Email is a hugely important marketing channel for any brand. According to Hubspot, email has an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent. But, like many aspects of marketing, creating and implementing a strong email strategy takes time, money, and effort. That’s why AI email marketing is so exciting. By reducing labor and increasing your efficiency, AI can completely transform the way you tackle email.
Why Is AI Email Marketing So Great?
A lot of marketing feels like a guessing game. Email is no different.
- What type of content will your audience respond to?
- What subject line will make them open an email?
- What phrasing will make them download an offer?
- What send time is more likely to improve your open rates?
Getting these answers can be a lot of trial and error. But AI leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze email data, answer questions, predict trends, automate tasks, and create content. In essence, AI is the ideal assistant to help you implement a stronger email strategy—and get better results.
How to Use AI in Email Marketing
If you haven’t experimented with AI in your email before, that’s OK. Here are some of the best and smartest ways to apply this technology in your marketing operation (including our best tips, tools, and resources to make it easier).
1) Start with clear goals.
Before you embark on any strategy, you need to define what you want to achieve. Whether it’s increasing open rates, boosting conversions, or improving customer retention, having clear goals will guide your AI email marketing strategy. For example, a fashion retailer aiming to increase sales might set a goal to boost conversion rates by 20% in the next quarter.
Once you have these goals documented, identify the metrics you will use to measure success (an ensure your email automation platform can accurately measure them).
Tip: If you don’t already have one, consider using an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, Brevo, or HubSpot.
2) Leverage AI for segmentation.
AI can analyze vast amounts of data to segment your audience more accurately. By understanding customer behavior and preferences, you can create targeted email campaigns for each segment. For example, an e-commerce store might segment its audience into categories like “frequent buyers,” “seasonal shoppers,” and “window shoppers” to tailor content accordingly.
You can use behavioral data, such as past purchases, browsing history, and email interactions to segment your audience.
Tip: If you haven’t already, see our guide to create marketing personas to map your audience’s emotional drivers. These are incredibly important to shape your email content around.
3) Use AI to generate content.
Once you know who you’re targeting, it’s time to produce emails and campaigns to engage that audience. With AI, you can generate everything from subject lines and body copy to signoffs and images. And it’s particularly helpful to scale your content without sacrificing quality.
49% of marketers are using AI to generate email content.
—Hubspot
Tip: The stronger your AI prompts, the better your results will be. Try these prompts to strengthen your email campaigns.
Subject Line Prompts
- Can you suggest some catchy subject lines for a [type of email] targeting [audience]?
- What are some subject lines that create a sense of urgency for a [product/service] promotion?
- How can I craft a personalized subject line for an email campaign aimed at [specific demographic]?
Opening Line Prompts
- How should I start an email to engage [audience] right from the beginning?
- What’s a good opening line for an email introducing our new [product/service]?
- What’s an engaging way to open an email offering a special discount to loyal customers?
- How can I start an email that aims to re-engage inactive subscribers?
Body Content Prompts
- What should I include in the body of an email to highlight the benefits of [product/service]?
- How do I structure the content of this email to maximize reader engagement and click-through rates?
- How can I write persuasive email copy that addresses [common customer pain points]?
Call to Action (CTA) Prompts
- What are some strong CTAs for an email promoting a limited-time offer?
- What are effective CTAs for an email inviting customers to a product demo?
- How can I create a sense of urgency in my CTA for a flash sale email?
Closing Line Prompts
- How should I end an email to leave a positive impression and encourage future engagement?
Remember: Specificity is always the key to a strong AI prompt. Identify the audience, their pain point, and the action you want them to take to generate the best responses.
4) Personalize content.
When it comes to AI email marketing or any AI-related marketing, personalization is the secret to winning.
AI-powered personalization in marketing can increase ROI by up to 70%.
—Hubspot
Thus, you should always look for ways to add more personalization throughout your buyer journey. Luckily, email is one of the best places to do it.
Now, when we talk about personalization, we’re talking about much more than using the recipient’s name. AI can help you tailor content based on individual preferences, past behavior, and predicted future actions. For example, a travel company might send personalized emails showcasing destination recommendations based on the recipient’s past travel history and interests. Or an online retailer could use AI to create product recommendations and personalized offers for each customer, based on their browsing and purchase history.
Tip: These prompts are a great way to create more personalized email marketing.
- How can I personalize an email for [specific segment of your audience]?
- What are some tips for writing emails that cater to different audience segments?
- Can you suggest ways to incorporate personalization tokens effectively in my email content?
- How do I write emails that address the unique needs and preferences of [target audience]?
- What are best practices for segmenting my email list and tailoring content accordingly?
You might also use dynamic content blocks to show different products or messages to different segments. For more tips, find out how to infuse more personalization across your buyer journey.
5) Optimize send times.
Send times are always tricky, as many factors influence when your audience is most likely to open their email. Fortunately, AI tools can analyze past email interactions to determine the optimal times to send emails to each recipient. For example, a fitness app might discover that users are most likely to engage with emails about workout tips in the early morning, while emails about diet plans perform better in the evening. (On that note, you will always want to consider seasonal events or significant dates for your audience.)
6) A/B test with AI.
Sending out a big email campaign can be nerve-wracking. Did you use the best subject line? Is your opener compelling? Is your content too short or too long? A/B testing with AI can give you those answers, allowing you to get better results.
For example, you might soft launch a product with a small audience and A/B test your subject line, then use the winner for your full list blast. You can also A/B test a variety of things, including tone, length, value prop, CTAs, etc. Fortunately, many platforms allow for A/B testing across the board.
7) Automate drip campaigns.
AI can enhance your drip campaigns by automatically adjusting the sequence based on user behavior and engagement. For example, an online course provider could create a drip campaign that sends educational content and reminders to students who have signed up but have not yet started a course.
You can also use AI to dynamically insert personalized content into your drip emails, such as product recommendations, articles, or services.
Tip: Set up automated workflows that trigger emails based on specific actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or abandoning a shopping cart.
8) Monitor and analyze performance.
AI tools provide detailed analytics that can help you understand what’s working and what’s not. For example, after analyzing our data, we realized that our case study emails were getting an unusually high open rate. We have since adjusted our email marketing strategy to focus more on sharing our work and customer success stories.
Tip: Regularly review your email performance metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, to gather insights and adjust your strategy accordingly.
How to Adopt More AI Practices
As you become more adept at using AI (and continue to improve your email marketing with related insights), look for more ways you can apply AI throughout your marketing organization.
- Familiarize yourself with AI’s applications. See our full guide to AI marketing to get more ideas about how this tech can help you work smarter.
- Use the right prompts to get the right results. See our free roundup of 75 AI prompts to build a better AI-driven marketing strategy.
- Explore the best tools. Beyond email marketing, AI can support you with so many of the tedious tasks that drain your precious brain power. See our roundup of 50 AI tools to see which options might work best for your team.
- Find out how other people are winning with AI. See our roundup of 10 killer AI case studies for more ways you might use it in your organization.
Of course, AI is not the single silver bullet to solve your problems. You still need to build and implement your strategies with critical thinking and a human-led approach. But if you’re hitting a wall and need help strengthening your strategy (or learning to work with AI), consider partnering with an expert. Find out more about our AI marketing services, and explore how we’ve helped other customers win.
Most importantly, remember that AI is evolving as we speak. To make sure you’re applying this tech correctly, stay educated and keep trying new things. That is the best, most adaptable way to win in your email marketing and beyond.
