The year 2014 was a big one for email marketing, as more and more businesses turned to digital marketing tactics to grow their businesses.
While email isn’t going anywhere, we are seeing businesses of all sizes harnessing the power of email to connect with their audiences and grow their businesses.
Here’s a look at the top email marketing trends for the coming year.
1. Email As A Lead Generation Tool
Even before the pandemic, businesses needed an effective way to capture leads. Email was a popular choice, as it’s relatively non-intrusive (most people have it as part of their inboxes anyway) and it allows businesses to stay in touch with their audience past the one-time transactional email.
In the past, businesses would send out a newsletter with details on their latest offers or promotions. But now, with email being a viable option for reaching customers, businesses are looking for more ways to generate leads.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 69% of businesses view email as a lead generation tool, while 22% use it for marketing and 16% use it for sales.
Email can be a lead generation tool in a number of ways, including:
- Signups
- Conversations
- Demographics
- Tastes
- Lifestyle
- Behavior
- Inventory
- Closing the sales funnel
2. Authentic Long-Form Content
If you’re looking to engage your audience, don’t underestimate the power of a solid chunk of prose.
In a world full of hyperlinks, short-form content continues to rule the roost. But that’s all about to change.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 55% of consumers prefer to read longer articles and 40% prefer to scan through a lot of quick content.
To better engage your audience and encourage them to take the next step, you should be putting out content that they can read in its entirety.
If you look at the top articles on your favorite news sites, you’ll notice something familiar: They’re usually about three to four paragraphs long. This is because people nowadays prefer to read articles in their entirety before they make a decision.
You should be thinking about creating longer articles for your site too. The key is to make sure that each piece is high-quality and that your readers will stay engaged throughout the entire article. Don’t just throw together a bunch of bullet points with some fluff at the end, try and make it an engaging read from start to finish. This will help establish you as an expert and encourage qualified leads to convert into customers.
3. Video Content Is On The Rise
While written content is still king, we’re seeing more and more businesses opt for video content.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 45% of consumers prefer to watch video content while listening to music or reading an article. This combination is known as “multiscreening”.
While video content isn’t new, it’s certainly on the rise. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter all allow businesses to put out a short video and engage with their audience.
You should look at creating video content for your website too. But instead of just including videos from your Instagram account, create videos specifically for your blog or for YouTube.
The biggest benefit of video content is that people love to watch videos of others talking about products or services that they’re interested in. So if you want to drive traffic to your website, start creating videos to share on social media.
4. Authentic Long-Form Content
If you’re looking to engage your audience, don’t underestimate the power of a solid chunk of prose.
In a world full of hyperlinks, short-form content continues to rule the roost. But that’s all about to change.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 55% of consumers prefer to read longer articles and 40% prefer to scan through a lot of quick content.
To better engage your audience and encourage them to take the next step, you should be putting out content that they can read in its entirety.
If you look at the top articles on your favorite news sites, you’ll notice something familiar: They’re usually about three to four paragraphs long. This is because people nowadays prefer to read articles in their entirety before they make a decision.
You should be thinking about creating longer articles for your site too. The key is to make sure that each piece is high-quality and that your readers will stay engaged throughout the entire article. Don’t just throw together a bunch of bullet points with some fluff at the end, try and make it an engaging read from start to finish. This will help establish you as an expert and encourage qualified leads to convert into customers.
5. Personal Branding Is Key
In a world full of personal branding, consumers have trained themselves to expect certain behaviours from businesses. If you want to engage potential customers, you need to be doing everything you can to establish yourself as an expert in your industry.
The key is to build trust with your audience and earn their respect with content that’s beneficial to their needs. When businesses conduct themselves professionally and transparently, consumers are more likely to trust them. So if you want to succeed as a business, you need to be sure to invest in personal branding.
6. Consumers Prefer Videos To Read
While video content is becoming more popular, consumers still prefer to read text content.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 68% of consumers prefer to read text content while listening to music or watching a movie. This is known as “multitasking”.
So if you want to engage your audience, create blog posts in a number of formats: videos, podcasts, and even text.
If you’re new to blogging, videos are a great way to learn how to write an informative piece, establish yourself as an expert in your industry, and engage with your audience. You should look at creating a video podcast to engage with audiences on a more personal level. You could interview subject matter experts in your industry or even some of your customers to learn more about their experience.
7. Mobile Is The New Desktop
The way we consume media is rapidly changing. Thanks to technologies like smartphones and tablets, people now have access to information at the tip of their fingers.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 64% of consumers use their mobile device while reading the news, while 56% use social media on the go. So if you want to connect with your audience, create mobile-friendly content that can be easily accessed on the go.
Many businesses still don’t realize the power of mobile media. It’s important to make sure that everything you post on social media is accessible on any device. Create a short-attention-spinner video to grab people’s attention and create a simple but effective flow for them to convert into customers.
8. Live Events Are On The Rise
Thanks to emerging technologies, live events are becoming more popular. You can hold live events via streaming platforms like Twitch, which can be accessed via desktop, mobile, or tablet.
Live events give businesses a face-to-face meeting with their audience, which is why 55% of businesses use them to engage with customers. But beyond that, businesses can use the opportunity to provide detailed information about their products or services.
You should look at hosting live events via streaming platforms like Twitch or Zoom, where you can engage with your audience via chat, and even do a Q&A session.
While this might seem like an extravagant option to some businesses, 55% of businesses say that a live chat event is important to their marketing strategy. Why? Live events give businesses a face-to-face meeting with their audience, which is why 55% of businesses use them to engage with customers. But beyond that, businesses can use the opportunity to provide detailed information about their products or services.
9. Social Media Is Key
This might be the most obvious statement yet, but for those that don’t believe it yet, social media is key to your marketing strategy.