With the exception of Facetoface Marketing, email still reigns supreme as the preferred marketing channel of choice for business-to-business (B2B) organizations. But what will email marketing look like in 2022?
In 2022, we’ll continue to see B2B marketers moving towards more personalized email campaigns, while also utilizing artificial intelligence to craft highly responsive and highly performant emails – delivered frequently and on a mobile device.
Here, we’ll highlight five trends that will emerge as email marketing evolves towards personalized, responsive, and AI-driven content.
1. Personalized Email Campaigns Will Take Off
In 2022, marketers will begin to see more personalized email campaigns rise up as a result of shifting consumer behavior and the explosion of mobile data.
In 2021, we saw the start of the Digital Customer journey, where customers interact with brands via email, text, and social media channels. Now that customers know what a Digital Customer is, brands can harness this knowledge and use it to shape their marketing strategies in the future.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, only 27% of consumers buy on a Brand’s homepage, while 44% prefer to receive personalized offers via email.
Since 2021 is now history, it’s time for marketers to get started on the Digital Customer journey and build a strategic email marketing plan for 2022.
2. The Role of the Email Subject Line Will Evolve
The email subject line is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of a marketing email as it provides the reader with vital information about the content contained within.
In 2022, the subject line of an email will play an even more crucial role as email marketers begin to see the importance of a well-written subject line matching the content (i.e., an email marketing strategy).
Brands should consider using the Halo Effect to generate attention and gain credibility with customers. The Halo Effect is when a positive association or resemblance between two things boosts the perception of the second item, even if it has never been directly compared to it.
For example, if you compare the email subject lines below, you’ll notice that the first example comes from a well-known brand and has the words ‘free’ and ‘gift’ in it, while the second email subject line is more personal and has the words ‘order’ and ‘hope’ in it.
- Free Gift!
- Order A Free Gift!
- Need A Little Lift? Order A Free Gift!
- Gifts For Your Dog!
The takeaway from this is that the subject line of an email is a crucial part of its marketing success, and brands must ensure that their subject line matches the content inside the email.
3. Video Content Will Arise As Email Marketing Evolves.
Thanks to increased mobile data and the rise of digital marketing, brands can now produce video content for various platforms (e.g., Youtube, Facebook, etc.).
With a mere click of a button, brands can now create polished, engaging videos using the right software and the right talent – all without needing an enterprise level marketing team.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 59% of consumers want to receive product information via video, while 31% prefer to learn about new products via text messages – indicating video content is the perfect mix between old and new media.
In 2022, we’ll begin to see an increase in B2B organizations embracing video content as part of their overall marketing strategy. This trend will likely continue into the foreseeable future.
4. The Role Of The Call-To-Action Will Evolve
The traditional call-to-action (CTA) is a prompt to take some action or perform a specific task. For example, you can use the CTA at the end of an email to inform the subscriber that they’ve now opened an email or link in an email, or you can use the CTA at the end of an email to encourage them to sign up for your newsletter.
The beauty of a CTA is that it doesn’t require much thought or effort by the reader, as they’ll simply click or tap the CTA (depending on your use case) and then be directed to the next step in the marketing process.
However, you should always consider the type of content that your target audience is consuming, as this will help you determine what sort of CTA you should opt for.
If you notice, most of the CTAs in our examples above were hyperlinked to further content. This is because our marketing subjects are sophisticated digital consumers, who are used to sifting through a wealth of information, looking for answers to their questions, and then leveraging that knowledge to make purchasing decisions. As a result, our example CTAs were highly actionable, as the vast majority of our subscribers already have some knowledge of email marketing and digital marketing in general.
In 2022, we’ll continue to see B2B marketers utilizing CTAs to point subscribers towards further content or action. But, for now, create simple CTAs that are linked to more in-depth information or offers.
5. Mobile Will Continue To Play A Crucial Role
In 2022, mobile will play an even more crucial role in email marketing, as more and more consumers check their phones before going to bed, after dinner, and even during meetings.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 55% of consumers check email on their phones, while 38% check social media sites and 26% check catalogs and other printed material. This shows that while email still reigns supreme as the preferred marketing channel of choice for B2B organizations, mobile is the ideal place to reach them.
If you’re not yet incorporating mobile marketing into your email strategy, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. In the next five years, we’ll continue to see B2B marketers embracing mobile, as it provides them with the tool to target, engage, and convert potential customers, at any time, and from anywhere.