If you’re leveraging email marketing for your business, there’s a good chance you’re on the lookout for ways to level up your email game and connect more authentically with your subscribers. Whether you’re running an e-commerce store or a service-based business you know that email marketing is the lifeblood of your customer relationships.
Today, we’re diving into the nitty-gritty of what’s working in email marketing right now with our clients and how you can apply these email marketing trends to your own strategy, starting today. So grab a cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice), settle in, and let’s explore how to take your email marketing to the next level in 2024.
Trend #1: Human-Centered Content
When it comes to email marketing, one of the most powerful strategies you can adopt is human-centered content. It’s all about injecting personality, authenticity, and humanity into your emails to forge deeper connections with your subscribers. Remember: People buy from people. They want to see the face behind the brand. And whether you’re a small business owner or a large corporation, sharing the story behind your brand can be a game-changer.
What does human-centered content actually look like? For ecommerce businesses, this might mean pulling back the curtain on your production process, introducing your team members, or even sharing the challenges you’ve faced along the way. On the other hand, service-based businesses can use email to share personal updates, celebrate wins (both personal and professional), and offer a glimpse behind the scenes.
By putting a human face to your brand, you not only build trust and rapport with your audience but also create a sense of community and belonging. After all, people don’t just buy products or services—they buy into stories, values, and experiences.
Trend #2: Unique Experiences
Pssst…This one can–and should–involve AI!
When it comes to email marketing, creating unique experiences for your subscribers can set you apart from the competition and leave a lasting impression. We’re talking about leveraging all the tech tools and AI you can to deliver a seamless, tailored experience for your email audience.
So forget sending promo emails every week to your full email list, and start sending targeted content to specific customer segments. This could include personalized product recommendations based on past purchases or browsing behavior, exclusive access to limited-time offers or behind-the-scenes content, or even curated content that aligns with their interests and lifestyle. By making your subscribers feel like valued insiders, you not only increase engagement and loyalty–you’re building up excitement every time they see an email from you in their inbox.
We’re seen tons of success from email segmentation and flows targeting specific customer groups: Open and click rates go up, and conversion rates are higher, too. If you’re using Klaviyo, there is a wealth of information to dig into to create more and more niche customer segments based on things like predicted time of next order or predicted churn rate. Start small and test it out–we think you’ll be amazed at the results.
Trend #3: Exclusivity
A quick question for you: How have you made your email list feel exclusive in the last 6 months?
Did anything come to mind?
If you’ve been sharing the same content, discounts, and giveaways on both email and social media, then it’s time to start thinking about how you can increase the exclusivity of your emails to make your email subscribers feel like real VIPs.
Remember–email subscribers are your VIPs! They opted into your email list. They chose to sign up. They may even have typed in their phone number, or their birthday, or extra information, just because they wanted to get emails from you and your brand. So you need to treats them like they’re part of the inner circle, and give them access to special perks and behind-the-scenes goodies that your social media followers don’t get.
From early access to new product launches to exclusive discounts and insider news, giving your subscribers that exclusive feel is like giving them a golden ticket to the coolest club in town. This sense of exclusivity isn’t just a feel-good tactic—it’s a powerful way to boost engagement and drive sales. When your subscribers know they’re getting access to something special that others aren’t, it creates urgency and excitement. Suddenly, they’re not just passively scrolling through their inbox—they’re eagerly opening your emails, clicking on links, and snapping up those limited-time offers before anyone else can.
Not sure what to offer your subscribers? Here are some ideas…
- Email-only giveaways
- Early-bird access to new launches
- An extra discount code to apply on top of a sitewide sale
- Behind-the-scenes content
There’s always a way to make your content email-only, you just have to think a little outside the box!
Trend #4: Gamification & Interaction
Let’s be honest: Reading emails can be boring.
There are a lot of really, really dull emails out there.
That’s why making your email content interactive is so important, because it turns your emails into a fun game that your subscribers can resist playing. Instead of just passively reading through another promotional email (or marking it as spam), your subscribers will start eagerly clicking buttons, taking quizzes, and unlocking exclusive rewards along the way.
Everyone likes a good game. Try offering a chance to win a prize, challenging them with a quiz, or rewarding them for their loyalty with a VIP community. Ask them questions and encourage them to respond. If you have a cupcake brand, have them vote on the next flavor of the month. If you’re a jewelry brand, have them pick the style of earring they’d like to see for the next product drop. Every brand will be a bit different, but there are so many ways to get your community involved.
The best part is that gamification and interaction are incredibly effective at driving engagement and boosting conversions. When you give your subscribers a reason to interact with your emails, whether it’s through a quiz, a survey, or a GIF-filled countdown timer, you’re not just entertaining them, you’re also building a deeper connection with your brand.
Suddenly, they’re not just passive recipients of your marketing messages—they’re active participants in the conversation, eagerly clicking, sharing, and engaging with your content. Even better? Surveys and quizzes give you more customer data to leverage in targeted email campaigns later on (see trend #2!). And as any savvy marketer knows, engaged subscribers are happy subscribers, and happy subscribers are more likely to convert into loyal customers.
Trend #5: Storytelling
Storytelling in marketing is all about bringing your brand to life through the power of words. It’s not a hard sell from a used car salesman, but a narrative that draws them in and keeps them hooked from start to finish.
Storytelling is all about creating a genuine connection with your audience. It’s personal, it’s relatable, and it’s what sets your brand apart from the competition. And to really understand how to tell your story in a way that resonates with your audience, you first have to know your audience deeply. We’re talking about their struggles, their pain points, their hopes, their dreams.
Here are a few questions to consider:
- What does Your Persons’ life look like before they purchase from you?
- What mindset blocks do they have?
- What are they missing out on?
- How do each of these things make them feel?
Want to go even deeper? Think about your buyer persona and other questions you can ask to get to know your audience even better.
Then, you’re going to tap into those emotions, connect it to your business and mission, and inspire your subscribers to take action. It’s not all about selling a product or service (although that’s undeniably part of it). But more than that, you’re inviting them to be a part of something bigger than themselves and join a community of like-minded people.
Yes, telling your story takes practice. Just remember, it’s your business and you know it better than anyone else. Go on and share it with the world.
Successful Email Marketing
Even though these marketing trends are becoming more and more popular, they won’t be going away anytime soon. They are way too successful at building meaningful subscriber connections, not to mention growing your bottom line.
By embracing human-centered content, unique experiences, gamification interaction/gamification, and storytelling, you’re able to create experiences that truly resonate with your audience.
As always, stay true to your brand’s voice, listen to your audience, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. But if you aren’t already, give these trends a try. They’re setting the standard for what email marketing can be–and they’re going to give you a lot of success with email marketing and email growth.
Questions? You can always reach out here!
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