It’s 2024 and our inboxes our crowded. Yet, despite the volume of emails we receive, there is plenty of evidence that says consumers still want to hear from brands by email. Just last year, 60% listed email as their preferred communication method. 

But generic emails just won’t do. Your message has to be relevant, and that takes targeting and personalization. So, what are best practices for getting your email opened and acted upon in 2024? Let’s take a look at key trends and actionable takeaways for marketers.

Trend #1: Hyper-Segmentation for Tailored Messaging

Relevant and personalized communication are ways your company reminds customers that you are in touch with what they need and want. This is where audience segmentation becomes an email marketing hero. Dividing your contact list into smaller groups with shared characteristics enables hyper-personalized email campaigns that resonate deeply with each segment.

Tailoring your emails to address the recipient’s specific pain points and preferences dramatically boosts engagement and builds stronger customer relationships. These positive outcomes must be continuously earned by businesses today. Because consumers receive a high volume of email, irrelevant messages lead quickly to deletes and unsubscribes. This lost potential can add up significantly over time. 

Actionable Takeaway:  Think about ways to go deeper with your segmentation strategies. There are many ways to approach it, including by demographics, firmographics, website behavior, past engagement with emails, purchase history, pain points, buying stage, or content preferences. No matter how you slice it, this approach is much more likely to garner better engagement and higher ROI.

Trend #2:  Predictive Analytics to Demonstrate Deeper Understanding

Predictive analytics has emerged as a powerful tool for marketers, helping them to peer into the future and craft email campaigns that uniquely anticipate the needs of individual customers. Predictive analytics empower marketers to move beyond guesswork and craft email campaigns informed by data-driven insights.

By analyzing past purchases, website behavior, and demographic information, marketers can predict which products or services a customer is most likely to be interested in at any given time. Email marketing can be programmed to cater to these specific interests, making every interaction with your company feel seamless and unified. A customer who has made a recent purchase may find extra delight in a follow-up message that has already anticipated what they may need or want next, such as additional product recommendations, how-to-information, or a discount on their next purchase.

Additionally, predictive analytics can help marketers to optimize email timing and frequency. By analyzing customer engagement data, email open rates, and click-through rates, marketers can predict the ideal time to send emails to specific customers, ensuring the message lands in their inbox at a time when they're most receptive. 

Actionable Takeaway: Marketers who haven’t begun exploring predictive analytics can start small. Based on the data available, you can begin with basic predictions like next-best product recommendations or optimal send times for a specific segment. See if you notice a lift in your results, and continue iterating your approach. 

Trend #3:  Interactive Content Takes Email from Passive to Active

Another way marketers in 2024 are boosting email engagement is by moving beyond static content and embracing interactive elements. Interactive content in emails doesn't just capture attention; it also serves as a powerful tool for gathering more permission-based customer data to fuel personalization efforts.

For example, a financial services company could incorporate a short survey that helps to identify the biggest current stressors for their customers. Based on their answers, the email could dynamically suggest products or services that can help. As another approach, an email with a clickable content carousel allows customers to explore a variety of options without leaving their inbox. 

Not only does interactive email content keep your customers more actively engaged, but provides real-time information about which products or content topics are most appealing. This can be used later to further personalize future communications or campaigns. 

Actionable Takeaway: It’s time for email to move into “experiences.” Start by picking one interactive email element that aligns with your goals. New product launches coming up? Try a poll that gathers feedback on which customers find most exciting. Consider an A/B test to compare static and interactive emails to analyze the performance. 

Transform Email Marketing with Data

Forget boring emails. Use data-driven approaches to reimagine your email marketing from one-way communications to personalized, interactive experiences. If you need help with the right data to do this, as an Experian Strategic Services Partner, we can provide you some of the most comprehensive and robust data assets in the world. Just set up a complimentary conversation to learn more!