10 Need-to-Know Email Marketing Trends for 2021

Nearly 80% of adults already receive emails. With 3.8 billion email users worldwide, you have an opportunity to reach countless customers.

Email marketing is great for your ROI, too. In fact, for every $1 spent, you can get a return of $44!

It’s not enough to send out random emails, though. Instead, you need to keep up with the latest trends. With these 10 email marketing trends for 2021, you can stand out in any inbox.

Ready to turn your emails into sales opportunities this year? Get started with this 2021 email marketing trends guide today!

1. Super Personalized Content

What are you hoping to accomplish by using these trends? Whether you want to boost brand awareness, engagement, or revenue, personalization can help.

Personalized content makes it easier for you to connect with your target audience. After all, no two audience groups are the same. Personalizing your emails will help you appeal to your distinct audience niche.

Understanding what your customers want and need can help improve the efficiency of your marketing messages. In fact, personalized content performs 3 times better on average than batch emails.

You can develop a hyper-personalization email marketing strategy by using artificial intelligence (AI). AI can help you gather important, relevant data about your customers. Today, customers actually expect personalized content because they know companies are gathering this information.

You can use the data you gather to accommodate the customer’s needs.

Personalization could help:

• Reduce how often consumers delete or unsubscribe from your emails
• Increase how often consumers visit your website
• Encourage consumers to buy your products
• Reduce how often consumers mark your emails as junk or spam

Make sure to segment your audience into distinct groups. Segmenting your email subscriber list will help you create emails designed for each segment.

You can segment audiences based on buying behaviors, age, gender, interests, purchase history, and other demographics.  

Don’t forget to add the subscriber’s name to the email subject line and within the body text, too.

User-Generated Content

You can also better connect with and appeal to consumers through user-generated content (UGC).

UGC is any form of content (videos, images, audio, text) that your consumers create regarding your products or services. These posts are more relatable to consumers who haven’t tried your products yet.

After all, consumers are more likely to trust a brand if their best friends have already approved of it, right?

You can start adding UGC to your emails for a fun, engaging campaign. 

Dynamic Segmentation

Marketers who used segmented campaigns experienced a 760% increase in revenue. Meanwhile, 59% of consumers say email marketing influences their purchase decisions. 

In fact, email offers result in consumers spending 128% on their purchases.

Dynamic segmentation can help you increase engagement. It can also save you valuable time with the segmentation process.

With dynamic segmentation, you can connect with your target audience and compel them to make a purchase.

Re-engagement

Are you noticing a lot of abandoned carts on your website? You can use re-engagement emails to develop a personalized approach for these customers. 

Re-engagement emails can remind shoppers they left something in their cart. You can even specify what that item was. Then, you can provide them with an easy link back to your e-commerce store.

Re-engagement can help you close sales (instead of missing out on potential opportunities).

2. Bold Typography

Take a look at your current email campaigns. Have you used the same template for the past few years? It’s time to mix it up!

As you use these email marketing trends, it’s important to think about design, content, and the marriage between the two.

For example, you can draw readers in by using a big, bold headline at the top of your emails. Bold typography can draw the eyes and make a big impact. 

Big headlines also tell readers exactly what your emails are about. Keeping them focused on a singular topic will keep you from confusing your audience.

Play with different fonts to see what best suits your brand.

3. Color Considerations

As you use the email marketing trends for 2021, think about new ways you can engage readers within your design. Here are a few ways you can play with color within your emails.

Gradients

Gradients are becoming more popular in web and graphic design. You can use a gradient to create a unique background within your emails. In addition to grabbing the reader’s attention, it can keep their interest all the way down the page.

You don’t have to add gradients to your background. Instead, consider adding it to your buttons or headers as well.

Muted Colors

Many readers are tired of bright color schemes that strain their eyes. Instead, consider switching to muted colors. Muted color palettes are desaturated into pastels.

Monochrome

You don’t have to go big and bold with your color schemes. Dark mode isn’t the only option, either. Instead, consider replacing black and white with a monochrome layout.

