Smartphone usage is sky-rocketing, and with it, so is the number of people that are reading email on a mobile device. According to Litmus, 43% of email is now opened on a mobile device. That number is up 138% from 2010. This means that your email marketing need to be mobile friendly, so that it displays optimally between a desktop/laptop and a mobile device, and looks great regardless of where your customers and prospects read it.
The good news is that there are some really simple things you can do now to ensure that your emails are mobile-friendly:
1. Be as concise, and have a clear call to action
Make sure to include a clear call to action, and put it near the top of your email, Tell your readers what you want them to do, and make it really easy for them to do so. Your messdage should be clear and concise message — a staple of any email, but it’s even more important when designing for mobile. Screen real estate is very valuable on mobile so keep the design very clean and simple and focus on the essentials.
2. Use a single column template
Because of the limited real estate you get with a mobile device, it’s generally better to use simple layouts. Often times with multi-column layouts (2 columns and more) your readers will have to zoom or scroll on their smartphone to see everything. This can make it difficult for them to navigate the content of your email and the call to action. Using a single column template will make your content much more flexible for all screen sizes.
3. Avoid tiny fonts
Make sure your text can be read easily. Use a minimum of size 11pt font for body text and 22pt for headlines. I’d also recommend using a strong contrast of colors, like dark text on a light background. Many people turn down the brightness level on the mobile device to help conserve battery—and they are often reading on the go outside in the sunlight—so a strong contrast of colors will be easier to read.
4. Take it easy on images
Only use the images that are essential to your email. Here’s why: Apple’s iOS automatically enables images to display by default, but many other mobile device platforms—like Android—turn images off by default. You can’t assume your images will be displayed. If your email has a bunch of images in it, they might just look like chunks of white space. Because of this, you should also include image descriptions (also known as alt text) to let people know what the image is even when it’s not being displayed.
A little work on your email design can go a long way to make sure emails look great no matter where people are reading them. So what are you waiting for? Now’s the time to give your email a re-design and make sure that it’s mobile-friendly!
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Gina Watkins is a leading expert on e-marketing for small business – and has a real passion for helping businesses to succeed. Her ongoing series of dynamic lectures are filled with real-world examples, humor and results-driven wisdom garnered from more than two decades of sales, business development and marketing experience. In addition to owning her own business, she is an award-winning direct marketer, has been featured on WUSA Channel 9’s Mind Over Money show, Dr. Gayle Carson’s Women In Business radio show, Morgan State’s Briefcase Radio program, and in numerous other media. In her role as Constant Contact Regional Development Director, she’s presented to more than ten thousand seminar attendees about the keys to success with easy, affordable, highly effective technology tools that grow trusted business relationships.