Know your mobile users
The final blog in the SMS and e-mail in mobile marketing series reveals how to optimize your e-mail campaigns for mobile users. It is of the essence that you know exactly what mobile users see when they open your e-mail, how they navigate the e-mail, how they respond to your design and content elements. This blog will give you an overview of the rules you should follow to ensure the highest response possible.
Mobile finally surpassed desktop – in reading e-mail
According to Return Path, there are more people opening their e-mails on mobile devices than through webmail (37% vs. 30%). This means that the mobile open share has increased 300% in the past 2 years.
If we look at the breakdown of mobile e-mail by industries, we see that it is highest in retail, consumer product and real estate. Bank related e-mails are, for security reasons, still mostly opened on desktop.
Breakdown by OS
iOS users read their e-mails on mobile more than any other OS users. Among them, iPad users are in the lead.
It is important you know your users before you start sending them e-mails. You can’t afford them to unsubscribe just because you were too lazy to do your homework. There are distinctive differences in the way iOS and Android users view their e-mails. iPhones automatically open e-mails with images and content while Android displays small portions of text and doesn’t allow pinching/zooming. And we’re back to knowing your users. No worries, this is where CRM comes in.
When to send e-mail campaigns
Surprisingly, 72% of mobile users read their e-mails in bed, usually in the morning. So we recommend you use calmer colours when sending e-mails early in the morning or late in the evening. You will want your e-mail to mirror the state the mobile user is in, and that is relaxed.
The time of sending depends strongly on the type of your newsletter. Promotions and special offers should be sent during the morning. News and information is best sent near the end of a working day or in the evening. You can also check when your competition is sending e-mails. If their e-mail campaigns prove to be successful, they probably know what they’re doing.
Rules for mobile optimized e-mails
1. Use responsive design
You want to be sure your e-mails will be optimally visible across all operating systems and devices
2. Keep images small
E-mails will load more quickly and you won’t use a lot of your readers’ data traffic
3. Use single column
This way you’ll make sure the complete content of the e-mail is visible without side-swiping
4. Minimize copy
Make sure the most important message is at the top of the e-mail and don’t make your e-mail too long. It should fit the screen of the mobile device. If you use images, make sure your message is clear even without them, in case they fail to load.
5. Use bigger fonts
Body text should be 14px. Recommendations for headlines vary from 22px to 30px. Use whichever fits best into your design.
6. Clear call to action
Make it clear, hard to miss and use a single call to action. Keep it to the left, as well as any other essential information and buttons. That way, if the e-mail is by chance to wide for the screen, it will still be clearly visible.
7. Create mobile landing pages
If users click on a button in the e-mail and land on a page not optimize for mobile, they will leave. It’s as simple as that.
8. Use thumb friendly buttons
Buttons are more effective than links in mobile e-mail. The ideal size for a clickable area is 45px.
9. Make it shareable
Include social sharing buttons. The most popular are forward e-mail and Tweet.
10. Use Click-to-call
This way users will be able to give you a call with a single tap.
11. Monitor, analyze and optimize
It is necessary that you track what mobile users do in the e-mail and on landing pages and store this information into the CRM. Use this information to make improvements and increase conversion. You will also use the information for retargeting.
Hidden statistics
Every 3rd mobile user will skim your e-mail on mobile and then read it again with more attention on desktop. A purchase from this user will be marked as desktop originated, but the incentive came from mobile.
One final advice: respect your users and serve them quality content to ensure a long-lasting customer relationship.