2018 email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to connect with your target audience in order to build a relationship and make sales. Social media is a valuable marketing method, but works best in conjunction with email marketing to help you build a list of qualified subscribers. No matter what you might have read about the death of email marketing, data shows otherwise.
Here are some of the continuing and new trends to look out for in 2018.
Better Subscriber Incentives
You need to get subscribers onto your list in the first place. High-quality incentives such as eBooks and eCourses can help. Focus on providing relevant, timely, and quality information to attract new subscribers.
ECourses Are on the Rise
ECourses are booming, both free and paid, because online education is growing rapidly. An eCourse gives you the chance to deliver useful free information a lesson at a time via email. The more lessons, the more points of contact, which can help build relationships.
A simple link at the end of each lesson to a paid product they can learn more from can be far more effective than an overt promotional email, because they are getting a context and reason to buy.
Personalization
Personalization continues to be important in the subject line and greeting of your emails. It may seem over-used and insincere, but studies have shown a personalized email is around 40% more likely to be opened than one which is not. Just don’t overdo it.
Segmentation
Segmenting your list is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your content matches the right target audience. It does take time, but there are more tools available now than ever before to help you send out the right email to the right people. Applying tags, for example, is a very useful way to divide up a large list into smaller segments.
Making Email More Mobile Friendly
People on smartphones spend a good deal of time checking their email, so you want your email to be mobile friendly in a number of ways. Your business name and each subject line should be short and to the point. The length of lines in the body of your email should be short so they can be read easily on a smaller screen. If you are going to use hyperlinks, be sure they are not stacked closely together. Or, use a clickable button. Send yourself a test email and make sure the first paragraph you read is compelling and makes you want to read more. It will make your subscribers feel the same.
Personalization of Content
The one-size-fits-all email is good, but a magazine type of email might help you cater to a larger audience, with something in it for everyone. Articles, hints, tips, links to short videos and more all offer multiple chances for your audience to get what they need and even be willing to buy or share the content. Use some of these ideas:
* Interactivity
* Businesses have started to add actions to the basic email, including:
– Share with a friend
– Share on social sites
– Coupons
– Surveys
– Contests
– Quizzes
Anyone who has been sticking to plain text only emails could be missing out. Having said that, it is the most deliverable format for email.
Deliverability Trends
These change and evolve all the time, so be sure to check your metrics regularly. If you see anything suspicious, check with your email service provider to see if there have been any significant changes at the free email clients. Also set up an email whitelist page on your website, and encourage all subscribers to whitelist your emails so they go through.
These 2018 email marketing trends will help your business get the most from email marketing.
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