Litmus 2021 State Of Email Highlights Personalization, Automation Trends
According to 90 percent of survey respondents, email marketing is an increasingly important part of an effective digital strategy.
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Email marketing software Litmus has released the results of its 2021 State of Email report, outlining the year’s top trends and data. Similar to in 2020, the year was full of massive changes and an overwhelming emphasis on the importance of effective email strategies.
“Brands and marketers need relevant, personalized customer experiences in order to drive success, which is why, from our State of Email data, businesses are relying on email now more than ever,” said Melissa Sargeant, CMO of Litmus.
“Other core marketing initiatives, such as automation and agile workflow, allow marketers to create timely, customizable touchpoints more efficiently and execute personalization at scale. Email marketing has become a critical component of overall business success and, in order to keep pace with competitors and customer expectations, automation, collaboration, and analytics solutions will only grow in importance — especially as more privacy initiatives come to fruition. Marketing leaders and teams can’t afford to fall behind, which is why email will soon become an even bigger centerpiece for future marketing programs.”
One of the most striking statistics the report reveals is that 90 percent of respondents consider email to be a vital part of their overall success, with 41 percent considering it to be “very critical.” Compared to 2019’s survey, which revealed 70 percent and 13 percent in the respective categories, it is clear that email will continue to grow in the post-2020 world. 40 percent of marketers responded they intend to increase their email investment in 2022.
Companies are also trending toward bringing their email teams more in-house, with 41 percent planning to boost their own email teams and 52 percent looking to decrease workloads from freelancers, consultants, and agencies.
In a business environment that is being driven more and more by personalization and automation, interactive email strategies are key to creating meaningful engagements. Among some of the top priorities for respondents included upgrading automation (59 percent), boosting personalization (55 percent), and developing customer profiles (35 percent).
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The survey also reveals some of the negative habits that brands fall into. For example, more than 60 percent of marketers operate without a clear view of their ROI and 55 percent never or almost never perform A/B testing. These types of activities can easily interrupt email marketing strategies and cause adverse effects than intended.
Since the company was founded in 2005, Litmus has focused its business on empowering the world of website and email marketing. Today, the solution is used by more than 700,000 professionals at brands like Samsung, Zendesk, Monster, and LendingTree. In total, 80 percent of Fortune 100 companies use the solution in their strategies.