Email Optimization: Evolving Messaging for Mobile Devices

Since the rise of the Blackberry, the amount of people using mobile for emailing has grown exponentially.  Currently 43% of all emails are opened on a mobile devices. While mobile open rates have risen, desktop email opens have dropped by 44% in the last three years. Email marketers are now evolving their strategies to take advantage of mobile optimization. Here are some simple tips that can help your start your own email marketing  evolution.

1. Short and Sweet Subject Lines

Making a good first impression is vital to obtaining a high open rate. The subject line of an email opened on a smartphone, is substantially less visible than on a PC. Several Studies have shown that emails with short subject lines drastically outperform long ones across all platforms. That being said, the rule of thumb is to keep your subject line to less than 15 characters. Keep your messaging to the point, so viewers have an idea of the email content at first glance.

2. Touch Screen Awareness

We now live in a touch-screen ruled world. For email, you need to take in consideration of where your “touches” are landing. If your viewers are having to hunt within content, or links are too small to easily tap, they are likely to abandon your message. Having large CTA buttons prominently displayed within the header can help improve your user interaction, and improve click through rates.

3. Simplicity in Design

There are fairly simple rules when designing for mobile. The design you use for a PC will translate onto a smartphone, but can often come across as cluttered. By keeping your design clean, you avoid being messy on a smaller screen. It is advised to avoid multi-column design, and instead use a stacked content layout. Font size should also be taken into account. It is not recommended to use anything smaller than 14 pixels for body copy, as anything smaller may become unreadable to the viewer.

3. Trial and Error

Before sending any email out to the masses, test across several devices. The same message may look completely different on a tablet, IOS, or Android. Go back to the drawing board if you are seeing glaring inconsistencies.  This is also a good time to test for responsive issues among landing pages or websites where your email is directing. Testing is the best way to ensure your viewers have a fully optimized experience.

At EmoryDay we specialize in creating engaging and mobile friendly email marketing campaigns for small businesses. We can work with any sized budget, and focus on driving growth to your business. Contact us today for a free consultation and find out how we can customize a plan to meet your marketing needs.