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Email Marketing Trends for 2021 Would you be shocked if we confessed that we’ve never been more excited to be leaving a year behind? We didn’t think so. There’s an endless list of things we all love arguing about – Did Jack fit on the door? Were Ross and Rachel really on a break? Where did Arya actually jump from? – but for once, we’re going to take a gamble and say we’re all on the same page about this one: 2020, we’re ready to say goodbye to you.   As COVID-19 forces us into an end-of-year season unlike any we’ve ever seen before, every marketer out there is probably asking themselves “How much will everything change in 2021?” and “How do I prepare for the uncertainties of the next few months?” To help you start planning, we’ve asked some of our expert friends for help and put together our own list of Marketing Trends for 2021. Curious? Read on!   What will 2021 look like for marketers? Let’s be honest. This year has sucked. 2020 will forever be the year in which we all became amateur scientists, doctors, and immunologists discovered that everyone’s houses looked cooler than ours, and had to get a master’s degree in handwashing and disinfectants.   This year, marketing teams have had to face the unknown and rethink the way they’re connecting with their audience. Well-known digital marketing best practices, like digging into customer needs and wants and strengthening relationships by providing value, have become even more important during this last year.   In 2021, Uncertainty will continue to be the main theme for all of us, marketers included, and a lot of what we’ve learned throughout 2020 will still be applicable… We don’t know when – or if – life will go back to how we remember it, so brands will have to continue adapting to successfully navigate the current climate. But with the medical advancement predicted for 2021, Hope will likely play a big role for consumers everywhere too… and so will the desire to make up for this crazy year.   While there are many unknowns surrounding 2021, here are a few key questions that marketing teams can ask themselves to prepare for it: How have our target markets changed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis? What has worked in 2020 that we should continue doing while the current medical crisis lasts? What have we learned in 2020 that we want to maintain beyond COVID-19? How do we find the right balance between short-term, COVID-influenced strategies and long-term goals?   Listen, it’s going to be another crazy year. We know it, you know it. But we’re also hopeful it will be a much better one. Whatever happens in 2021, though, we’ll be here to help with the hard questions and the unpredictable challenges – whether that’s taking your side on the never-ending Rachel vs. Ross argument or gathering an army of marketing experts to help you prepare for 2021.   Marketing trends for 2021 Interested in discovering what 2021 has in store for digital marketers? We are too, so we’ve set out to gather the main marketing trends to help you plan your online marketing strategy for the new year. We wouldn’t want you to just take our word for it, though, so we’ve asked our friends in the industry to share their thoughts too.   Customer lifecycle: Let empathy rule your campaigns to build stronger relationships No matter how hard we refuse to accept change, there’s no denying that this crisis has affected all of us. But in a way, it has also been a wake-up call and a reminder that changing our perspective can change our reality.   Many of us have pledged to find purpose and become better, kinder humans in our own personal lives… But what does this mean for brands? How can they change their relationships with customers to adapt to the new reality?   If you work with Product and Design teams, you’re likely very familiar with empathy, because it’s a word that those teams like using a lot in reference to the customer journey: doing user research, figuring out what the right user interface is, and really finding the users problems and solving them from their perspective.   That same kind of mind frame is really useful when designing your email lifecycle campaigns. […] Why do you want to be empathetic in your email lifecycle campaigns? The first reason is to build strong relationships and build a brand that people love. […] The second point is that when you employ more empathy in your emails you’re going to prevent a lot of unnecessary operational headaches. […] And then just, all-important, empathy is the right thing to do. 2020 has been a very hard year for everyone, the least we can do is just try to be a bit kinder and nicer with everything we’re doing.   Alex Patton Director of Marketing at Customer.io during Email Camp 2020   Other lifecycle marketing trends to watch out for in 2021 In 2020, we’ve all been forced to adapt the way we work and the way we operate. It’s probably been a little bit harder to focus on the bigger picture and our whole customer journey, but 2021 will be the year for us to reflect on how all these changes have impacted the way we relate with our audience.   Here are a few other trends to consider: Build a human experience: In 2020, brands have had to adapt to sudden changes and have prioritized efficiency and productivity over building a human experience. In 2021, companies will need to reassess how they interact with their customers to build a strong, genuine connection with their audience and a better customer experience. Value connection overgrowth: During uncertain times, it is the relationships we forge with customers that prevail. A big part of creating a human experience depends on building authentic connections with your customer base to increase brand loyalty. Balance self-promotion with legitimate customer benefits and empathy statements to better connect with

