into smaller groups. For example, when a subscriber visits a certain web page on your website or views a specific product on your online store, you can send a targeted email. You can also segment based on location and use geolocation to send specific offers to people who live in a certain city/time zone.

Video

Including videos in your emails can also make your emails feel more personal and build connections. 

• Video increases open rates by 19%
• Video reduces unsubscribes by 26%
• Video boosts click-through rates by 65%

The easiest way to include videos in your emails is to use a play button on top of a static image that links to your video.

Focus On Bringing Value

Your subscribers already receive many emails a day, so how does a brand go about getting subscribers to read past the subject line? Looking to bring value to each subscriber by understanding their needs cultivates meaningful connection. When creating content, think about topics that relate to your brand that your subscribers will find useful. Ways to add value through your emails include sharing customer reviews, answering questions/solving problems, or providing helpful tips to your subscribers.

Incorporate User-Generated Content

Another way to improve engagement through your email content is to utilize user-generated content. Adding user-generated content and inviting your subscribers into your brand community builds trust. One way to incorporate user-generated content is to run an email that asks people to share their content featuring your brand using a specific hashtag. Some of your email subscribers may not be following your social media, so including your social media platform in your emails invites your subscribers to be a part of your social media community.

Interactive Elements

If people can go through your email and achieve what they want in fewer clicks, like shopping for a specific product, that enhances user experience. Using your brand colors to make your brand identity recognizable in every email also makes interacting with your emails a more meaningful experience.

Text Only Emails

Text only emails can make your emails seem more personal, and in these types of emails, focus on the copywriting to make a powerful impact. When writing these emails, ask the question, “Is this something I would say one-on-one?”

SMS Marketing

The same principles from email marketing can be applied to SMS marketing. You could send out short text messages that bring value to your subscribers along with your emails. 

That brings us to our recommendation in July’s Toolbox: SimpleTexting (from $25/month with a 14 day free trial). SimpleTexting is a text messaging service that makes it easy to send SMS marketing campaigns or have one-on-one conversations with customers. You can build your audience of subscribers, announce offers, personalize messages, and use analytics to track results with SimpleTexting. You can also connect SimpleTexting to web apps you may already use such as Salesforce, Hubspot, Mailchimp, WordPress, or Instagram.

As email marketing has shifted towards building trust, bringing value, and relating to each customer, we have a strong feeling that these trends are here to stay. If you want to see how these tips could help your brand create impactful email content, reach out to Deal Digital today.