6 EMAIL MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2017

1. Personalisation

Personalisation is a powerful tool which must bring added value to customers more than ever before considering the amount of data that is now available. Email recipients with personalised and pertinent content are more likely to engage.

In 2017, algorithms will push email marketing personalisation further with the use of tools such as Geolocalisation to refine targeting (integrating the nearest point of sales for each recipients), or using demographic or behavioural data. The later will help companies defining buyer persona, the key recipient of their personalised and automated email campaigns.

2. Marketing Automation

Many brands have already integrated automation within their email marketing programs and will reinforce this strategy in 2017. However, marketing automation requires the customer to act first to trigger an email (purchase, abandon cart…). Nonetheless, brands must not neglect traditional email marketing campaigns.

In 2017 (as in 2016), marketing automation, must be used efficiently for conversion. For example, in the event that an internet visitor adds a product to a wish list, an email can be triggered as a reminder. In this case, the triggering event is the user behaviour of adding to the wish list. If behaviours are recurring on your site, marketing automation can become a powerful tool.

3. Mobile optimisation

A 2016 marketing research executed by NP6 for SNCD (French direct communication union equivalent to the DMA in the UK) reveals that one in two internet user rather like to consult emails on mobile display (smartphone, tablet or connected watch). In 2017, it appears essential for email marketing professionals to think “mobile first”.

With optimisation comes Responsive Design. Templates and content must be designed with mobile users in mind: subject, email body… everything must be concise and direct. Call to action buttons must be big enough and easy to press on mobile.

4. Deliverability

With anti-spam filters, the main ISPs have met an enormous success in overcoming illegal emailing these last few years. Even if users still receive spams, they do not see that the biggest part does not reach inbox and spam box.

For some years now, 2 data elements have been used to potentially identify the sender: the IP address and the domain. Standards like SPF and DKIM have been implemented to authenticate the sender in order to ensure these two elements aren’t “spoofed” (falsified).

In 2017, DMARC protocol which protects the user further, will be a must for marketing professionals as inboxes become harder to reach.

5. Interactivity

Email interactivity is already in use and it is the future of email marketing. Including interactive content in your emails reveals to be a win-win strategy: the recipient is invited to engage in a short and user friendly format while the email offers more content.

No need to blow the budget to include feature films in your emails. A quick video made from your smartphone or an animated GIF can do the trick. GIF has the advantage to be supported by most email clients whereas video is less appreciated by email service providers. However, in 2017, Apple brings it back with IOS10 supporting video format in its mobile email application. Make sure to test this format in order to measure engagement before getting into interactivity.

6. The dialogue

According to an Email Marketing Attitude research made in 2016 by NP6 for SNCD, 19% of internet users today have the reflex to interact with the brand through the “Reply” button of their email messaging service. This feature is a useful tool enabling companies to create a real relationship with their customers and inviting them to engage.

In 2017, dialogue will become a real potential for brands. Conversing with the brand through email remains unexplored as 69% of internet users use this feature to get information about an offer (source: EMA research 2016). This demonstrates the commercial interest of the Reply button in emails.

Sources:

First published on NP6 Blog: http://www.np6.fr/blog/email/6-tendances-email-marketing-en-2017/
January 5th, 2017 by Xavier Foucaud

NP6 EMA research 2016
5 Email Marketing Trends for 2017 (Hatchbuck)
Email Marketing trends from 2016 into 2017 (Smart Insights)
Future Trends in Email Marketing – Predictions for 2017 (Business 2 Community)