Tips to Create a Valentine\’s Day Email Campaign It always seems like, as soon as Christmas decorations come down in the stores, the aisles are magically flooded with red and pink hearts. Yep, it’s that time of year already: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and your email marketing campaigns better be ready!   While you’re trying to decide if you really need that adorable giant teddy bear (it might be a bit too much?), your customers are figuring out what gifts to buy and how to celebrate this love-filled holiday, especially on a year marked by the uncertainty and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.   For retailers, Valentine’s Day is a perfect occasion to use email to strengthen your relationship with your contacts and let them know you have what they’re looking for. So roll up your sleeves and start building your Valentine’s Day email campaigns now with these tips and examples!   Send a first email campaign before Valentine’s Day Don’t be afraid to send your subscribers a sneak peek of your upcoming Valentine’s Day sale. While they may groan at the realization that the holiday is right around the corner, they’ll appreciate the reminder that they need to start shopping. Keep your first campaign simple and play with the expectation and excitement that comes with Valentine’s Day. If you start by creating a tempting first email in your festive campaign, your customers might remember your email and show more interest as the day approaches.   Example #1: The Valentine’s Day alert This email is a great example of an initial campaign that reminds subscribers that Valentine’s Day is around the corner and that they need to start shopping.   Philosophy’s Valentine’s Day email campaign Segment your Valentine’s Day email marketing based on activity By now, you’ve heard us say it a million times. Segmentation is a great way to reach your audience on a more personal level. For example, you can start your Valentine’s Day campaign with a more general email about your upcoming sale to your main list, then send a campaign to the ones that converted, with some upselling or cross-selling opportunities.   Of course, segmentation is not the only way of adapting your message to your audience. You can also send personalized content by using dynamic content blocks to create sections within your email campaigns that are specifically tailored to each user. For example, a travel site could suggest subscribers’ favorite destinations as inspiration for a Valentine’s Day getaway. Don’t get too personal, though! Your users appreciate smart use of data, but showing them examples that are a little *too* close to home can come across as creepy and might make your customers uncomfortable.   Example #2: The sneak peek This American Apparel email gives customers an overview of products both for her and for him, thus showing the brand caters for all tastes. This is the perfect way to encourage a Valentine’s Day splurge.   American Apparel’s Valentine’s Day email campaign. Find the perfect email subject lines with A/B testing A/B testing emails is a must for marketers. You can run tests to find the perfect Valentine’s Day email templates, to fine-tune the messaging and CTAs, or to make sure you’re putting your most eye-catching email design out there for all your contacts to see. Sometimes, there’s so much you can test that it might feel a little overwhelming. If you’re short on time, the idea of building and testing two (or more!) different email templates might be something you’re just not able to do.   Subject lines, though, are something you should always be testing – especially on big days like this one. Finding the perfect Valentine’s Day subject line is not that hard. All you’ll need is some inspiration and an A/B testing tool to test them. The A/B testing tool, for example, enables you to test up to 10 different versions of your emails.   Brainstorm some great ideas for your different campaigns or email newsletters and run A/B tests on every Valentine’s Day email marketing campaign you send out. A/B testing allows you to send different options to a fraction of your contact list to establish which one works best, and then automatically send the winning one to the rest of your list.   Leverage your order confirmation emails Valentine’s Day is a great time to go for the upsell. It’s a time where people go all out for their significant others, so use email to make sure they are aware of all their options, even after they’ve placed an order. For example, if one of your subscribers orders a necklace, follow up with an email to let them know they can purchase matching earrings or a jewelry box to go with it. Since transactional emails have consistently higher open rates than marketing emails, you can use them to ensure your message gets to the customer.   You can also use your transactional emails to offer buyers a special deal on their next purchase. That way, your customers will be more enticed to return to your site after the Valentine’s Day excitement has calmed down. In other words, your order confirmation may be the last email a one-time customer opens from you, so make it count!   Give your procrastinators an extra nudge on Valentine’s Day Has someone clicked through to your landing pages several times leading up to the holiday without making a purchase? You might be dealing with a classic holiday procrastinator. These shoppers are professionals at waiting until the last minute to order gifts, then trying to order something in a panic, on super short notice (and they will still expect to get them on time for Valentine’s!). So, to avoid panic and stress for everyone, let them know that all is not lost through your emails and remind them of the items that they viewed on your website.   Try retargeting the group of people on your list that has opened and clicked without making a purchase to remind them when the last day to order for Valentine’s Day delivery will be to create a sense