Email marketing has been around for what feels like forever, but it’s far from outdated. Just last year, half of all consumers made a purchase from an email more than from social media ads or texts. No wonder 87% of marketers plan to ramp up their email efforts in 2024.
But before we pat ourselves on the back, let’s get real for a second. As someone who’s been in the trenches of email marketing, you know that it’s not always a walk in the park.
The biggest hurdle? Standing out in a crowded inbox.
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And it’s no surprise—considering that over 347 billion emails are sent and received daily worldwide, it’s easy to feel like half of those are landing in your inbox alone.
For email marketers, business owners, and email designers alike, the need to adapt is clear.
If you’ve been paying attention to the latest shifts in the industry, you’re probably already thinking, “I need to make my emails more authentic and personalized using AI.” You’re not alone. 45% of teams currently use AI in email marketing.
The email marketing landscape has become more sophisticated, with marketers using data to deliver the dynamic content each subscriber cares most about. 64% of company emails utilize dynamic content for personalization.
As optimizing email design and coding with AI becomes more common, new AI tools are emerging to help you get that dynamic content just right.
In this blog, we’ll explore the world of AI-powered dynamic emails, what it means to create personalized content at scale, and introduce you to some of the most powerful AI tools on the market.
What Is Dynamic Email?
Dynamic emails are designed to make your email messages feel personal and relevant. Instead of sending the same email to everyone, you customize certain content parts based on who’s receiving it. This way, your emails resonate more with each subscriber, making them feel more connected to your brand.
For instance, Litmus Personalize users have seen a 96% average increase in email-generated revenue, a 76% average increase in click-through rate, and a 49% increase in average order value.
But don’t worry—dynamic content doesn’t mean everything in the email has to be different for each person. It just means tweaking a few key details to match the recipient’s preferences. For example, you might highlight products they’ve shown interest in or tailor the content to their past behavior.
How Dynamic Email Works?
Dynamic email campaigns allow you to tailor specific parts of your email based on the group of people you’re sending it to without needing to create separate emails for each person.
Imagine you’re running a B2B SaaS company that offers project management software. You’re sending out a monthly newsletter to your clients, but not all of them use the same features or have the same needs.
With dynamic content, you can create one email template but customize it to speak directly to different groups.
For instance, if you know that a group of subscribers frequently uses your software’s task management feature, you can include a section in the email highlighting a new task-tracking tool or best practices for maximizing productivity.
Meanwhile, another group that relies heavily on your collaboration features would receive content about upcoming enhancements to team communication tools. The main structure of the email remains the same, but the content changes based on the recipient’s usage patterns and interests.
Dynamic content allows you to adjust your message based on demographic information, location, interests, and past behavior. This way, your emails are always relevant and personalized, ensuring the right people get the right message every time.
Here are the steps to create dynamic email content.
Steps to Create Dynamic Email Content
1. Gather Your Data
Data is the foundation of dynamic email content. Without it, your emails will be generic and impersonal. So, let’s start by collecting as much information as possible about your subscribers.
- Track Website Behavior: Analyze customer interactions to understand their interests, preferences, and purchasing habits.
- Conduct Surveys: Directly ask your customers what they want. Surveys can provide valuable insights into their demographics, psychographics, and preferences.
- Use Social Media: Use social media to gain valuable insights about your audience. Analyze their profiles, posts, and interactions to identify patterns and trends.
2. Segment Your Audience
Once you have your data, the next step is to segment your subscribers into groups with similar characteristics. This will help you tailor your messages to specific audiences and increase engagement.
Oleksandr Dievev, a Direct Marketing Specialist at Stripo, believes that effective email personalization starts with accurate segmentation. He points out that knowing your audience segments well allows for better tailoring of offers and content.
He stresses the need to collect user data and understand how to use it effectively in your emails. Starting with solid audience segmentation is essential for successful newsletter personalization.
- Demographic Segmentation: Divide your subscribers based on factors like age, gender, location, and education.
- Psychographic Segmentation: Go beyond demographics and understand your subscribers’ values, beliefs, and lifestyles.
- Behavioral Segmentation: Group subscribers based on their past interactions with your brand, such as purchase history, website activity, and email engagement.
3. Customize Your Messages
Now that you have segmented your audience, it’s time to create personalized content for each group. Here are some customization options:
- Tailor your message to specific age groups, genders, or locations. For example, you could offer a discount code for a local event or highlight products popular in a certain region.
- Appeal to your subscribers’ values, beliefs, and interests. Create content that aligns with their worldview and resonates on a personal level.
- Use subscriber preferences to deliver the content they want. Offer options for email frequency, content types, or product categories.
- Leverage purchase history, website activity, and other behavioral data to create highly relevant and timely messages. For instance, you could send a product recommendation based on a recent purchase or offer a discount on a product they’ve viewed multiple times.
Now that we’ve explored how to create dynamic email content let’s look at how AI can take this process to the next level.
