The first marketing email was sent in the late 1970s when Gary Thuerk, a marketer who wanted his computer products delivered to people's inboxes rather than on their doorsteps. He came up with an innovative idea - sending unsolicited emails out into cyberspace without even having done any research into whether there might be anyone interested. Now, it’s common practice to send thousands of emails in one go. Also, we hope that you never send unsolicited emails (if you do, read goal #3 closely).
The days when email marketing was the only way to reach your audience are long gone. With social media making its mark in every corner of our lives, you need a strategy that can span multiple channels if you want to succeed today.
Consider the ROI of email before considering dropping it for newer channels.
To help you, we’ve made a list of possible goals that you can set for 2022. In the previous year, email marketing will continue to be a vital part of many company's strategies. With that in mind it is important for marketers and entrepreneurs alike not only know how their emails should sound but also what trends they can expect throughout this year so as not miss out on anything significant. So, if you haven’t leveraged all the trends in the past year, you’ll have another chance this year.
1. Measure Your Performance
If you want to make sure your email campaigns are as successful this year, crunching the numbers is key. Not only will it give an idea of how well they’re doing compared with other companies' strategies and results but also help identify any areas where more attention could be beneficial for future successes.
Here are some important email benchmarks that you need to pay attention to:
Open rate
Click-through rate
Click-to-open rate
Unsubscribe rate
2. Get to Know Your Audience Better
It's important that you identify your target audience. Whether starting an online business from scratch or expanding the product range, more often than not, there is a process in place for determining who will be the consumers of this new venture and how they should consume it based on their needs as well as desires.
It's important to take the time in 2022 to really get acquainted with your audience. You should not just know who they are, but also what makes them tick.
3. Be More Transparent
In 2021, the push for sustainability had a huge impact on retail. Consumers want to know that their products and brands are sustainable. Consumers became more aware of the stories behind what they buy and where it comes from - this is one way that brands can differentiation themselves in today’s market.
Marketing is an integral part of society, and we all have a responsibility to our consumers. The recent backlash against Facebook reminded us that people value ethical marketing, which goes beyond just being environmentally conscious - it also helps them feel good about their purchase decisions by ensuring safety on the internet as well.
With regards to your email marketing, it means that you should always be transparent. Don’t try and get people's contact information in a sneaky way- they'll just end up hating you for it. You'll alienate the audience and damage your brand--not worth all that hassle when there are better ways of doing things.
Here are two practical examples:
1. Use double-opt in.
2. Don’t automatically mark the opt-in checkbox.
Your email list will be more engaged if you allow them to mark the box or ask for their input. This is a great way not only of increasing your subscriber base, but also making sure that those on it receive promotional material from time-to-time and letting them indicate which types they wish (you can even send differently formatted emails). The goal should always remain building an audience who are interested in what's going inside.
4. Embrace User-Generated Content
User-generated content has been proven to be a trustworthy form of advertising for businesses. It helps them portray their brand as caring and genuine, which in turn makes customers more likely want to buy from you.
UGC is free and there are easy ways to include it in your emails. You’ve got no excuse not to embrace more UGC in 2022. In fact, it's predicted that the global music industry will be worth 6 billion dollars!
5. Employ AI
Increasingly more retailers are employing AI in their operations for tasks like visual curation, customer engagement and creating personalized shopping experiences. The use of artificial intelligence can also help email marketers by going through data to predict subscriber behavior trends, so you don't have any surprises when it comes time for your next campaign.
If the technology is there, why not use it? Perhaps it’s time that you start working smarter in 2022?
6. Incorporate Personalization
In 2022, email personalization will continue to play a major role. Customer expectations are high and if you haven’t taken advantage of this trend yet, then your risk making customers feel less valued in their inboxes which is something we don't want. With more people demanding customized experiences from brands like yours than ever before - it's time for an upgrade too.
Here are some examples of how you can include it in your marketing strategy:
Recommend products to specific segments of your list
Trigger emails using customer behavior, e.g., shopping cart abandonment
Include your recipient’s name
7. Be More Inclusive
The year 2020 saw the rise of a new wave. In many companies, diversity and equity took center stage for marketing campaigns in 2021--a trend that shouldn't stop at just one statement about fighting against cultural bias or discrimination; instead, it should be assessed continuously throughout your company's operations to ensure everyone has access to opportunities they deserve.
Marketing materials should promote diversity, instead of focusing on what’s in them. More than half of consumers surveyed by Facebook said they didn't feel fully culturally represented in online advertising and the same study found that over 70% indicated they expected brands to do so too.
Be mindful of how you communicate diversity, as it can be difficult. You want your message to come across well without feeling forced or unduly aggressive so strike that balance.
Get this right and you’ll not only have peace of mind knowing that you’re part of the solution, but your brand will also benefit financially. When brands push for diversity and inclusion in their marketing, they can boost customer loyalty. Nearly 60% of consumers indicated that the more loyal customers are to them as well due this effortless representation which also drives sales.
8. Reward More
Use freebies to increase your click-through rate and make email marketing more successful. A study by Bluewire Media found that including resources like templates increased the number of clicks on an ad up to 3 times when compared with those who didn't get any goodies.
If you want to improve your engagement, don't just use freebies as lead magnets. These types of resources are great for growing subscriber lists and engaging with potential customers.
9. Send at the Best Time
According to the data, sending emails on Tuesdays and Thursdays can have a significant impact. The best days seem like any other work week day but those two times offer higher click-through rates that lead in turn into better revenue per subscriber as well.
The time of day you send your marketing emails can make a big difference in how many are opened. Generally, the best hours for sending out messages are either when people will be taking their lunch break or right before they go to bed at night because this is usually when most folks have some free minutes that aren't already consumed by other responsibilities.
To be successful in 2022, you should find that perfect balance between pushing out content for the long term and making sure it's fresh every single day.
Focusing on what will work best when subscribers check their messages can help ensure success this year.
10. Clean Up Your List
If you’ve been keeping up with your email marketing, then it's likely that by now there are some inactive subscribers on the list. If you don’t, it can negatively impact email deliverability. What’s more, your metrics will paint a more accurate picture as it won’t be affected by subscribers whose email addresses might have changed.
When you’re updating your subscriber list by removing inactive subscribers, it is best practice first to send a win-back email. You might just get few who want to remain on the list and those that don't respond should be deleted with clear conscience.
11. Simplify
Minimalistic email designs have been the go-to for years. This trend will continue, and you should consider adapting your inbox to these minimalist styles if possible. Have you considered how your email template looks? The fonts and colors are important, but there's also the width of space between words. Look at this as an opportunity for improvement.
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