Approximately 290 billion emails are sent daily. Research suggests that this number is projected to hit 347 billion daily emails by 2023. Despite these staggering numbers, an overwhelming 59% of marketers list email as their channel with the greatest ROI.

So, what does this mean?

In short, email marketing continues to be front and centre in the digital marketer’s toolkit, but the need to be able to cut through will become increasingly important So how are the smartest marketers evolving their efforts to maintain strong returns? With a focus on the collection and use of data, hyper personalization, and the seamless integration with an organization’s multiple communication platforms.

Data Collection and Utilization

To quote Dan Zarrella, “marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.”

Vigorate could not agree more.

As email marketing technology continues to evolve, it provides marketers with accessible, clean and useable data to support their business objectives. For example, new AI technology can assist in tracking user behaviour and understand preferences uncovering actionable insights that previously would have been very difficult to get to. This insight allows marketers to better cater their email communications to audiences.

In addition to behavioural data, email preference centers continue to be and excellent tool to collect consumer data. Collecting this data creates an additional opportunity for data-driven communications. The data shows that “marketers who used segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue”, according to Hubspots’ The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2020.

In short, maximize the tools available to you to deliver individually pertinent communications.

Hyper Personalized Experiences

Consumers are expecting brands to know more than just their first and last name. Knowing this, it is integral to optimize your communication to include as many “personalization” points as possible.

Most present-day email marketing software offers the tools to drive dynamic content – content that changes based on the recipients’ profile. For example, in your next transactional email, you could include an enhanced dynamic content block of recommended products based on what a client’s purchase history. This is an excellent way for marketers to use email and dynamic content to bring value to your customer.

Unlike most social media channels, email marketing tools allow you to create an in-touch experience with your consumer. Think of email as a direct line of communication which can be tailored to the recipient. Because of this, brands are able to strategically automate their communications and adjust their calls to action based on an individual’s preferences.

Integration with Social Marketing Channels

According to a study by Campaign Monitor, email open rates on mobile grew by 30% in 2019. As unsurprising as that statistic may be to email marketers, it is important to note how the mobile email experience integrates with a brand’s multiple communication channels.

Think of email marketing as a place for your consumers to meet all of your brands communication channels. Connecting your digital marketing channels in one point of communication can result in more traffic to social pages and websites. An example of this would be using social media icons that link to your pages within your email or including recent social posts within you email content.

If you’ve already been linking your social media to your email marketing, here’s something we think you should try in 2021. Easy social sharing campaigns that highlight your favourite user-generated content (UGC) as a reoccurring, standalone email communication. This strategy has proven to be highly effective for visual brands in industries like fashion. If your brand doesn’t have an excess of UGC content in your back pocket, consider adding testimonials or reviews consumers leave on social media or Google or use your existing email program to start a UGC campaign

In summary, it is no mistake that 59% of marketers believe their biggest source of ROI is email. Unlike social media, email continues to facilitate a direct line of communication with consumers.

As we know, more of society’s every day experiences will continue to move online. It is integral that marketers continue to use email as primary communication stream. We suggest marketing teams set objectives to facilitate email using hyper personalization techniques, utilize data, and rely on email as an integrated communication channel that complements social media content.