Email, the sturdy, longstanding cornerstone of digital marketing communications for both B2B and B2C companies, remains as vital and effective as ever. Compellingly written, well designed, and capped off with an irresistible call to action, email can boost awareness, stimulate desire, and initiate conversion at the click of a customer.

Still, much has changed since that pioneering digital marketer bravely dispatched the very first eDM. Delivering emails on mobile phones, once a ground-breaking innovation, is now a given, and the relatively simple programs that powered email marketing in days of yore have been supplanted by omnichannel marketing automation technologies that continue to advance at a remarkable pace.

Enter AI, the new disruptor in digital marketing, bringing with it the power of machine learning and cognitive computing to customer engagement. With more data being collected by more systems about more people faster and more efficiently than ever, artificial intelligence is changing what is possible in email marketing today.

From segments to individuals, speak when they want to be spoken to

AI is bringing new meaning to both the art and science of email targeting. Instead of manually carving out crude, unwieldy audience segments from mounds of disparate data, marketers are tapping the power of AI-driven pre-campaign predictive marketing analytics to identify audience members most likely to respond to their communications—be it an offer, new product, service, or announcement. Leveraging all types of audience data —demographics, location, transactional history, psychographics, propensities, and more—marketers can equip themselves to offer precisely what their audience wants—a truly individualized experience.

Individualizing email content and delivery

Marketers know that crafting effective emails can feel like solving a complex mathematical equation. Upping open rates by swapping a matter-of-fact subject line with a compelling alternative. Tinkering with the design to hammer home a message. Puzzling over the best timing. Choosing the perfect formula for each email is a daunting task—and doing it at scale can be a real headache. What’s more, these now need to happen on an individual level.

Some AI solutions are already helping marketers identify the best content to embed in their emails so that they can appeal to each and every recipient on their target lists. By deploying the right message at the right time, AI simplifies the sometimes hectic task of campaign orchestration across channels, freeing marketers to develop strategies and finesse customer experiences.

AI + Email campaigns = Better outcomes

Digital marketing is an exercise in constant improvement, a contest for every-improving outcome. As a crucial component of omnichannel marketing, email campaigns are no exception. With an AI-powered marketing platform, marketers can access in-depth insights into their campaign performances, industry benchmarks to measure the gap between their efforts and those of their competitors, and precise recommendations to optimize all aspects of their email campaigns with assurance.

Email marketing is ever-evolving

Email marketing has come a long way. As data becomes integrated across data silos, marketers will enjoy even better opportunities for AI to send the perfect email to your customers. As the lines between channels blur, how will email marketing evolve? And how will marketers incorporate Voice into their email communications? Whatever the answers, one thing is settled: To delight their omnichannel customers, marketers need to give their emails an AI makeover.