Emails continue to be a vital marketing channel. DMA’s Email tracker shows that on average, email can yield 30x more returns on investment. Hence it is pertinent to review your strategy for email marketing going into 2018. This will help you get more returns per dollar spent and make 2018 a good year for your marketing tactics. Here are some new and some ‘already in place’ email marketing strategies to focus on in 2018:
1. The grand GDPR launch
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will launch in less than 6 months and will have a widespread effect on all businesses that market to consumers in Europe. Earlier it was okay to obtain PII data (names, contact details, email IDs) through landing page and content collaterals like whitepapers and case studies even if it didn’t receive end consumer consent.
This will change as companies look to make stricter use of PII data. Businesses will need to process data legitimately and lawfully, and use it so that individual identities are not exposed.
2. Personalisation is the key
While ‘batch and blast’ approach may have worked in the past, it will continue yielding less favourable outcomes in 2018. In email marketing, personalisation is the name of the game. If you want to send out mass emails, make sure that there is something other than cold generic mails.
3. Interactive mails will increase
Interaction with customers through mail itself will grow as its efficacy keeps growing. You can send out interactive emails that can help interact with readers at multiple levels such as –
- Integrated forms and surveys
- Search within email
- Menu options and navigation within email
- Banners/carousels to improve engagement
- Social sharing options
- Countdowns to nudge customers to take urgent actions
It is clear that the objective is to garner more time with the reader and keep them engaged better as compared to plain vanilla text emails.
4. Mobile first philosophy
Mobile device optimisation is stated as the biggest tactic to use, as per Econsultancy report. As content is increasingly consumed on mobile devices rather than on laptops, it is essential for marketers to adapt to this shift. As more people check emails on the go, it makes no sense to leave out mobile as the key channel for your email marketing. In 2018 more and more businesses will embrace mobile-friendly design to improve UX and boost search engine rankings.
5. Enough of collection, more of action
In 2018, it will be wise to make use of the data collected and start engaging them with a higher degree of personalisation. Knowing about specific customers’ pain points and then personalising your marketing messages to address these exclusively will be crucial for your email marketing success. For this, you may need assistance from other teams (copywriting and graphic design) to shape up the campaign. Factoring in this point will help you roll out the emails on time and thus work as expected.
With these strategies in place, your email marketing plan should be in top shape as we welcome 2018. Do let us know what your no. 1 email marketing approach will be in the coming year. We would love to hear from you.
