The way consumers are communicating and responding to brand messages is constantly evolving. According to Econsultancy’s Census from 2014, email was ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment, with 68 per cent of companies rating the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. So email marketing is still a trusted channel.

However, what does the future have in store for marketers that use the email channel? And how will it retain its status as consumers preferred communication from brands?

Understanding consumers’ behaviour

Increasingly marketers are getting their hands on more data. They have the means to know where their audience is, what content they’re looking at and when, as well as their preferred device. Despite having access to this pool of insight on consumers, some brands continue to send out generic email blasts to a diverse database, which has been an issue for nearly a decade. The question remains, why are brands risking alienating their audience?

Speaking recently at TFM&A, Chris Pile from the NEC Group, highlighted this issue, explaining how some companies are yet to join the dots when it comes to using data and engaging their audience effectively. It’s no surprise that millennials will have different tastes and priorities to someone who is retired, so why would one blast out about a Beyoncé concert be of interest to all demographics?

Consumers are savvy and know the value of their data. If they have agreed to share information they’ll expect brands to acknowledge it. Ultimately the more irrelevant emails shared, the more unresponsive consumers will become. It’s crucial that brands understand their audience and create and tailor content accordingly.

The greater good – transparency and trust

Having too much data is soon to be something of the past, with the EU data reform fundamentally changing the way brands interact with consumers. The changes are being introduced to improve internet consumer data protection, stopping spam and making it a requirement for consumers to opt in and out of brand messaging.

Robin Beech from Jacques Vert Group, who also spoke at TFM&A, explained that overall this is a positive move for the industry, as the European Commission’s draft proposals for modernisation of the 1995 data protection rules are designed to improve trust between consumers and businesses.

What’s more, it’s necessary. With advances in technology for instance, Google’s Gmail dubbed the ‘smart’ inbox that picks up on trends and deciphers through irrelevant emails so only preferred emails are flagged. All impersonalised and irrelevant content will be labelled spam and will go straight to junk.

Becoming more strategic and personal

While email marketing is changing, what remains integral is putting the customer at the centre of a campaign. Tailoring the experience for consumers is imperative to effectively engage and build up trust between the customer and brand.

There are tools available to leverage data and make content personal at time of open (instead of time of send). Emails can be tailored to the location of where a consumer is, the time it is and to the device they’re on. This is something brands will embrace more throughout the year, helping create a single customer view, which will inform future campaigns and create more meaningful consumer experiences.

Email marketing has reached a new chapter! With more transparency of data and brands learning from (and understanding) their customers to implement personalised campaigns, the future of email is strong. Marketers do however need to get smarter and more strategic to continue to maximise effectiveness of this channel.

 

By Jenna Tiffany, Digital Marketing Strategist from Communicator.

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