How AI Helps with Dynamic Email
Let’s dig into email personalization strategies using AI to improve your dynamic email marketing game.
1. Dynamic Email Subject Line
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of personalized email subject lines—they really make a difference.
According to a Litmus study, 77% of people saw better results just by adding a personal touch to their subject lines.
But simply using a recipient’s name isn’t enough anymore. Today’s consumers expect more sophisticated personalization. They want subject lines that speak to their loyalty status, browsing habits, and past purchases. That’s where AI pushes the envelope.
AI tools make it easy to create dynamic, personalized subject lines. They generate suggestions based on your email content and recipient data, so you can craft subject lines that are both personal and relevant.
For example, Encharge has a free tool that helps you personalize specific terms and create dynamic email subject lines.
Image source: Email Personalization – Encharge
Mailchimp also offers AI features, like their Email Content Generator, which uses AI to suggest and create subject lines, headers, and preview texts.
2. Personalized Email Text
AI text generators are game-changers when it comes to personalizing email content. Imagine being able to analyze your audience’s behavior, interests, and even buying patterns, then using those data-backed recommendations to craft emails that feel tailor-made for them. That’s exactly what AI can do.
These tools save time and help you create dynamic emails that truly connect with your audience.
Take Rasa.io, for example. This tool is fantastic at sending out newsletters packed with content that matches your audience’s interests, thanks to its ability to analyze user behavior. It’s perfect for anything from sharing important updates to inviting your audience to events.
3. Dynamic Emails with Personalized Offers
Imagine sending an email to your subscribers that feels like you’ve tapped into their thoughts—offering a discount on the product they’ve been eyeing or reminding them about the items left in their cart. That’s the power of dynamic emails with personalized offers made possible by AI.
Instead of delivering the same generic promotion to everyone, AI dives into each subscriber’s shopping habits, browsing history, and even social media interactions to craft an offer that’s uniquely suited to them.
For instance, if a subscriber has been browsing winter coats recently, their next email might highlight the latest deals on coats or include a special discount tailored just for them. If they leave items in their cart, AI can send a timely reminder, possibly with an extra incentive to encourage them to complete the purchase.
For instance, if you’re using Stripo to craft a dynamic email, say you want to present a special offer to subscribers who’ve recently engaged with your brand. You’d place the offer in a specific content block, set a display condition tied to their recent activity, and use your ESP’s code to ensure only those active subscribers see the personalized offer.
4. Dynamic Imagery
So far, we’ve focused on personalized offers and email copy, because they’re the most straightforward ways to add dynamic content to your emails. But let’s not forget about the power of visuals. Dynamic imagery is another exciting way to make your dynamic emails stand out.
AI tools make it possible to create images that change based on who’s viewing them. For example, tools like Hyperise let you layer dynamic content into your images so each recipient sees a personalized touch.
Image Source: Dynamic Email Examples – Drip
More than creating eye-catching emails; it builds a deeper connection with your audience by making them feel like the email was made just for them.
Top Tips for Using AI Tools in Dynamic Email Campaigns
1. Choose the Right Tool
With so many AI email personalization tools out there, pick one that hits all the right notes. Look for tools that offer dynamic personalization based on your website visit and social media data.
Ensure it integrates smoothly with your CRM and other data systems, and check if it provides solid analytics to measure your campaign’s ROI. Also, opt for tools with user-friendly interfaces—no coding skills are required!
2. Ensure Seamless Integrations
Your AI tool for dynamic email content should integrate bi-directionally with your CRM, marketing automation, calendar, and analytics. It should sync all prospect data, trigger personalized follow-ups, update calendars automatically, and track ROI effectively.
3. Optimize for Your Industry
AI can work wonders across any industry, but you’ll get the best results with tools tailored to your specific field. Find solutions tailored to your industry to make your dynamic emails more relevant.
4. Prioritize Data Privacy and Ethics
Ensure your AI tools comply with data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA. Be transparent with your audience about using AI in your campaigns and uphold ethical standards to build trust and respect user privacy.
5. Focus on Data Quality
The effectiveness of AI for dynamic emails hinges on the quality of your data. Keep your data accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with your target audience. Good data equals great content.
6. Continuous Monitoring
Don’t set it and forget it. Regularly review the performance of your AI-enhanced campaigns, gather feedback, and tweak your strategies based on what you learn.
7. Balance AI and Human Oversight
AI can handle a lot, but balancing automation with a human touch is essential. Monitor brand voice, ensure content relevance, and make strategic decisions with a human touch.
8. Test and Experiment
Use A/B testing to compare AI-generated email content to traditional methods. Test different subject lines and content, and send times to refine your approach and find out what works best.
By following these tips, you’ll harness AI’s full potential in your dynamic email campaigns, making your emails more personalized and effective.
Wrapping Up
AI can take your dynamic emails from good to great. Personalizing content, subject lines, and images will make your emails more engaging and relevant. Dive into these AI tools to supercharge your email campaigns and see real results!
Featured image is created using Canva.
