A new year is a good time to take stock of your email marketing strategy. We have looked at the trends shaping 2020 and pulled out the five things that should be on your radar.
Mobile is king. More subscribers are reading and acting on emails from their phones than ever before, which is no surprise given how attached we are to our devices. Think mobile first when building your campaigns. That means layouts that render well on small screens, yes, but it also means keeping copy tight. Mobile readers scroll fast and lose interest faster, so cut anything that does not earn its place.
Less is more. Attention spans are short. Research puts the average focus window at around 8 seconds before a reader moves on. That makes your subject line and call to action the two most important elements in any send. Use visual elements to carry the message, make your content easy to scan, and resist the urge to include everything. One clear action per email beats three competing ones every time.
Personalised content. A spray-and-pray approach does not work in 2020. Subscribers expect content that is relevant to them, and if it is not, they will ignore it or unsubscribe. Start by segmenting your database on subscriber details and behaviour. Smart segments let you put the right content in front of the right people without manual effort every time you send.
Automation. The numbers here are hard to ignore. According to Campaign Monitor, automated emails generate 86% higher open rates, 196% more click-throughs, and 320% more revenue than standard promotional sends. Set up automations where they make sense. A welcome email when someone joins your list is the obvious starting point. From there, triggers based on subscriber data let you reach people at the right moment without manual scheduling.
Follow the regulations. Compliance pressure is only going up, and the cost of ignoring it is too. Make sure your sign-up forms are clear about what subscribers are agreeing to, including being emailed and having their activity tracked. TouchBasePro sign-up forms are built around full opt-in consent, with tick boxes that cover both email communication and activity tracking. Getting this right now will save you headaches later.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does mobile optimisation matter so much for email marketing in 2020?
- Most subscribers now open emails on their phones. If your layout breaks on a small screen or your copy runs too long, readers will scroll past or delete without acting. Mobile-first design and concise copy work together to keep engagement up.
- How much better do automated emails perform compared to standard sends?
- According to Campaign Monitor, automated emails produce 86% higher open rates, a 196% increase in click-through rates, and 320% more revenue than standard promotional emails.
- What does email compliance require when collecting subscriber addresses?
- Subscribers should actively opt in, understanding they are agreeing to receive emails and have their activity tracked. Clear, honest sign-up forms with explicit tick boxes are the practical way to meet this standard. TouchBasePro's sign-up forms are built to collect fully opt-in consent.
- What is the best way to personalise email campaigns without doing it manually every time?
- Segment your database based on subscriber details and behaviour. Once your segments are set up, you can target each group with relevant content automatically, rather than rebuilding your audience from scratch before every send.