If we personified marketing channels, social media would be the cool kid in the room—TikTok and Instagram, we see you with your quirky dancing videos and influencer content. SEO and Google Ads might be the geeks, with their ever-changing algorithms and analytics reports.
But you know who’s the reliable, trustworthy and engaging bestie we turn to when we need a solid? Email.
With all the options out there for digital marketing channels, email tends to get overlooked—but email marketing has consistently proven to be one of the most effective at driving conversions and generating revenue. You just need to be sure you’re using it correctly.
If you’ve slept on email marketing lately, here’s a quick rundown on what you need to know for using this channel in 2023.
1. If you’re too salesy, you’re gonna get unsubscribed.
Consumers are done with being talked at; they want to be conversed with. Ditch your traditional marketing messaging in favor of engagement, connection and education to develop a real relationship with your audience. If today’s modern consumer gets a whiff of inauthenticity, bye Felicia. This doesn’t mean you can’t talk about your products and services—just do in a way that’s meaningful, authentic and consumer-focused rather than you-focused. Balance educational content with promotional content.
2. Personalization matters.
Inboxes are noisy places—every brand, business and organization is vying for their audience’s attention. One way to stand out is through personalization.
First, let’s talk about what that actually means: Personalization in email is when you use subscriber data within your email content to make it seem as if your messages are specific to each recipient. This may mean using your recipient’s name in the email—but it goes way beyond that. It also involves sending out relevant and timely content that makes your recipient feel seen and connected to your brand. The data you use to personalize or customize your email message can be anything from a name to a birthday to shopping preferences to location.
Consider these numbers:
- Personalized emails can actually improve your open rates by a whopping 26%, according to Emma. It’s an easy step to simply put your recipient’s name in the subject line, and it can make a huge difference in your open rate.
- Email personalization has been proven to increase revenue by as much as 760%! Why? Consumers want to spend where they feel (again) seen and connected—and appreciated.
- According to research from McKinsey & Company, 71% of consumers say they expect personalized marketing and 76% get frustrated when it’s not there.
- Clearly, personalization is something that can elevate your email marketing efforts in game-changing ways. If you’re wondering how to even get started with personalization, if that’s not something you’re doing yet, here’s a tip: The key to personalization is access to the right data and the ability to integrate it with email. If you’re not using an email marketing platform that allows you to personalize your emails, it might be time to find one that does.
3. Too much of a good thing is still too much.
“How often should I email my subscribers?” That’s a great question—and one that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. On one hand, you want to stay top of mind and connected with your audience. On the other, every email you send carries the potential of unsubscribes—so it’s important to find that sweet spot where you’re contacting your audience enough, but not too much.
This is different for every company and organization, but one thing to help you figure out what works best is your analytics. Your analytics reports are hugely valuable in determining how often and when you should send emails—be sure that you’re paying attention to the numbers after every email you send. If you start to see a spike in unsubscribes, it could be that you’re sending emails too often. Also, remember that personalization we just talked about? If you segment your audience and automate your emails so that you’re sending the right message to the right person, that’s a better approach than sending every email to every person and risking a bunch of unsubscribes from recipients who feel spammed.
4. Be respectful of data privacy concerns.
Here’s a funny thing about consumers: They want personalized emails, but they’re leery of sharing personal information—especially the ones who’ve been hacked. Be especially clear in your communications why they’re receiving your emails. “You’re receiving this email because you signed up for our newsletter.” Or, “We’re so glad that you signed up for our emails so we can keep you updated on the latest news and deals.” Also, “We won’t share your data with anyone” type messages will help reinforce that your subscribers’ personal info is safe with you.
5. Your email marketing platform can set you up for success—or failure.
The right email marketing software matters. A lot. There are a lot of email marketing tools and platforms out there, but they don’t all perform the same or offer the capabilities you need to run successful email marketing campaigns in 2023. Look for a platform that offers personalization tools, email triggering, segmentation and database maintenance tools, as well as the capability to easily create professional-looking emails with drag-and-drop simplicity. That might sound like a lot to ask for, but pssst—I know where you can get a platform like this for only $30/month. Take a look.
Of course, the basics or “old school” rules of email marketing still apply, so be sure to keep following these:
- Subject lines are super important. Pique curiosity, ask questions, use words that convey urgency, hint at relevant content—and test emojis to see if they affect your open rate.
- Include relevant links in your emails to more information, but don’t just drop people off on your website’s homepage—send them to specific landing pages for a seamless user experience.
- Be succinct. Cater to shrinking attention spans and impatient readers.
- Remember that accessibility and inclusive design is important—keep all segments of your audience in mind when designing and building your emails.
If you want to talk with one of our email marketing experts about any or all of these 2023 trends, we can make that happen ASAP so that you can get the most ROI from your email marketing. Just give us a little info here, and we’ll be in touch shortly.
