April 11, 2013

Master Mobile E-mail

Mobility has transformed e-mail. Unfortunately too many brands haven’t kept pace. As a result, they squander the power and impact of the most ubiquitous and most effective digital communications channel because messages don’t render properly or links drive users to pages that can’t be read or properly interacted with. 

Ninety percent of e-mail subscribers access the same e-mail account on multiple devices. Between 15 and 65 percent of e-mails are opened on these devices, according to the guys at emailmonday, often at different locations and with expectations than before. Savvy marketers are using “sniffers” to identify the universe of devices and/or turning to responsive design to automatically adapt and resize e-mail creative and technology for maximum impact. 

Everybody has to factor in basic changes. Mobile screens have different dimensions, usually smaller and narrower. You have to put the most important thing up top. Mobile users are on the go. They scan. They spend less time per e-mail so they need to get to the point faster and need different response mechanisms. You are getting partial attention and the flick of a thumb rather than a full screen, two focused eyes and ten fingers or a mouse for response agility. 

Your call to action must be clear and BIG. Increase the point size of text so it can be seen in any light and from any angle. Buttons, links and other response mechanisms need to be presented early and enlarged to account for fat fingers and finger faults. Put a link to your mobile website in the pre-header to offer an option to read the e-mail in the browser. 

Be sure that any destination is equally mobile friendly. Think about the entire experience from transmission/reception to interaction to destination/desired action. If you break any part of the chain, you essentially dump your customer or prospect. Too many e-mails opened on mobile devices take customers to pages that don’t work or look awful when they get there. Just kiss off those customers.  

The expectation of frictionless mobility combined with an in-the-moment intensity of interest amplifies the emotional reaction to your message. When it works its pure brand mojo. When it doesn’t your brand takes a bigger hit than if your e-mail doesn’t work right on a desktop or laptop. The good news is that simple planning and fixes allow you to maximize customer satisfaction.

Apr 11, 2013 12:50:28 PM | mobile marketing, Mobile Marketing

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