3 Steps to Optimize Your Email for Mobile

Mobile Marketing

• Share
• Share
• Share

By: Mike Stocker

What’s the one thing you spend the most time with each day? I bet it’s your mobile phone.

Since the total domination of smart phones (iPhones, Android, and Windows mobile devices) over the past 10 years, more and more of a person’s time is spent on mobile devices. And how many of us have almost walked into lamp posts or fire hydrants because we are glued to our phones? Come on admit it!

The dramatic shift away from desktop computers impacts everything we know about marketing, so why not take some simple steps to ensure your marketing messages look good and are optimized for the mobile world.  I’ve read recently that 50% or more of emails are now opened on a mobile or tablet device. That’s huge!

The savvy marketer that stays current by ensuring their emails and landing pages are mobile friendly will see a big lift in their overall campaign performance! We’ve seen some marketers see lifts as high as 20% on BOTH open and click through rates by incorporating mobile friendly templates.

Here’s how to get going with mobile friendly email templates:

1. Media Queries

Media queries allow you to control the layout and display of your email based on the mobile device that is being used to open it.

Sample media query:

<style type=”text/css”>
@media {
* { font-family: sans-serif }
}
</style>

@media screen and (max-device-width: 480px) {
* { font-family: sans-serif }
.mobile_content {display: block} !important
.nonmobile_content {display: none} !important
}

2. Optimize what is shown in the mobile inbox

The inbox, whether mobile or desktop, will display the first HTML text it finds. The subject line plus pre-header should deliver a one-two punch: compelling reasons to open that stop readers in their tracks. Use all 80 characters shown in the mobile inbox to entice your readers. Not all will be visible in the desktop inbox, so front-end load it with the most important content. Give your pre-header language the same care and attention that you apply to your subject line.

3. Mobile Landing Page optimization

If you take the effort to optimize your email creative for mobile, it stands to reason you should also optimize your landing page experiences as well.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for mobile landing pages:

• Remember that readers are using their fingers to select items. Use pronounced image buttons and keep it simple.
• Keep forms minimal- the less fields the better.
• Make sure your images are re-sizable
• Check to make sure your landing page looks as good horizontally as good as it does vertically.
• Keep the messaging the same as your email or other content that is driving the traffic.

What are you doing to make sure your emails are mobile?