The emails with a clear focus are much easier to comprehend from a user standpoint. Their eye is drawn from the header, through the copy, down to the main CTA. And, when there is a secondary call-to-action, it’s just that, secondary.

Welcome the idea of focus and build your email on a well thought out hierarchy with beautiful design.

Email Trend #3: Use Interactivity

Interactive email is something I’ve seen a lot of in the consumer space. At The Email Design Conference back in August, I was exposed to a ton of interactive emails. Everything from animated GIFs to taking a short quiz within an email. They were all consumer based.

Now, we’re seeing that trend creep into the B2B space by way of animated GIFs and countdown clocks.

Using movement in an unexpected way can catch the user’s eye and attention. Remember, these things don’t have to be the header image. Looping a background GIF behind a CTA will really give it a punch. Likewise, placing countdowns within the body content can all of a sudden make it more interesting.

Think outside of the box and keep pushing the interactive envelope with B2B emails.

Email Trend #4: Make It Accessible

Assuming that most of the B2B audience were professionals, using Outlook, on a desktop, in an office, responsive email had really taken a backseat in the industry. This is also true for some other accessibility updates in the email world. (Think wider email canvases!)

The definition of ‘office’ has evolved quite a bit in the last couple of years and B2B companies are taking notice. Perhaps today’s office is seat 7A on a plane and a tablet is the device of choice. Maybe your user has back-to-back meetings and the only way to check emails is on a mobile device. Or, if you’re me, office means a stand-up desk supporting a 17-inch monitor that’s set to a 1366x768 resolution. Whatever the case, emails have to be accessible on every device.

Seemingly subtle changes, like a wider body in desktop views or larger buttons on mobile designs can really make a difference to today’s B2B professional. These layouts should complement one another and work together. How do columns stack when displayed on a smaller screen? Do your text sizes adjust? It’s no longer safe to assume your audience is sitting at a desk.

Moving into 2017, be an advocate for developing more accessible emails.

Assuming that most of the B2B audience were professionals, using Outlook, on a desktop, in an office, responsive email had really taken a backseat in the industry.

Email Trend #5: Revisit Newsletters

Coinciding with the rise of business related blogs, newsletters are no longer a thing of the past for B2B companies. Almost every B2B website I visit offers me a way to ‘subscribe’ for the latest news, industry trends and content. (Seriously, even Cisco has a blog you can subscribe to!)

Newsletters have become another way for companies to gain leads and pass people into nurture flows. Often when signing up, users are asked to self-identify to some extent.

From here, they are likely placed into a nurture flow with the hopes of converting a hot lead to sales.

I receive the newsletter below each week from NewsCred. The layout is simple and consistent. In its most recent design, users get a featured blog post, two related articles and a piece of content.

Consistency is not to be overlooked in these unique emails. The list is likely larger, covering a broader audience than you may be used to. And, by nature there are going to be several CTAs to include. Keeping the design simple and consistent helps alleviate what might otherwise be overwhelming amounts of content.