By Nerea Boada, on 7 June 2017
In the digital marketing world, the future is always right around the corner. We work in a fascinating industry that never stops moving and improving, giving us no choice but to stay up to date with all the latest technologies and trends. In that sense, I would like to talk today about the 5 decisive trends that will define the future of email marketing.
1) The Artificial Intelligence Revolution
Chatbots are here and here to stay. These artificially intelligent programs are designed to optimize complex tasks without needing any human intervention. Facebook has already started using them to improve communication between brands and clients, and email marketing is definitely the next step.
Chatbots are able to follow up on individual users’ behaviors, send personalized messages that fit into and adapt to the context and help brands connect with users on a much more personal level. They are without a doubt a golden ally if you are looking to improve your email marketing ROI.
2) Less is more
The future of email marketing lies in brevity. Smartphones are quickly becoming the most popular device on which to read emails. Their small screens, together with the constant bombardment or promotional messages make it absolutely essential to make it short and sweet.
Thanks to a study from 2016 by Email Monday, we even know that the ideal length for emails to succeed is between 50 and 125 words.
3) The future lies in hyper-personalization
Yes, you read that right: just personalizing is no longer good enough - you have to go that extra mile. The email marketing of the future is all about getting each and every individuals needs just right, to cause the maximum impact and impression. There will be many ways of hyper-personalizing emails in the next few years, such as emails whose content change depending on what time they are opened.
4) The age of machine communication
Thanks to artificial intelligence, processes are becoming more and more automated… so much so that the future of email marketing might even eliminate the need to open and read emails!
Machine to machine communication makes it possible to send notifications directly to the affected device, without the need to disturb the user. For instance, if you are running out of milk, your refrigerator will let your smartphone know for it to update your shopping list.
5) The design of the emails of the future: animations and GIFs
Why make static and boring emails? Animations and GIFs help bring life to your emails and catch your users’ interest.
According to predictions, email marketing will only become more and more visual and interactive. GIFs and animations let you tell a story quickly and impressively, and we all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. That being said, some classic elements such as some text and buttons will continue to be used.