Look at the photos you want to use within your emails. What colors do you want to pull from the imagery?

Use similar shades for your background and text for a monochrome layout. You can also pair monochrome elements with a minimalistic look.

4. Stand Out Graphics

The graphics you use within your emails can help engage your customers as well. Here are a few ways you can play with the graphics within your designs.

3D Imagery

Want to add more dimension to your emails? 3D images are making their way into emails. You can add a 3D image to your header to add depth to your designs.

2D images are popular this year as well. You can add textured illustrations to embellish otherwise stale imagery. Shading, gradients, and tints can give your imagery more texture.

Neumorphism

This graphic design trend uses subtle effects to help your graphics stand out. For example, you can use neumorphism to give buttons or infographics more depth.

You can use Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe XD to design these graphics. Using neumorphism can create a unique user experience for your readers. It’s also a great way to lead them throughout your content by drawing the eyes.

Play with different shadows and button colors. You can find the perfect combination for your next campaign!

Animations

Animations are a fun way to spice up your emails. Illustrated animations, GIFs, and micro-animations can draw the reader’s eyes to key points of content. In addition to engaging your audience, you can also use animations to draw them toward conversion opportunities like a button.

5. Emotional Design

Want to connect with your customers as you use these email marketing ideas? Consider emotional design. An emotional design can make consumers feel:

• Curious
• Greed
• Trust
• Belonging
• Guilt
• Hope
• Vanity
• Optimism
• Love
• Fear

The right combination of colors, imagery, and text can encourage consumers to feel a certain way. For example, blue creates feelings of calm and peace. A burst of red can evoke love and lust.

6. Dark Mode

You’ve likely seen dark mode offered on many of your favorite apps. It’s now becoming more popular in email marketing and other forms of design.

Dark mode uses a reversed color scheme. Iconography, typography, and other small elements switch to lighter hues, while the background darkens. For example, you can have a black background, gray text, and a bright yellow button.

You’ll need to make sure your email developer can adjust the coding for this function.

As eye strain becomes more popular, more people could start using dark mode.

7. Text-Only Emails

You don’t have to stuff your emails with text and imagery. Instead, consider switching to text-only emails. You can combine text-only pages with personalization.

Text-only emails feel more personal because they focus on what the consumers want. Don’t push sales language. Instead, use this as an opportunity to stand out from other emails with a minimalistic approach. 

8. Interactive Emails

The average click rate for emails was 1.9% in 2015. In 2018, it rose to 2.4%. Why?

Namely, more companies are creating interactive emails. 

You can use accelerated mobile pages (AMP) to add interactive content to your next email marketing campaign. For example, you can add a carousel or shopping buttons into the email without sending people to a website page.

You can also let consumers see different colors for a different product from an email, just by clicking on color swatches.

Interactive content can make the user’s life easier. You won’t have to send them to a dozen different pages to help them.

9. Automation

Want to make your life easier this year? Personalizing emails and creating fresh campaigns can get a little exhausting. Automation can take some of the weight off your shoulders.

Use the analytics you’ve gathered, along with these email marketing trends, to create automated campaigns.

For example, you can create a series of welcome emails for new subscribers. Welcome emails can boost engagement on your site.

Transactional emails send consumers confirmation messages. You can use these emails to bring them back, upsell, and generate more engagement.

Don’t forget to send out birthday emails, too! Add a coupon to increase sales and help readers feel special.

10. Privacy

GDPR privacy is still essential. Make sure you understand the latest privacy laws, including anti-spam regulations. You can also:

• Get consent regarding opt-ins
• Create a privacy policy
• Maintain consent records

Make sure your followers have an easy way of revoking their permissions.

You’ve Got (New) Mail: 10 Email Marketing Trends for 2021

Ready to step up your email marketing campaigns this year? Give these 10 email marketing trends for 2021 a chance. With these email marketing ideas, you can stand out and draw in new customers. 

Want help improving your email campaigns this year?

Explore our pricing today to start cleaning your lists.