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Email Marketing Goes Mobile: How to Deal with it!

Every entrepreneur or marketing department working on DEM (Direct Email Marketing) campaigns has to face the truth: email marketing’s nature has drastically changed since the rise of smartphones. In fact, both smartphones and tablets have dramatically changed the way we read, understand, and react to the many emails received every day.

First of all, the very first constraint of email marketing (the desktop computer, and the idea that your reader will be sitting in front of it) has changed. People do not read their emails by sitting at their desks anymore. People read their emails everywhere and at any time.

Just consider how much push notifications have changed the way we approach information. It’s no longer you looking for the information – it’s the information looking for you. Also, emails follow us to our beds, on the bus, on the train, while walking, and unfortunately, for some people, even while driving. Marketers should learn how to use this in their favor by scheduling campaigns by asking themselves: Now that people can read this anytime, anyplace, will people prefer reading about this at 10 pm or at 8 am?

Secondly, it’s now more important than ever to consider the size of the screen. It’s not the desktop or laptop screen anymore. It’s a tiny 4.5 x 2.3 in. screen. This, of course, has consequences for your email campaigns as well.

Here are 5 tips for optimizing your mobile email marketing:

1) Email subject: Less is more. People will immediately see the sender, the subject line and the pre-header. You should write some catchy content that encourages the reader to open the email.

2) Test, test, test: Test the readability of your emails on as many devices as possible. Check that all the images load perfectly and that your reader will not encounter any frustration while reading. This has to be one of your first concerns.

3) Body: Again, less is more. Remember that people might be in a hurry and not willing to read a long story. Just say what you have to say in fewer characters. The message will be even stronger. Within the body of your email, make sharing super easy. If your reach your reader, you could potentially reach all of his/her friends with a proper social media integration.

4) Responsive layout: Don’t forget that layout is not stagnant anymore. With the right technical skills, it is now possible to create an email that’s layout changes according to the device used to read it. On a smaller screen, the order of the elements will change to improve the readability.

5) Analyze, analyze, analyze: Observe the click-through data of each email you send, and, of course, do it according to the different devices used to read it. You might find out that one theme or approach performs better in emails read from mobile devices from 9 to 10 am. Use this data for your future campaigns, and keep testing and improving.

There are many details to consider when approaching mobile email marketing, but in many ways, it’s the same as any type of marketing campaign. Think about your audience, test, analyze, and repeat. What other tips do you have about mobile email marketing? Share with us in the comments below!

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