Email might not be the newest tool in your B2B marketing stack, but it remains one of the most effective ways to connect with consumers in 2024.
Not only are there 4 billion daily email users, but 99% of these people check their inbox daily, and 59% of consumers say their decisions are influenced by email messages. Since the dawn of digital marketing, email has been driving exceptional results for B2B brands.
However, you still need to ensure you’re paying attention to the latest trends, market changes, and transformations if you want to optimise your ROI. Let’s take a closer look at the state of email marketing in 2024, and the trends that will influence B2B brands.
The State of Email Marketing in 2024
As mentioned above, though many aspects of the marketing landscape have changed in recent years, the potential of email for B2B brands remains consistent. The average email click-through rate is still an impressive 2.6-3%. Additionally, 87% of marketers believe their email campaigns are crucial to their success. However, in 2024, most businesses are already aware of the power of email.
We’re living in a world where the average person receives around 121 emails per day. That number can be even higher for executive-level B2B prospects. In a time of inbox saturation, it’s important for companies to ensure they’re not just taking steps to make their messages stand out, but also diversifying their marketing stack.
Email marketing is still valuable for capturing and nurturing leads. But there are plenty of other opportunities to explore, from social media marketing to video, and even direct mail. As you’re responding the trends in the email marketing landscape for 2024, make sure you’re not focusing all of your budget on just one marketing channel.
5 Email Marketing Trends for B2B Brands to Watch
Like all forms of marketing, email has evolved in recent years, responding to changing consumer preferences and technologies. While not all of the trends in this landscape will be relevant to your company, there are some worth watching if you’re upgrading your B2B campaigns.
Here are just five of the biggest trends that we believe will influence B2B email marketing strategies heading into 2024 and beyond.
1. Rising Use of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been influencing email marketing campaigns for a few years now. Often built into email automation software, AI solutions are excellent for sifting through data, providing insights into your customers, and offering suggestions for campaign optimisation.
In today’s world of generative AI, there are even more opportunities for B2B brands. According to HubSpot’s studies, 38% of marketers use AI tools to write emails. Plus, 95% of those marketers believe the technology is “effective” at delivering results.
Generative AI solutions can be extremely useful for crafting engaging and personalised subject lines, email copy, and campaigns. However, it’s important to ensure your copy still retains a human touch. Today’s B2B buyers will be more likely to ignore content that seems inauthentic, or bland. Don’t forget to let your human side shine through.
2. Increased Focus on Mobile Optimisation
Despite the increasing number of smartphone users leveraging their mobile devices to browse the internet and check emails, many B2B brands still aren’t investing in responsive email. Only around 35% of email marketers say they take a mobile-first approach to email design.
Whether you’re targeting B2B or B2C customers, ensuring your emails can load quickly on mobile devices is crucial. In the B2B world in particular, where business buyers are spending more time working remotely and leveraging mobile devices for productivity tasks, responsivity is crucial.
Ensure any templates and tools you’re using to create your email campaigns prioritise delivering an excellent experience to users, regardless of which device they’re using. Most automation tools should allow you to check the appearance of your emails on mobile devices before you send them.
3. Interactivity in Emails
Not only are today’s B2B consumers dealing with more crowded inboxes, but they’re also battling an increasingly low attention span. We’re overwhelmed by constant distractions in today’s digital world, making it harder for us to focus on long, complex, and boring emails.
To respond to this trend, many business leaders will be focusing on creating shorter, more direct email campaigns. However, there is another way to capture and engage customers too. Interactive emails, which include videos, sliders, or a carousel of images, can drive incredible results.
Interactive email elements can boost the amount of time people spend looking at your emails, and boost your chances of higher click-through rates. Just make sure your interactive elements don’t detract from a streamlined mobile experience.
4. Increased Personalisation
HubSpot research shows that the most effective strategies for boosting email campaign results are subscriber segmentation (78%) and message personalisation (72%). In 2024, demand for personalisation will continue to increase, particularly in the B2B world, where leaders receive dozens of sales and marketing messages every day.
Companies looking to build and nurture strong relationships with their leads in the years ahead will need to go a step further to deliver true personalisation. This could mean creating more comprehensive “micro-segments” of your audience or connecting your email strategy with your account-based marketing campaigns.
Collecting plenty of data about your target audience and consumers will help you to create more powerful email marketing strategies. Plus, you can even use artificial intelligence to help you create personalised campaigns for each of the groups you want to target.
5. Greater Focus on Trust
The rise of phishing scams and cybercrime in 2024 has created some anxiety around the email inbox. Many B2B buyers are more cautious about which emails they open, and how they interact with them today. With this in mind, companies will need to work harder to earn their customer’s trust.
Adding user-generated content and reviews to your email copy is a good strategy. However, you’ll also need to think about other ways you can put your customer’s mind at ease. Using the right “from” name and address in your email will make it less likely your messages will be viewed as spam.
Keeping capital letters and hyperbolic statements out of your subject line is another good strategy. It’s also worth paying close attention to how transparent you are with your consumers. Authentically outline what you want to accomplish with your emails, so your customers know what to expect straight away. Follow CAN-SPAM guidelines carefully, and make sure you give users the opportunity to unsubscribe from your emails if they want to.
Updating your Email Marketing Strategy for 2024
In 2024, email marketing will continue to be a powerful tool for B2B brands. Email still offers business leaders an incredible way to interact with customers, nurture leads, increase loyalty, and improve customer lifetime value. However, the way you leverage your email strategies is likely to evolve.
In the year ahead, companies will need to take extra measures to ensure they’re engaging their customers with the right, personalised content, building trust, and showcasing authenticity. At the same time, you’ll need to carefully balance your use of AI tools and interactive content, with your methods for preserving your brand reputation and delivering an excellent user experience.
Remember, email also isn’t the only way to reach and nurture your audience in 2024. In today’s age of saturated inboxes, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re taking a multi-faceted, and multi-channel approach to engaging your target customers.
