The 411 on Mobile
If recent studies are any indication, mobile email will soon be eclipsing traditional email delivery methods.
From our most recent financial institution-specific data, we’ve observed that 40 percent of emails are now being opened exclusively on a smart phone.
We’re always here to help, so in light of this data we’ve put together some tips for making sure your email campaigns are playing nice with mobile devices.
Understand the difference between mobile-aware and mobile-responsive
When you hear the term “mobile-aware”, it typically means that the email was created specifically for smartphones utilizing things like single-column design and simple layouts. It’s great for tablets and phones, but can be lacking when opened on a desktop computer.
Mobile-responsive, however, refers to an email that has been automatically rendered to be compatible with smartphones and tablets. That means you can design an email so that it displays beautifully on a desktop and it will be adjusted to read well on mobile devices, also.
(Note: The newly released DocuMatix Product Suite update will automatically make your emails, forms and surveys all mobile-responsive.)
Pre-headers count
You know those gray lines of text that show up below a subject line on a smartphone email preview? Turns out they should not be ignored. Simply put: If the opening summary piques attention, your email will get opened. Instead of standard text like, “If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here to view it as a web page” being the first thing recipients see after reading your snappy and purposeful subject line, replace it with something attention-grabbing. In the DocuMatix editor, instead of putting the alternate text as the first thing that shows, you can place the mergefield containing the informational text lower in the email.
The typical phone cuts email previews off at 35 characters, so try making the first line of text in an email something attention grabbing and concise. That first line is what automatically gets placed below a subject line.
Make sure your links are optimized, too
If you’re leading people who open your emails to your website, you better make sure it works well and looks nice on a mobile phone. This goes for anything you link to in an email, really. From landing pages to surveys, if you make it easy you’ll get much better results.
Get rid of computer-specific language
This one is admittedly a bit subjective, so here’s our suggestion: Check your campaign reports to see how people are viewing your emails. If you find that the majority of recipients use their mobile device, try tailoring your language to those users. That doesn’t mean you should use extremely specific terms, but rather that you should make it so that your messages can be applied to both mobile and desktop users.
For example, instead of using a call-to-action button like “Click Here”, try saying something like “Take Survey”.
Don’t make links too small
Always keep in mind that people are using their fingers as a mouse when they’re on a mobile device. Sure they can typically zoom in, but making buttons and links large enough to push easily will only elevate user experience. Our latest upgrade to the email editor will automatically resize small text when viewed on a mobile device, but if you’re creating your own HTML or if you hard-code a size, you’ll want to make sure you are adding mobile responsive capability in your code. They say it’s all about the little things…but in this case, the big things will make your emails even more effective!
2 Responses to “The 411 on Mobile”
Fantastic mobile marketing-centric advice.
The only thing I’d like to add is that, when you know your mobile audience has rich HTML emails enabled, you should always try to use a graphic rather than a plain text link. It’s even easier to click than a humongous blue piece of text.
Good point, looks much prettier too! Thanks for your input, we’ll definitely be following your blog for more marketing wisdom.