It is easy to overlook the potential of email marketing today, especially due to the many modern ways to reach customers. If there are social media platforms available, why bother with email marketing? This method might be the oldest messaging channel, but it is one of the most effective marketing tools. According to recent statistics, every $1 spent on email marketing generates $38 of revenue, which is equivalent to ROI of 3800%. There is evidence that email has 3.7 billion users worldwide in 2017, and this number is predicted to go up to 4.2 billion users by 2022. 

What would happen if email marketing got a modern makeover? Well, this is already happening. Marketers are using data science, machine learning(ML), and artificial intelligence(AI) to take their email strategies to higher heights. This article has put together some of the ways data science, ML and AI are helping email marketing.

Calibrating email timing

What if there was a way to point out the right time to send content that is likely to convert the recipient to a customer? Digital marketers would invest a lot of time and effort on that. Today, this is not only wishful thinking. Marketers don't have to rely on guesswork or general recommendations when it comes to deciding on the right time to send out emails to their subscribers. 

According to Dylan Menders, data specialist in a medical company, timing is everything. She also adds that the only way to address the time issue properly is by the use of an ML algorithm that decides the right time to interact with each customer. Data science, ML, and AI are eliminating the likelihood of subscribers opting out because of being bombarded with frequent or very few email promo messages. These modern technologies in email strategies can factor in useful customer data and use it to learn their habits, which are useful in determining the right schedule of dispatching emails automatically.

Offers enhanced personalization of promotions

Personalization is the king when it comes to email marketing. Emails messages that portray that a company knows nothing about the recipient have the lowest open and click-through rate. Statistics show that personalized emails generate 50% higher open rates. ML and AI tools are helping email marketers offer promotions that are valuable to the individual customer and resonates to their unique pain points.

AI understands that it is dealing with humans with unique habits and preferences. Thus, it measures how each customer reacts to specific emails. It uses that knowledge to make personalized promo content, recommendations, discounts, rebates, and CTAs that will be relevant to the specific consumer. Customers who are interested in discounts receive the discounted offers, while those whose interest is free offers receive recommendations about them. As a result, marketers enjoy increased engagements. 

Segmentation of subscribers is possible

According to Michael Brenner, segmentation is the cornerstone of effective marketing strategies. The sophisticated algorithm, as well as data-driven insights used by ML and AI tools, have made it possible for marketers to group their customers based on basic information. They use details such as age, gender, location, purchase patterns, and different behavioral signs. Segmentation of consumers in that manner can be used to create more customized campaigns. Such customers will receive exclusive offers, products, company news, and more personalized information that leads to better results.

Increases conversions

Data science, ML, and AI are not all about creating personalized emails. Digital marketers can utilize them to drive purchases through targeted emails, offer product recommendations that are relevant to a subscriber, and also re-target customers who abandoned the cart or haven't purchased in a while. AI and Data Science make this possible because they recognize what customers want and give it to them in time. 

The efficiency of service will be promoted, which many customers appreciate, thus converting more leads into customers. Such customers will purchase what they were looking for and come back for more.

Efficient email analytics

Originally, marketers engaged in a very tedious, time-consuming, and labor-intensive manual practice of testing subject line, images, and body copy that would provide the best results. This multivariate and A/B testing was prone to human errors, thus leading to inaccurate analytics at most times. 

With data science, ML, and AI, email marketers can come up with a robust combination of a subject line, images, and email body that drives better results. They can also identify trends more quickly and make predictions with relative ease.

Optimizes subject line and email content

It is difficult for many marketers to know the best words to use in the subject line and body or the images that a recipient can't ignore. A marketer might not be able to tell if it is an emoji, capital letters, or question mark that will be appealing to a customer. 

Luckily, marketers can utilize data science, ML, and AI to find the best words to incorporate in the subject line to make their email messages stand out in the email inbox. Liad Agmon, CEO of personalization technology stack Dynamic Yield, says that crafting individual-centric subject lines must be done when sending the email, but not when a customer opens it. ML is helping marketers do that. For instance, Persado uses AI, alongside other data science tools, to write email subject lines that fit a brand's voice, but still sounds like they are written by a human.

Conclusion

Data science, ML, and AI is no longer a fantasy picked right from a favorite science fiction movie. These technologies are already here, and they are doing wonders in the email marketing space. Having the ability to give the audience what they specifically need is a dream come true in any marketing strategy. AI and machine learning are helping email marketers achieve that goal and a lot more. For this reason, marketers should leverage the power of data science to provide their consumers with a personalized experience they will appreciate. Utilizing AI and ML in email marketing not only makes a brand stand out from the competitors but also leads to increased sales.