HomeResources5 ways AI can help email marketers improve engagement through personalisation

5 ways AI can help email marketers improve engagement through personalisation

29th February 2024 - 6 mins

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By Andy Gilhooley

, Product Marketing Manager

We know that personalised campaigns outperform generic campaigns and now with the explosive growth of AI technology, those marketers who have yet to tap into the power of personalisation are at risk of falling behind.

 
Read on as we explore 5 ways AI can revolutionise the way you create email personalisation, helping you drive better engagement with your audience.
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1. Predictive analytics segmentation

 
Smart marketers use predictive analytics and machine learning to segment their customer database based on predictive models of customer behaviour. The most common predictive models cater for the lifecycle stage of the customer.
 
Here at RedEye, we have 8 predictive models which can help you address common challenges including the ever popular driving prospect conversion, building repeat customers, growing more VIP customers and reducing churning customers.
 
Check out our latest article on the topic here to delve into the world of predictive analytics.
 

So how does predictive analytics help with email personalisation?

Well, by grouping customers with similar characteristics or buying patterns, marketers can create highly targeted campaigns that directly address the needs of individual customers. Which, in turn, increases engagement levels and conversion rates.
 
For instance, your campaign messaging and frequency will look completely different when communicating with a prospect who is on the verge of making their first purchase compared to a long-term customer who is showing signs of lapsing.
 
If you’re using the same content for both of these segments, then I’ve got bad news for you… they won’t engage.
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2. Personalised recommendations

 
Think about the last time you received an email from your favourite brand with content that felt like it was handpicked just for you. Chances are that clever AI-driven marketing automation was behind those personalised suggestions.
 
From last browsed categories, last viewed products, abandoned checkouts and complementary product recommendations, all sorts of personalised content can be automatically inserted into emails.
 
Going one step further and by analysing data on your past purchases, browsing history, and preferences, AI algorithms can predict what you’re likely to be interested in and serve up tailored recommendations that feel incredibly relevant.
 
Take a page from the playbook of the cosmetics industry. The best brands are using machine learning to predict when a customer will need to replenish their previous purchases Trendy women reading on mobile phone on a rooftop

3. Email content that dynamically updates

 
Have you ever opened an email and been pleasantly surprised to see the content tailored specifically to you? That’s the magic of dynamic content.
 
Instead of sending one-size-fits-all emails, smart marketers are using AI to create dynamic content that adapts based on factors like your location, behaviour, or even the time of day you open the email.
 
At RedEye we call this contextual personalisation and have created a must-read article on the topic here. Our dynamic content block creator using display conditions in our Email Builder tool are second to none.
 
For example, travel email marketers are using contextual personalisation often in their campaigns to display different options based on where you are when opening the email such as nearby attractions for upsell opportunities.
 
Or showing breakfast menu options over evening meal menus if you’ve opened the email during the morning. The content just cleverly switches out without any need for human intervention.
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4. Predicting the best send times for each and every recipient

 
Timing is everything in email marketing, and AI is here to help you get it exactly right with send time optimisation. Timing is often an overlooked step in terms of email personalisation, so let’s correct that!
 
You can create the most beautifully designed email creative, with the most persuasive copy possible, using lots of dynamic content – but that all goes to waste if it’s sent at the wrong time, where the recipient will swipe left and delete it without ever seeing all your hard work.
 
It’s a crushing blow to any email marketer to see such low engagement stats on a campaign that has been lovingly crafted.
 
RedEye’s send time optimisation algorithm analyses subscribers’ behaviour patterns during the last six months to determine the optimal send time for that recipient based on whether you want to drive clicks or purchases.
 
Marketers using STO for all their campaigns are maximising their open rates, click-throughs and conversions. If you’re not, you should be!
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5. Utilising GenAI throughout the email build process

 
Onto the topic on every marketer’s lips – Generative AI. This has captured the hearts and minds ever since ChatGPT opened up their model for widespread use. And tech providers have wasted no time in using GenAI to make everyone’s lives easier.
 
For email marketers, using GenAI saves times in the creation process enabling that time to then be refocused on developing more personalised campaigns.
 

Content creation

GenAI uses large language models (LLM) to generate compelling email content automatically. By analysing data on customer preferences, past engagement, and trends, GenAI can create personalised promotional messages, and even storytelling narratives if prompted.
 
This saves marketers countless hours of brainstorming and writing.
 
At RedEye, our users can generate subject lines using GenAI, where it will scan the html code and read the entire email before recommending the best 5 subject lines for engagement.
 
Our Email Builder tool will shortly be able to write, evaluate and rewrite headline and body copy too!
 

Image generation

With GenAI, email marketers are starting to wave goodbye to generic graphics and photos. GenAI can create high-quality, custom imagery.
 
Whether it’s product visuals, personalised illustrations, or dynamic animations, GenAI ensures that every email captures attention and drives engagement.
 
This saves marketers countless hours on sourcing and editing images.
 

HTML code layouts

Creating responsive and visually appealing email layouts can be a time-consuming task for marketers. GenAI can streamline this process by automatically generating HTML code layouts optimised for various devices and email clients.
 
By analysing email design best practices, GenAI ensures that every email looks great across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. This frees up marketers to focus on crafting compelling content instead.
 

Automated workflow generation

Not only can GenAI build the email layout, write compelling content and the generate beautiful imagery, but now it’s taking early steps in creating the marketing automation workflow too.
 
So, rather than having to manually create delays, emails schedules, Yes/No branching etc, GenAI can create all those nodes for you based on a simple prompt related to the type of automated campaign you wish to setup!
 

Ready to give your email marketing an upgrade and create more engaging, relevant, and effective email campaigns faster than ever before?

 
Then dive into the world of AI-driven marketing automation and watch your engagement soar!
 
Whether it’s recommending products, adapting content, or timing sends just right, AI is assisting marketers in crafting emails that feel like they were made especially for each and every individual on their customer database.
 
 

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About the author

Andy Gilhooley
Andy Gilhooley Product Marketing Manager



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