A Quick Update On Email Marketing Trends
Email marketing is still one of the most effective tools for driving sales in your business, but as with most forms of marketing, it rarely stands still. The new general data protection regulation (GDPR) has a direct impact on marketing practices, including email marketing.
There are always new techniques to try, and important rules and regulations to be aware of. Here are some of the current email marketing trends to watch out for as you formulate your email marketing campaigns.
Email Marketing Trends 2018
1. Increased Regulations
Privacy is a top concern today when it comes to email marketing trends. So is the way you use the data you collect. Read over your current privacy policy and terms of service for your website to ensure you are compliant. Also check your welcome email for each list that you have created to ensure you have stated accurately what they may expect.
One of the big 2018 digital marketing trends is that you will not share your subscribers’ email addresses with a third party. Say it and mean it. If you’re going to share or sell data, you need to be honest about it upfront. And you would need to edit your policies and email your subscribers about it to get permission, such as to ask them to opt into a new list if they wish to continue being on your list.
FREE REPORT: Write emails that get opened (& how often to send them)
2. An Increased Push for Mobile-Friendly Emails
Your email should look good on any device that your target customer chooses to read it on. Check it on various models of smartphones and tablets. You can check how your emails and website look on free tools such as mobiletest.me and responsinator.com to view your content on a range of simulated screens.
3. Attractive Email Rendering
There’s a similar problem with the way emails appear in different email services. Check the appearance of your emails at Yahoo! mail, Gmail, Hotmail and so on to be sure it doesn’t look ragged.
4. Coding Issues
Some marketers opt for HTML coded emails, while others choose plain text. Any HTML coding errors could destroy the appearance of the email, or even block some or all of it from being seen. Check your code at a site like Dirty Markup and clean any errors.
5. Proof Read and Test
Be sure to proofread carefully any email before you send it. Check for typos and make sure the link clicks through to the right page. Make certain that things like the date and time of an event are correct. People are very busy and don’t have time for you to send two or three emails on the same subject, trying to correct basic errors you should have caught in the first place.
Once you are sure the email is perfect, send a test and check it in a range of email services to make sure it is all there and nothing has been cut off or looks strange.
6. Beware of the Message as Image Email
Some marketers create an attractive graphic, such as a discount coupon or an invitation to a live event such as a webinar. The trouble is that these are images, and images are still seen as suspicious by certain email providers because they have been used so often as the delivery mechanism for nasty computer viruses. Plain text is just fine.
7. Use Personalization
Take the time to personalize the emails using the personalization tags available in your email marketing platform. It’s a little thing, but really does help build relationships with your target audience. But don’t over use personalization in your emails as it can sound a bit creepy.
8. Use Segmentation
Don’t lump everyone onto the same list. Create different lists based on the “lead magnets” or free items you are giving away. If they buy a product from you, put them on a customer list for that product so you will no longer send them messages related to that product.
9. Send High Quality Information, Not Just Sales Info
Make sure all your emails are relevant and interesting to your target audience. Do more than just try to sell them stuff, and chances are they will remain on your list, look forward to your emails and open them, and even forward the emails to other people.
10. Make It Easy For People To Unsubscribe
Your email needs to be friendly and provide relevant information to your reader. That’s why your subscriber agreed to give you their email address in the first place. However, if your subscriber decides that they don’t want to receive any more emails from you, allow them to easily unsubscribe. If you make it difficult, they will start to resent your emails and certainly will never buy from you. They may also report you as spam, which will cause you problems in the future.
How To Get 1,000 New Email Subscribers In 30 Days
Although email marketing trends have changed, email is still the #1 marketing channel. It has been for over 10 years and will continue to be for many years to come . But before you can reap the benefits of email marketing, you need to grow your email list with an email opt-in that works. In this free guide, you’ll see how to do just that. Discover how to grow your email list from scratch using 14 super-effective tactics and everything you need to hit over 1,000 subscribers in 30 days.
