Mobile email: Six tips for building a campaign that works

Full article by Igor Faletski, Econsultancy

 

 

Mobile email is big, and getting bigger. By 2015, more US internet users will access the web through mobile devices than through PCs.

With emails being increasingly accessed on mobile devices, taking the right steps to make your emails and Web site mobile friendly will ensure success with this vital point.

Here are some ways you can improve the success of email campaigns in an increasingly mobile world:

1. Subject and sender name matter

Desktop and web-based email treat the three elements of an email message (body, sender, subject) with equal weight, but not so in the mobile world. iPhones show the sender name most prominently, while most Android devices focus on the subject. In both cases, there is little to no preview pane to see the message body. Consequently, you’ve got to use a recognisable name or brand in the From field. And use your subject line as effectively as possible.

2. Simple beats pretty

Making email marketing pretty usually means HTML email but this practice may not work in many situations on mobile devices. With limits on mobile data plans, many users choose not to download images as a default setting or as a selection in each email. Graphics often can fail to load, leaving the recipient with an incomplete message or a hole in their email message.

Consider sending plain text emails. In particular, consider plain text emails for system messages, such as account activations, password retrievals, alerts, or anything else that you need to be sure gets into people’s hands.

3. Be brief

Short wins. On mobile devices, displays are small so each line is precious real estate. Get your message as high up in the email as possible even if it means forgoing fancy graphics.

4. Early birds catch worms

Email is often checked first thing in the morning, usually from a mobile device. Sending your emails overnight or early in the morning can help you reach your audience before the day has started and they’re hit with countless distractions.

5. Create a sense of urgency

Email often brings exclusive and time-sensitive promotions. If something is on sale and limited in quantity, mobile consumers will want to take advantage and will want to share the opportunity with others.

6. Optimise the site behind the email

At the heart of most email campaigns is a desire to drive some kind of user action: buy, register, request more information, etc. If your recipient clicks through with their mobile device, what do they find on your website? Is your website mobile optimised.

 

Full article by Igor Faletski, Econsultancy