How to optimize AI in your email marketing strategy

 In the rapidly evolving world of digital marketing, AI has made a revolutionary impact since late 2022, particularly with the introduction of ChatGPT. Understanding the many uses of AI in email marketing can greatly improve efficiency. This is especially important in a time when ‘being busy’ is the norm. Looking to improve your email marketing?

Here are some practical tips for effectively using AI in your email campaigns.

Generating subject lines for marketing emails

For higher open rates, use AI to create eye-catching subject lines. Clearly state the target audience, tone of voice, and maximum character count in your prompt.
For example, prompt:“Generate 5 different subject lines for <email content> that ensure a high open rate. Write in a formal, active manner, and keep it within 46 characters.”

Some marketing automation systems already incorporate an AI Subjectline generator, making it even faster to successfully send an email.

Sending at the perfect time

More marketing automation systems are integrating AI functionalities to help you land the right message at the right time to the right person, such as SAP Emarsys. Based on past behavior, they know when your contact prefers to open emails. Make use of Send Time Optimisation (STO), an AI-driven tool that analyses recipient behaviour to determine the optimal time for sending emails.

Creating content with AI

In the context of being ‘busy,’ we can easily lighten our workload by using AI to generate a significant amount of content around a single theme. It can also contribute to inspiring content creation. In the marketing world, we always talk about the funnel and moving the ‘customer’ through it. AI easily assists here! Clearly specify that you want content covering the various stages of your customer journey, mention the model you use, channel you want to place the content, and include the USP you want to incorporate in the text along with the KPIs per phase.

Prompt:“Create a content strategy to successfully introduce product X to target audience Y. Apply the AIDA model to stimulate customer attention, interest, desire, and action. Provide specific content ideas and formats for each phase, including relevant KPIs. Translate these content ideas into conversion-related texts for ad headlines and LinkedIn posts.”

Assisting in setting up Marketing Automation Flows

With the help of AI, it’s possible to quickly create a series of emails. Avoid excessive selling and use AI-based content optimisation to adopt a professional tone. Specify your USPs to evoke a stronger connection with your brand.

Prompt: “Create a 5-part email series for onboarding a new B2B customer who recently signed up for a SaaS product. Focus on informative content leading to an exclusive promotional price for an upgrade in the fourth email, followed by further explanation and encouragement to purchase in the fifth email. Write in a formal, active manner.”

AI Segmentation

Customer inactivity or churn can often go unnoticed. AI can predict customer behaviour and create automated (marketing) flows to prevent this. AI segmentation can also transform first-time buyers into frequent buyers, allowing for a differentiated and strategic marketing approach based on customer behaviour.

I hope my tips will make your work more efficient and less hectic in 2024. Additionally, integrating AI into your email marketing strategy is crucial in today’s digital age. It boosts your competitive advantage by fully leveraging the capabilities of AI for personalized, impactful email campaigns. Embrace AI to experience efficiency in your email marketing efforts..