The explosion of AI has comprehensively transformed businesses’ email marketing strategies over the past year. As we enter 2024, will AI continue to dominate email marketing, or will new trends take the spotlight? 

This article summarizes email marketing trends and predictions that will shape 2024, assisting businesses to make more effective strategic decisions. Read now!

1. Further adoption of AI-powered technology

According to the product manager at Sinch Mailjet, AI has become an increasingly valuable ally for organizations running their email programs. Brands leverage ChatGPT and other tools to expedite their work and boost creativity. 

Looking ahead to 2024, AI features are expected to become even more sophisticated, enabling email senders to efficiently test various messaging options, build email templates, and create engaging subject lines that resonate deeply with targeted audiences.

As of April 2023, a study by McKinsey & Co. found that more than one-third of organizations had already implemented AI in at least one function. Furthermore, numerous organizations anticipated a surge in AI investment in the subsequent months.

By utilizing the AI tools presently accessible, you can enhance your email marketing in the following ways:

1. Tailor subject lines to specific subscriber groups or segments.

2. Craft engaging and interesting email content that caters to the diverse needs of your audiences

3. Generate graphics or images to accompany each email version.

2. Reduced emphasis on Open Rates

According to a survey conducted by Glimpse, one-third of marketers consider open rates as one of the top two metrics to track when sending and reporting marketing emails. 

However, with Apple’s new Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), senders are now unable to collect information about users using invisible pixels, preventing them from knowing when recipients open an email, hide their IP address, and eliminating the ability to link it to other online activities or determine their location. 

Consequently, this Apple update renders open rate an unreliable metric, necessitating a shift in focus towards other metrics to gauge the success of marketing emails accurately.

So, which metrics can you monitor? These alternative metrics include:

• Click rate: The percentage of recipients who click on links in the email.
• Conversion rate: The percentage of recipients who take action, such as making a purchase.
• List growth: The rate at which subscribers are gained or lost.
• ROI (Return on investment): The revenue generated for every dollar invested in email marketing.

The choice of metrics to track depends on your email marketing campaign goals, so it’s important to evaluate your desired outcomes and tailor your metrics accordingly.

3. Increased integration of visuals and video content

With the continuous growth of social media platforms and the increasing consumption of video content, it’s no surprise that video messages have become a popular communication tool for businesses. 

Additionally, video messages in email can boost click-through rates by up to 300%. These statistics highlight the power of video content and its potential for creating a lasting impact on your audience.

There are several effective ways to integrate videos into your email marketing strategies:

• Video thumbnails: Use visually compelling thumbnails with play buttons to indicate the presence of video content. Link the thumbnails directly to the videos on your website or video hosting platform.
• Animated GIFs: If embedding videos directly into emails is not feasible, consider using animated GIFs as a teaser for your video content. Keep the GIFs short, visually appealing, and relevant to the video content. Encourage recipients to click through to your website to watch the full videos.
• Personalized video messages: Use video platforms that allow customization with recipients’ names or other relevant details. Personalized videos can create a sense of exclusivity and drive recipients to visit your website for more customized content or offers.
• Video tutorials or demos: Provide value and solve recipients’ problems with concise and actionable videos. Encourage recipients to visit your website for more information or to make a purchase.
• Video testimonials: Incorporate testimonials from satisfied customers into your email marketing campaigns. Include a brief snippet of the testimonial in the email and direct recipients to the full testimonial on your website.

4. Advanced customer-centric email communications

A customer-centric perspective to get closer to customers and better meet their needs is increasingly emphasized. According to Econsultancy, 58% of business leaders consider customer-centricity the key to establishing an authentic digital culture.

In 2024, customer-centricity will extend beyond messaging. Providing a great customer experience will also involve offering customers messaging options and contact channels. 

By tailoring content to individual preferences, needs, and behaviors, you can achieve heightened relevance, thereby increasing the likelihood of customer engagement and positive responses. 

Furthermore, a customer-centric strategy enables you to be more responsive, adapting your messaging based on real-time feedback to meet evolving customer expectations. Advanced personalization and segmentation techniques ensure targeted and individualized communications, fostering trust and building stronger customer loyalty.

5. Greater interactive email design

Interactive email design has revolutionized digital marketing by incorporating clickable, swipeable, and interactive elements within the email. You are witnessing a significant boost in engagement rates as this innovative approach transforms passive email reading into an engaging, active experience.

Gamification is one of the key trends in interactive email for 2024. By adding game-like elements like quizzes, puzzles, or spin-to-win features, user engagement can be greatly enhanced. This approach not only entertains recipients but also encourages more interaction with the brand.

Augmented reality (AR) in emails is becoming increasingly popular. This technology allows users to visualize products in their environment directly from their email, resulting in an immersive and captivating shopping experience. It is especially advantageous for industries such as fashion and home decor. 

6. Enhanced the utilization of new techniques to attract subscribers

Content creators now enjoy a multitude of audience growth options. Traditionally, building an audience on X (formerly Twitter) and using lead magnets to convert followers into email subscribers has been a reliable approach. 

However, in 2023, LinkedIn’s prominence as an audience-building platform soared, and Meta introduced Threads, a competitor to X, garnering interest from many creators.

Beyond these platforms, creators can explore diverse strategies to expand their subscriber list. Email referral programs empower existing subscribers to promote the newsletter, potentially attracting more subscribers at minimal or no cost.

7. Enhanced customer data protection and privacy

Cisco’s research indicates that 87% of customers value their data and desire greater control over it, while 81% are willing to switch to a competitor for enhanced data privacy.

Elevating privacy and data security in email marketing involves adopting strong measures to safeguard customer information and adhering to data protection laws. This involves implementing secure data collection, storage, and processing practices, maintaining transparent privacy policies, and incorporating explicit consent mechanisms for subscribers.

Here are some tips to enhance privacy and data security in your email marketing:

• Regularly update and communicate your privacy policy to your subscribers.
• Obtain explicit informed consent for data collection and use through dedicated emails and landing pages.
• Invest in secure data storage and processing systems.
• Stay informed about the latest data protection regulations and compliance requirements.
• Implement authentication methods like BIMI to mitigate the impact of phishing attacks.

BIMI (brand  indicators for message identification)  is an email authentication standard that enables organizations to display their brand logos in the inbox alongside their authenticated emails.

This is a valuable tool for email senders looking to enhance the visibility and authenticity of their emails, providing a more secure and recognizable email experience for recipients. A study by the cybersecurity firm Red Sift revealed that this practice leads to higher  open rates, improved brand recall, and an increased likelihood of purchasing. 

8. Strengthened relationship between email and SMS

Contributing to business growth and success, in 2024, you must prioritize email and SMS to reach your audience across multiple touchpoints. Why choose these two platforms over others? 

According to the Mailjet 2023 survey, email remains the preferred channel for brand communications, but it’s no longer flying solo. Text messaging has emerged as the second most popular option for both promotional messages and transactional notifications.

Conclusion

The article outlines the newest trends expected to influence the email marketing landscape in the upcoming year. Use them as a reference and incorporate them into your dynamic email marketing strategy for a successful 2024. Best of luck!

Reference sources: Mailerlite, Mailjet, Hubspot, Statista, Cisco, Selzy Z, Glimpse