There are unlimited ways to connect with your consumer base in recent years. Although that is freeing, it also can become overwhelming very quickly. From social media, to billboards, traditional copy or emails, there are countless platforms to feature and promote your brand. This article will dive into the top 6 email marketing trends of 2020.
Businesses large and small can benefit from a successful email campaign. However, many tactics should be kept in mind. Of course, email marketing has been available and heavily utilized for years. But, it is important to note that what worked ten years ago will not be effective today.
Take a look below to see if your email marketing trends are up to date.
This is one of the most obvious of the email marketing trends and, of course, applies to all kinds of marketing campaigns. Each company has a target audience and it is important to find that demographic. For instance, if selling diapers or baby supplies, make sure your emails are going to new parents.
Sending an automated email to all emails on your list can absolutely feel enticing. However, if the content is irrelevant to their interests or needs, that message is going straight into the trash anyway. The best way to ensure your emails are going to the right customer base is to create targeted groups. These can be segmented by location, age, gender, etc.. Sending valuable content to specific groups will create better engagement and lower email opt-out rate.
Once you create targeted groups, it is vital to only send relevant content. Yet, that is typically not enough. You must get creative with copy and images throughout your emails to immediately grab their attention. Do not send the same email or information constantly, and make sure you continue to learn and inquire what your audience is looking for. However, keep in mind two items:
As you get more comfortable with your target audiences, it is time to create a more specific email marketing campaign. There are several ways to ensure your subscribers are getting the right information that they are most likely to engage with.
Too much written copy and monochromatic images/logos can be boring for the everyday consumer. With so many promo emails coming in every day, it is important to create interesting content.
Perhaps the most effective way to do this is creating an incentive for interacting with your company. Subscribing to your email or newsletter or liking your social media pages are all great ways to get content to your audience. Create a campaign such as “get 10% off your first order when subscribing to our emails.”
Extra tip: add your social media links to the bottom of your email for quick and easy access!
Of course, it is necessary to have clear direction on how to subscribe to your email list. Add an email sign-up pop up on all content you put into the world: your website, blog posts, etc.. Make sure your pop up only requires a bit of information, even just the email itself will suffice. If you ask for too much personal information during the sign up, many will choose to opt out.
Consumers are typically subscribed to several companies’ promo emails. As time goes on, needs and wants change and some businesses become obsolete to that specific person. It is vital to make it easy and painless to unsubscribe. You do not want your last interaction with a customer to be negative with spammed emails they already requested not to get. Adding a “You Are Now Unsubscribed” message email can be useful to let the person know it worked.
Each email you send out should be mobile friendly. As most emails are created on desktop or laptop, this can sometimes be overlooked. The ease of checking emails on a mobile device is apparent. Many smartphone users wake up and immediately check their emails or social platforms. Sending a disorienting mobile device email just looks unprofessional. Luckily, it is simple to avoid this by sending a test email and checking it on your personal mobile device.
There are so many ways to grow your business with effective marketing campaigns. Email marketing is only part of the puzzle. That being said, it is always important to stay on top of the latest email marketing trends!
As marketers, it is commonly known that what works today, may not work tomorrow. The field is constantly evolving and sometimes it is hard to stay on top of current trends. Now, in the social media era, this ever-changing environment is even more relevant.
Social media has taken over and is now an integral part of everyday life for many people. Of course, it only makes sense that social media is now used for marketing, selling products, etc.. However, utilizing these platforms can be tricky for many reasons. Among some of them are that new apps emerge, some become obsolete, and how they are used change as users or the apps evolve. This can make social media marketing hard to always use to its highest potential.
Although there are many ways to better utilize social media marketing. Here are some of the top trends for 2020.
Influencer marketing is key for a new age business. Across all platforms, Facebook to Youtube to even Linkedin, there are influencers for different niche groups. Influencers are useful across so many diverse industries. These individuals have varied reach depending on followers, but they can offer amazing benefits to companies.
Of course, influencer marketing is not a new way to market and has ultimately changed recently. The most important part of influencer marketing is finding someone who is trustworthy. Traffic is much more important than likes for a page. According to a HYPR study, in 2018, 64% of influencers admitted to buying likes. More importantly, an August 2019 study by GlobalWebIndex indicates that social media users are more interested in the type of content that influencers share rather than how many likes they get.
That being said, trustworthiness for celebrities and other high paid influencers has gone down since they are making so much money. Their posts and recommendations do not seem genuine anymore. Companies should begin utilizing smaller, maybe local, influencers that have better relationships with their followers. These individuals do not cost as much money and are likely to help sell your products, service, and brand.
There is more detail about Influencer Marketing on our other blog.
Similar to influencer marketing, social media groups and communities are not a new feature. However, they are more popular than ever–especially Facebook groups. These social communities are made by brands, local communities, music fans, political parties and everything in between. Individuals can express their beliefs, ideas, or opinions and share it with like-minded individuals. These communities have really become more niche and unique as time has gone on–it seems as though there is a group for anything.
Brands can utilize these groups by creating a new one specifically for their company or joining existing groups that align with the products or services that they offer. This can increase exposure to the precise target audience any brand is looking for. Then, once the traffic is there, brands can release new products and get real time customer feedback.
This brings the next point. In this age, immediate responses are expected by consumers. Not to mention, friends and family.
Customers look to social media to write reviews, good or bad, to ask questions, among many other things. According to Conversocial’s 2018 report, 37% of people expect a response within 30 minutes, 31% want one in two hours, 26% in four hours and only 6% do not expect a response. Great customer service is clearly judged on a fast response time. Facebook even lets consumers know what the expected wait time is based on the average response time of the company.
This form of customer service is sometimes the first interaction an individual has with a company. And, of course, you want to make a good first impression. In 2020, it is important to utilize this feature of social media to better present your brand and offer the same kind of service that someone would get if they picked up the phone or came into the store/office.
For typical B2C companies, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have long been the most popular platforms for advertising. LinkedIn has shown to be great for B2B tactics. However, as time moves on, more apps are created and can have their own advantages in social media marketing. Not to mention, Facebook has lost 15 million users in the past two years, especially those in younger generations.
This year, it will be important to explore all platform options to find the best representation. Target audience will depict which alternative services are best for each brand. For example, TikTok, which was launched in 2016, has a huge following of people ages 16-24. Also, Pinterest has become a great place for e-commerce as 75% of users say they are interested in buying new products compared to other digital platforms.
One other trend that is dominating is ephemeral content. Attention spans are not what they used to be. The everyday individual, for personal or commercial use, wants quality, fast content. Instagram stories, snap chat stories, tiktok videos, etc. are all great examples of this type of content. These features and apps have also gained so much popularity due to the engaging, short content. Social media users can spend hours clicking through 10 second videos.
According to a Cisco Study, by 2022 82% of online content will be video. This can be compared to Cisco’s 2016 study that predicted that videos would make up 75% of all online content in 2020. Clearly, video content is beginning to have control of media and it should be included in a content schedule and strategy.
Short stories on Snapchat or Instagram is a great way to get started utilizing ephemeral, video content.
There are many ways to utilize social media to gain brand recognition or sell products and services. This year, these are the trends that will help your company the most.
Sources:
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/01/helpful-social-media-tips/