We’ve already come a long way since the beginning days of emails.

Customers are starting to perceive branded emails as not so much a nuisance, but a chance to learn more about their favorite companies and the industry overall, as well as an opportunity to read content that actually interests them.

As we head into 2019, brands will be working towards improving their emails in all sorts of ways, such as using Gifs and the continuation of eye-grabbing subject lines. While these are a couple of the more common themes we’ll see in the upcoming year, here are 7 email trends to look for in 2019 that not as many people are talking about.

Implementing Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is taking over. Don’t worry, not in a catastrophic I, Robot kind of way, but certainly within our digital marketing efforts. Email is certainly one avenue that will be seeing some new, revolutionary artificial intelligence measures being put forward.

While the main reason for some businesses, particularly smaller ones, not having put AI into their emails is due to the cost, many companies are starting to invest in artificial intelligence for their marketing.

Here are the ways in which AI will be involved with email in 2019

  • Coming up with subject lines and images
  • Customize content for an individual user by looking at past interactions with other emails
  • Estimating when users may unsubscribe to emails
  • Provide additional insights on engagement and look for potential solutions to issues

Automation: Increasing Segmentation

It is not a secret that highly personalized and segmented emails do better than those that are not. According to HubSpot, adding personalization elements to your subject lines (such as city and name) will increase the open rate by 20%.

Going further, that same HubSpot article cited that emails that are segmented and targeted account for roughly 58 percent of all earnings. The fact of the matter is that email marketing is becoming more intricate, and in 2019, you can anticipate more and more companies working towards automating the segmentation

Here are the ways in which Automation will be used in email for 2019

  • Keeping track of open rates for specific customers and optimize by cutting out those who do not engage in with emails
  • Looking at which content leads to website traffic from emails
  • Curate nurture emails that to push customers towards engagement

Less Hard Selling

We are shifting further and further away from the ‘hard sell’ in emails, and in 2019 we will continue to see businesses move away from this approach. And it couldn’t have come sooner enough. Hard sell emails are rarely successful, and if you can provide value to your subscribers and get them to not only open but look forward to your emails, the sales will come naturally.

Here are the ways in which less hard selling content will help with emails in 2019:

  • Less unsubscribes from your customers
  • Reduce the feeling of spammy emails

JetBlue email marketing

JetBlue spiced up their email marketing by avoiding hard sells and instead incorporating an ‘anniversary email’ that highlights the positives of the relationship between JetBlue and their consumers.

More Storytelling in Content

So, if there is going to be less hard sell content on emails, what will be seeing more of exactly? That’s where storytelling takes over. Storytelling content is an effective means of grabbing your customer’s attention by engaging them – we build storytelling into every project as we do Medical SEO, and no matter what kind of marketer you are, it’s crucial to connecting emotionally to ideal clients. Your goal should be to get every one of your email subscribers to open up every single one of the emails you send them. Seems a bit ambitious right? Good.

Storytelling content will improve emails by:

  • Offering meaningful and powerful stories that are focused on your customer’s pain points
  • Further the connection between consumer and brand
  • Provide value for the reader
  • Reduce the ‘spam’ connotations with brand emails

Patagonia email marketing

Patagonia consistently talks about how they’re company works towards environmental sustainability throughout their marketing efforts, including their emails.

Additional Personalization

Branching off of the segmentation point, emails in 2019 will further the trend of personalized emails. Imagine you’re an outdoor apparel company. Through your email database and information, you can pick out everyone in your subscriber list who bought a ski suit. Then, you can tailor the content they receive to be associated with skiing. Your subscribers would certainly appreciate opening up emails and reading content that is highly personalized to their interests.

Additional personalization in emails will help in 2019 by:

-Helping curate content that your customers actually want to receive

-Increase open rates of emails

-Help establish your brand as one that listens to the needs of their consumers

Spotify email marketing

Spotify is the king of personalization, which includes their emails.

Writing in Conversational Tones

People like to engage with other people, not some run-of-the-mill corporate sounding email blurbs. Your emails need to be distinctive and creative so that they resonate with subscribers.

In 2019, we’ll see more brand working towards throwing in personality and humor into their email copy to help create that connection with their audience, as well as to get them to read the entire copy rather than bouncing right after they open it.

Obviously, tailor the tonality of your copy to your target market. For example, if you’re a company in the financial sector, you can still have fun with the content, but make sure you’re still serious about serious topics.

Conversational tones will improve email in 2019 by:

  • Connecting with the audience
  • Increasing email engagement
  • Help push your brands as one that is personable

Chubbies

Chubbies has positioned itself as a brand for the care-free and those who like to kick back and have a beer or two. And their chill, conversational emails help further convey this feeling.

I for one am personally very excited to see where the future of email marketing is heading. If you’re looking to increase open rates, conversions, and the overall satisfaction of your customers, then make sure that you try and implement these email marketing strategies!

Author Bio:

by Bryce Boyle Hoban

Bryce is an SEO Specialist and Content Strategist with Hook Agency – focused on creating content that attracts ideal customers for our clients' websites.