AI is here, and it’s growing. We’re in the AI era, where software from chatbots to productivity tools exists with AI at its core. You may not even notice when it’s in use; for example, when Netflix recommends new shows based on your viewing history, it’s not a team of people trawling your viewing preferences and writing you an email – it’s an AI.
Increasingly, AI has a role in email marketing, but what is that role and how best can we use it? Let’s explore…
Understanding AI in Email Marketing
What we commonly call ‘AI’ comes in many forms, including machine learning, where algorithms learn from the data they are given, and natural language processing where the system understands what’s being said to it and generates human-like responses. These tools are not here to replace marketers but to help and empower savvy marketers to do their job better.
Here are some of the most commonly used AI for marketers.
ChatGPT
The headline-making conversational AI, ChatGPT, can be used to generate personalised email responses, segment audiences based on their interests, and help with brainstorming innovative campaign ideas.
Gemini
Gemini is an AI-powered writing tool that can help marketers craft engaging email copy, compelling subject lines, and persuasive calls to action.
Grammarly
Grammarly has been around for a while, and it provides a powerful writing assistant that can help with getting your writing proofread and spell-checked, as well as checking for plagiarism. It’s there to help improve your writing.
Jasper
Another smart writing assistant, Jasper produces content in a natural voice that’s based on your brand’s tone. It also has a clever SEO optimisation function.
Phrasee
Phrasee has been developed with the marketeer in mind, writing on-brand content that includes optimising email subject lines for maximum open rates.
Seventh Sense
Seventh Sense is an email delivery optimisation AI that determines the best send times for each recipient, maximising your email marketing deliverability and engagement.
Perplexity
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that clearly cites its sources. It’s particularly useful for generating ideas.
The Benefits of AI in Email Marketing
1
Productivity and Efficiency
It cannot be underplayed how much more efficient AI tools can make your marketing. Automating tedious tasks like list segmentation and email scheduling can save hours. Similarly, using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to generate initial brainstorming ideas or perform first-stage research can make your time far more productive.
2
Hyper Personalisation
Personalisation is all about understanding and engaging with your customer data to deliver targeted and relevant content. AI is able to analyse vast amounts of that data rapidly, resulting in hyper-personalised content that brings higher engagement and conversions.
3
Data Delight
AI can provide valuable insights that empower marketers to make informed decisions based on real data, rather than guesswork. With both an overview and deeper analysis of customer behaviour, campaign performance, and current trends, you can plan clearer marketing strategies.
4
Improved Deliverability and Spam Filtering
For email marketers, the AI algorithms that help email deliverability are of particular significance. By identifying and filtering out any spammy content, these ensure your emails reach the right inboxes, greatly improving your email marketing campaigns.
Understanding the Limitations of AI in Email Marketing
It’s not quite as simple as ‘set the AI going and relax’, however. AI has its limitations and they are significant.
First, it cannot replicate the nuanced understanding of human emotions and motivations that experienced marketers possess and apply liberally. It can’t get humour, which means no puns, no dad jokes, or even clever use of current phrases that are in with the kids these days! No cap (yes, I had to look that up)…
Then, there’s a learning curve with AI. It’s a real rubbish-in, rubbish-out type of situation and knowing how to get good results from AI tools is a skill in itself. Over-reliance on AI can result in poor results that are inconsistent across campaigns with a wild variety of quality.
Plus, AI gets it wrong. Are there cats on the moon? According to Google’s AI there are, as this article shows. It’s easy to test the limitations of AI – just ask it something niche that you know really well, and watch it get it very slightly wrong. One example is to get it to list songs from a band that you like, with original albums and some lyrics; it’s all info that’s available out there on the web, but somehow AI will fail to nail it. It’s a great tool for first-stage research, but you cannot rely 100% on anything it tells you.
Finally, the sea of AI content is deep and wide, by which I mean too many emails are being AI generated, and very obviously so – even a simple personalisation is enough to give away the AI behind it. People are getting wise to it, and there’s both dislike and resistance in some circles to AI content, so be aware.
Implementing AI in Your Email Strategy
Here are the main ways to use AI as part of your email marketing strategy:
- Personalisation - AI can analyse the customer data to tailor your content, subject lines, and send times for maximum engagement.
- Automation - Hand off those repetitive tasks, such as email scheduling, list management, and responses to the most common questions and requests.
- Advanced Timing - AI predictions of user behaviour can propel your scheduling to the next level, powering your responses to the exact right times for superior impact.
- Triggered Responses - AI can analyse customer behaviours and deliver pre-defined or even generated responses for email list re-engagement or abandoned cart reminders.
- Segmentation - Analysing data and creating groupings for your subscribers is made significantly more sophisticated and efficient through AI-powered segmentation.
- Data Analysis and Campaign Optimisation - AI can continuously improve campaigns through insights gained on performance data.
- A/B Testing - With AI-driven testing tools, rapid A/B testing can ensure subject lines and content are polished to deliver conversions.
- Anti-Spam - Keep your email campaigns clean with superior AI analysis and filtering processes.
The Future of AI in Email Marketing
We’re still at the beginning of AI’s impact on marketing strategies (and our lives). Many exciting developments will come as AI continues to shape email marketing, from predictive analytics that anticipates customer behaviour to conversational AI providing interactive email experiences – plus more that we can only imagine. Getting on board and understanding the technology during these early days will give today’s email marketer the advantage in the months and years to come.
Getting the Most out of AI
There’s no doubt that AI is a powerful tool that can transform your email marketing, but it still needs to be combined with human expertise to accomplish its promises. Contact Nathan Littleton today to learn more about leveraging the email marketer’s AI toolkit.
