OK sure, it’s still 2019…
And there may “only” be 3.7 billion users using email…
But by 2022, this figure is expected to balloon well past the 4B mark, with an expected 4.3 billion people having access to some type of email.
And with nearly half of all consumers saying they already believe they receive too many emails — that’s a problem for you and that’s a problem for the future of email marketing.
While 2019 is ripe with valuable tools and software for email marketers, email marketing in 2019 will ONLY serve you well if you have a better understanding at what lies in the future of it.
So without further ado, let’s talk about where we think things are headed, shall we?!
1 - Funnels Are Becoming Non-Linear
OK, we know, we talk a lot about sales funnels here at CrakRevenue.
But, ya know that perfect cone we’re always talking about? ...
Yeah. That one.
2019’s constantly evolving email marketing trends have paved way for more non-traditional, non-linear funnels.
If you really think about it, the person on the other end (the reader/buyer) no longer JUST goes 'through a cone' — one that starts from the top, and then makes additional progress down onward as your prospective leads learn more about a product — until finally slivering down the remainder of the funnel to complete the deal and get you that lead, signup or sale.
2 - Mobile Optimization Can't Be Overstated
Because the humans of today not only enjoy reading things from their pocket, they prefer it.
Mobile is now the preferred platform for reading email with more than half of all email opens. There are no ifs, ands or butts about denying this reality.
So yes, in 2019, as many of us long suspected, more people are opening your newsletter and reading your emails on their phones than ever before.
And eventually by choice or not, as accessibility everywhere widens.
This trend will only continue as each new tech roll out continues to make way for record levels of affordability.
3 - Keeping track of where your mailings are being opened can hugely improve your campaigns.
Just "sending" emails hasn’t cut it in a while—that we’ve known—but creating templates and making sure to use quality mailing templates that can be retrieved and read 100% of the time to the best of your knowledge on all mobile devices?
Yeah. That’s kinda super important now
There’s no looking back!
4 - Targeted Automation Is the Key for Scaling Your Operation
Most would agree, timing is everything.
In fact, this would probably be a good time to mention right off the bat, Litmus offers a free download of their 2019 State of Email Report.
We highly recommend you check it out, since it’s a 56 page free-to-download pdf covering all the trends, innovations, and industry updates that will help you better shape your email marketing campaigns in 2019.
And while this comprehensive report by Litmus offers a ton of new guidance on the ever-changing email world, it also reaffirms just how important targeted mailing continues to be — and how it should come as no surprise to anyone that Litmus reveals these targeted emails account for half of most company’s email marketing revenues today.
So when faced with such obvious overwhelming data, one can only expect campaigns of both adult and mainstream markets to become smarter and more crafty in their pursuit of finding that always-interested audience that finds value in their content.
5 - Relying Too Much on Automation … is a Terrible Email Marketing Trend
OK, one thing that's often underestimated in one’s email marketing campaigns is the need for campaigns to NOT come across as robotic!
Don't ever for one second underestimate the human touch, or something that’s personally crafted — and just how far it can take your campaigns.
Generate content combinations according to user preferences.
If your content is viewed or is thought of as robotic, people will skip right over it, no matter HOW informative you think it will be!
6 - Interactive Content, but Text Only
While 2019 offers plenty of fancy means of getting messages through, it’s thought most users prefer text-only emails that do not overuse HTML because that email is more likely to remind them of a family member or friend.
However, interactive content in your text-only emails shouldn’t be an afterthought, either.
Surveys, anyone?
Fun questions, questionnaires and polls can do wonders for your engagement.
Polls and surveys tend to work because they're not overly intrusive. They also provide you with valuable feedback and new user data that you can work from.
With an overstimulated world, everyone’s vying for everyone’s attention.
7 - Nurturing Leads Smoothly to Enhance Loyalty
No one likes a tough guy.
And no one likes an aggressive email marketer for that matter, either.
That said, it’s a rather simple concept at the end of the day - don’t be a nuisance!
Leads grow cold and all progress will stop at the drop of a hat when poor tactics are used.
Nurturing WUT?
Yeah. It’s not anything different than what you’d think it’d probably mean...
Nurturing at its very core centers around caring for something.
At Crak, we recommend finding the perfect balance between offering informative content and transitioning your traffic to the final purchasing stage only when it makes sense for you.
But rather take part in hard selling, we'd advise anyone any day of the week, to focus more on content designed to help - and less on content aimed to make a fast buck - to gain greater trust in 2019.
There’s ZERO excuse for not maintaining a solid foundation with your email base in this extremely competitive market. Not maintaining is not even trying.
8 - Deliverability Is Still Paramount for the Success of Your Email Campaigns
As usual, deliverability will remain a big issue, especially campaigns for adult products.
Email services have become more strict regarding explicit content in their TOS, which makes it harder than ever to find a good email provider in 2019 - especially within the big players.
It’s not uncommon for overhauls to happen (and rather hastily, at that!) as tech-driven companies continue to roll out new updates that could change how your mailings are delivered — and viewed — literally overnight.
So, stay sharp, and enjoy the show as email clients continue to evolve.
We even recommend keeping up on the latest from major email providers like Microsoft/Outlook.com, GMAIL and YAHOO to stay in the know about ANY updates that could theoretically affect your email marketing campaigns (more on this in Litmus’ 2019 State of Email).
Moving forward, here are the key email marketing trends to watch in 2019
- An Overdrive of Targeted Automation
- Better Optimization for Mobile (should be flawless at this point!)
- Nurturing Over Selling and MORE & MORE PERSONALIZATION!
It’s all in the email…
Adult and mainstream email marketing still remains a terrific way to nurture leads and nail down that sale... but only if you’re willing to put in the work and employ the right strategies for your campaigns.
Approach each new campaign with a new objective to keep things fresh and embrace an always-changing landscape!
Think email marketing is headed somewhere else? Comment and let us know!
