Well, we’ve officially said goodbye to the last decade and entered a new one. As you wind down after what must have been a wild holiday season, it’s time to turn your attention to what’s to come this year. We’ve put our heads together and come up with our top 5 email marketing predictions for 2020.

Email Marketing Prediction 1

The Year of User Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) is any type of content created by your customers. User generated content is proven to drive real-time engagement from your brand evangelists and prospects. Finding ways to motivate your customers to contribute content helps elevate your brand, promote authenticity, and increase conversions. Case in point, 85% of consumers find UGC more influential than any form of brand content. Not only does it increase conversions, but it’s cost effective. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on one piece of in-house content, take those funds and use them to create a UGC campaign where you’ll end up with hundred of usable pieces of content. Lastly, it creates a more authentic “you.” In fact, 60% of consumers say user-generated content is the most authentic form of content. Why? Because it allows potential prospects to see how people in the real-world interact with or use your products and services.

Email Marketing Prediction 2

Mobile Will Become the Default

Every year you hear us say, this is the year of mobile. However, for the first time, more emails are now opened on mobile than desktop.  As smartphones continue to increase in quality and accessibility anywhere continues as the norm, expect mobile phones to dominate the email space. Pair this data point with the fact that emails that display incorrectly on mobile may be deleted within three seconds, and it’s time to pay attention. As the year goes on, we predict more designers will find ways to bake interactivity into mobile email design. Gone are the days of flat, boring emails. Expect to see animated buttons, rollover effects to showcase products, product carousels and other interactive images that are controlled by the reader, surveys, and other user-generated interactive content.

Email Marketing Prediction 3

Concise and Simple Will Rule the Nest

Gone are the days of jam-packed emails that sell you everything under the sun. As we turn to a new decade the email marketing community will move towards a clear, concise, and easily accessible aesthetic. Not only does this help you get the point across faster, it allows you to design with smart readers in mind. The World Health Organization estimates that about 285 million people live with visual impairments, 39 million of which are considered blind. Designers who spend time finding ways to design for accessibility will not only benefit from increased readership, they’ll create a clear cut message, look, and feel for their brand.77% of marketers, according to Litmus, say email accessibility is a priority for their brand, but only 8% rigidly follow accessibility best practices. With the advent of smart readers, comes the opportunity to really take a long look at why you may have been ignoring best practices for accessibility. And, at the end of the day, creating a more accessible email not only helps a small subset of subscribers, but makes comprehension and engagement easier for all your subscribers.

Email Marketing Prediction 4

While on the Topic, Less Will Become More

This December, one retailer sent me an email every single day for 30 days straight. Every. Single. Day. Over the past couple of years, consumer and subscriber inboxes have gotten bogged down with an influx of email, sometimes hearing from the same business multiple times in one day. As we move into 2020, it’s time to cut down and take a look at what messages you really want to send to your customers and subscribers. Rather than blast your entire reader-base with messages, it’s time to curb your impulse to send everyone every message. Return to the thought that your subscribers opted to hear from you about news and updates, and probably some promotions, and do your best to resist your urges to hit them over the head with a sale. Overtime, you’ll reap the benefits of having a happy and engaged audience.

Email Marketing Prediction 5

Single Stack Solutions Are on the Rise

As more and more marketers embrace the world of predictive data and marketing automation as part of their everyday process, they will start to look for ways to optimize this particular segment of marketing. Marketers, and C-Suite executives, will turn their attention to solutions who can boast it all—a single stack solution to help you tackle your marketing problems. While you’re here, check out WhatCounts Single Stack Solution.

It’s the Roaring ‘20s, Let’s Make ‘Em Count

As we enter this new decade it’s time to throw out the old rule book and think about how you want your customers and subscribers to remember you. Create a good experience for them, and you’ll have loyal, happy consumers and subscribers for life. If you’re looking for a new email marketing platform or a full-service agency, make sure to reach out. Oh, and Happy New Year – may 2020 be your year to shine.