Most marketers would agree that email isn’t going anywhere. According to AOL’s most recent Email Addiction Survey, ‘nearly half (46%) of email users said they’re hooked on email (up from just 15% last year).’ However, the way we are using email is changing. This January alone over 74 per cent of the world’s digital messages were sent through a mobile device (TNS Global). This means more and more people accessing emails via handheld devices, such as Blackberry’s or iPhones and it’s no longer just business people. As technology advances and becomes more affordable ‘ordinary’ folk are buying and accessing emails on their phone, so B2C marketers, take note! In this ‘Ask the Experts’ article Simon Bowker, eCircle’s Managing Director, takes you through a few points worth considering to ensure your emails are read and welcomed by mobile users.
Multi-part: With people viewing emails on their desktop as well as their mobile phone, you must send a multi-part message. This way people viewing email on their desktop can view the HTML version, and mobile users can view a text version.
From names and subject lines: Handheld devices don’t have much space to display your email so keep your ‘from’ name and subject line short and easily recognisable. Take the time to craft the perfect subject line. Using key words such as ‘reminder’, ‘last chance’ or ‘action item’ can help to dramatically increase response rates.
Shorten copy: Instead of a screen that measures 13 to 21 inches diagonally, you now probably only have about 2 to 4 inches to play with. This doesn’t leave you with much room, so keep your message short and succinct and use minimal graphics. Readers don’t want to have to scroll to see the message. The average screen size of a ‘smart phone’ is 320 pixels so messages should be no longer than 50 characters per line.
Preheaders: Make sure every email you send includes a preheader that allows readers to select either a ‘mobile version’ or standard ‘web browser’ option. This does mean you have to create two versions of your email but it’s definitely worth taking the time to do this.
Rendering: Find out how links render on handheld devices. Some handheld devices don't support hotlinks instead it’s better to use the full email address, such as http://www.aghreni.com. Make sure you know how to make this possible.
Test, test and test again! Make sure you test before you send. Test your email to as many mobile devices as possible. If it looks good on your Blackberry, does it also render well on an iPhone? This may be one of the last stages but it is also one of the most important and could make the difference between a message being read or deleted.
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