More than ever, people get their email on their mobile device. For email marketers, this has game changing implications for how your messages are delivered and received. Not only is mobile marketing on the rise, every day brings new developments in technology and user behavior. Smartphones and other mobile devices should always be included in planning your email marketing campaigns to reach your audience. Job one is to figure out how your subscribers are viewing email on their mobile device.
Tying in mobile devices to your email marketing campaigns means learning about another type of user. How often do they use their de- vice? What times of the day are they most likely to read their email? What do they want from your email marketing campaign? These and the four considerations below should be taken into account when you plan your email marketing for mobile devices:
1. Know when your users are on their mobile device
43% of mobile email users check email four or more times per day, compared to 29% of those who do not use mobile email according to Merkle’s View From the Digital Inbox 2011 report. Usually your lighter content that can be read quickly is best for the times your users are mobile. Larger newsletters and emails are more likely to be read when they are on their computers.
2. Be mobile-minded
Create your mobile campaign as if you are one of your users on a device. They behave different and want different outcomes from a mobile device than their computer. Don’t forget to use social media sites which are easy to navigate to and from on a mobile device. The same Merkle report states 78% of mobile email users are also regular users of social networking sites.
3. Don’t forget your non-mobile content
Sometimes you may need to include special videos, blog posts, or other content that can’t easily be converted for a mobile device. Make sure you test out how content appears on a device before you send it out in a major campaign. And not all devices are created equal— what may work on an Android may not necessarily work on an iPad.
4. Content is king
Mobile users are usually more impatient than computer users due to slower download speeds and busy workloads. Make sure that first sentence they read is as compelling as it can be. And to the point. Also, tailor the content for a mobile audience. According to e-Dialog, the top consumer mobile email messages preferred are special offers (27%), promotions/vouchers redeemable from mobile devices (21%) and real-time updates on tracking deliveries (21%).
According to e-Dialog’s 2011 Email Attitudes Report on email relevance and the proliferation of Mobile Email Use, “56% of smart-phone users say email marketing has become more relevant in the last 12 months”. Mobile devices include smartphones and tablets. That per- centage can only grow as technology becomes more streamlined and readily available. So stay in tune with the developments in mobile email marketing and keep your targeted users satisfied and happy while using their devices.
Mobile is an important channel when integrating with email marketing.
Remember that you can effectively grow your mailing list using this
communication medium. Therefore, you should have a well-placed option to
subscribe to your email marketing on your mobile page. Great post to read.