According to Statista, the number of email users will keep growing and it is set to jump to 3.7 billion by 2022.

Precisely because of that, email marketing remains one of the most powerful marketing tactics. Salesforce claims that for every $1 you invest in email marketing, you get $38. Online retailers claim that email marketing is the best customer retention method, too.  

However, to keep pace with ever-changing digital marketing tactics, email marketing also needs to adapt.

In 2018, we saw some significant trends that changed the email marketing landscape. Just look at some major trends, such as the GDPR that has changed our lead generation tactics. Or Google’s AMPs for Gmail now let email users interact with content without leaving Gmail. Or the dominance of mobile email users.

These trends have set a solid foundation for further developments in email marketing in 2019. Here is how email marketing will evolve in 2019 and beyond.

1. Personalization Means Relevance

In 2018, many marketers started using email marketing personalization. Sure, they’re doing it for a good reason. Personalized emails stand out in your customers’ inboxes and have greater open rates. They increase customer engagement by 74%, build stronger and more meaningful relationships with your customers, and drive 18X more revenue.

Given these stats, it’s obvious that collecting customer data and using this data to provide highly targeted user experiences is now more important than ever.

Here are a few brief personalization ideas you may like:

• Personalize your offers. By creating different customer segments and sending out relevant emails, you will increase your open-rates and grow your conversions. For example, Adidas segments their emails by gender. Uber does so according to a user’s location. In Chewy’s case, targeting is done based on a customer’s previous purchases.
• Personalize your cart abandonment emails. Abandoned carts cost businesses $4.6 trillion each year. This is where cart abandonment emails can help, as they have a 40% open rate. For example, you could send product recommendations or remind your customers of what they put to their shopping cart.
• Personalize your messaging. Use your customer data, such as their name, age, or location to create customized emails that will resonate with them and make them take the desired action.
• Be sure to send emails at the best time for the intended target. Right Inbox's email scheduling tool can be used for this.

2. The Implementation of AI Helps You Stand Out

Automation brings numerous benefits to email marketers, such as:

• Saving you time
• Improving your targeting options
• Boosting lead generation
• Enhancing conversions
• Increasing the overall effectiveness of your marketing campaign
• Saving you time
• Shortening sales cycle
• Reducing costs
• Better analytic insights into your campaigns

Even though the number of marketers investing in email marketing automation is rising, it’s still low. Stats show that 24% of them still see it as an obstacle and the reason for that are numerous. Along with the lack of expertise and a solid marketing automation strategy, one of the major problems marketers face is the lack of resources.

However, the lack of resources shouldn’t discourage you from investing in email marketing automation, as it generates a high marketing ROI. There are many options that will give your budget the injection it needs. For example, you could sell your accounts receivable, take out a bank loan, or find an investor. There are also different types of personal loans startups and freelancers can apply for to boost their marketing budget fast.

3. Storytelling Engages your Audience

In 2018, storytelling has been an integral aspect of different marketing segments, from content marketing to email marketing. And, in 2019, it’s expected to be even bigger.

Using storytelling in email marketing grabs people’s attention, engages them, and inspires them to click on a link to your site to find out more about you. Stories bring value to your followers, evoke emotions in them, and help you build stronger relationships with them.

Let’s take an example of my favorite digital marketing guru, Brian Dean. Each email he sends starts with an interesting claim or statistic that he further explains. He wraps them up in a super-interesting story, giving actionable tips and real-life examples. Now that a user is 100% engaged, he provides a link to his content or adds a “Download” button. This is just one of the numerous examples of how powerful stories are when used strategically.

4. The Rise of the Interactive Content

In 2018, we’ve seen an impressive rise of interactive forms of content. And, this is logical. In the era of chatbots, personalization, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, traditional forms of content have become boring. Users expect to see something more exciting, something that will intrigue them and make them shout “Shut up and take my money.”

In 2019, the integration of interactivity with email will keep rising. Emails containing quizzes, images, short videos, surveys, and games will boost your click-through rates.

These forms of content are also one of the most effective and highly personalized ways of generating new leads and building better buyer personas. Simply put, your customers give you their personal information in exchange for personalized offers and content.

They will increase user experiences, as they allow your customers to communicate with your brand without even leaving your email.

Finally, in addition to increasing conversions, fun emails will also get your followers in the habit of opening your emails. It’s great to know that your email won’t end up in SPAM as soon as it reaches their inboxes, right?

5. Optimizing your Emails for Mobile Users is No Longer Optional

We’re living in the mobile-first era and it has changed the way we do email marketing. The recent research done by eMailmonday predicts that mobile email account for up to 77% of email opens. Moreover, mobile opens account for almost half of all email opens, while 75% of users check their email on smartphones.

Precisely because of that, optimizing your email campaigns for mobile users should be your priority in 2019. Here are a few steps you should take:

• Use mobile-ready email templates.
• Shorten your email subject line to ensure it fits the smartphone screen.
• Write an informative and concise preheader.
• Optimize your CTAs and make sure they’re big enough and easy-to-click.
• Make sure your images and videos are easy to load on mobile devices.
• Link mobile-friendly landing pages. Optimizing emails means won’t result in greater conversions if your landing pages don’t look well on mobile devices.
• Track the performance of your mobile email campaigns.

Over to You

Email marketing is not dead.

It’s over 40 and it’s still alive and kicking. However, the mere approach to email marketing has changed, becoming more customer-centric.

In 2019, these changes will revolve around mobile optimization, personalization, artificial intelligence, and the use of storytelling and interactive content.

Always remember that you’re a guest in your subscriber’s inbox. So, in order not to end up in spam, you need to focus on keeping them happy.

Hope this helps!

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