Johannesburg, 18 May 2012
Alison Treadaway, managing director at Striata, a global leader in paperless communication, identifies seven ways to ensure your e-mails get read on mobile devices.
“It is evident that the mobile e-mail revolution is upon us, as the percentage of people reading e-mail on mobile devices is on the increase,” says Treadaway. A recent survey by Return Path confirms that a significant portion of e-mail users are managing their e-mail on a mobile device (see graph below).
Treadaway goes on to say that, in South Africa, the Mobile E-mail Revolution is set to advance rapidly, as there are almost six times as many mobile phone users than Internet users. By 2014, it's expected that SA will have 80% penetration of smartphones compared to less than 50% in the US.
“Marketers should start tracking which device or channel their customers are using to open e-mails - mobile, desktop, Web mail,” Treadaway advises. “Then, using campaign history, establish whether these are active users (how many are opening your e-mails, how many click on links and complete the call to action such as purchase your product, provide their contact information, etc.).”
Mobile: Driving the age of simple, to-the-point e-mail
Best practice in e-mail communication in the age of the PC and laptop encouraged marketers to design e-mails in a certain way that optimised readership and conversions. With the increasing popularity of the mobile device for e-mail management, the new motto is - keep it simple.
“Remember that mobile interactions happen in the 'now' and on the move, unlike other communication media that are fixed and allow for extensive content and complex creative elements. Mobile delivers short bursts of information for an audience that is distracted and busy. People don't spend long periods reading e-mail on mobile devices; instead, they skim, so ensure the key message is immediately obvious,” explains Treadaway.
“Mobile readers will delete/ignore e-mails that aren't optimised for their device - it's just too much trouble to read them. If you're lucky, they may come back to your e-mail once they have access to their laptop/desktop, but this is not guaranteed.”
Time of day makes a difference
Mobile e-mail open rate is heavily weighted in the morning - dropping significantly during working hours. However, it is important to note that opens don't always result in clicks or conversions. Clicks increase late afternoon. Consider the aim of your e-mail campaign - this will help you establish the best time to send it.
Seven ways to adapt e-mails for optimal presentation on mobile devices
The most important driver of mobile e-mail design is the fact that the screen is small and the reader is distracted.
1. Sender name and subject line become all-important, because of the way an e-mail is presented on a smartphone. Subject lines have to be short (as little as 15 characters) to get the message across in a smaller space.
2. A single column design is preferable, so that the reader does not have to scroll left to right.
3. Be frugal with graphics: Large images cause slow downloads and can obstruct the message.
4. Don't embed images, as they will not show on all mobile devices. Embedded images increase mail size, which impacts on download time. Linked images are the way to go.
5. Links must be easy to click with a “fat finger” on a small screen. Don't place links close together.
6. Remove fixed width tables to eliminate the scrolling scenario when an e-mail has been designed for a bigger screen.
7. Don't forget to optimise the pages behind the links, too. There is no point having a mobile-perfect e-mail and clicking through to a landing page that doesn't render well.
“Ensuring that your e-mails are designed optimally for mobile devices will not only warrant the success of your mobile marketing campaigns, but will also ensure that your customers have a positive experience with your brand,” says Treadaway.
Alison Treadaway - Managing Director, Africa
Alison Treadaway is the Managing Director of Striata's African operations, based in South Africa (SA).
Alison has 15 years' experience in Internet-related positions, including Group Marketing Executive at one of the first Internet service providers in SA and various positions within global IT services and solutions provider, Dimension Data.
Alison was a columnist for The Star newspaper and online news portal ITWeb for many years, writing about developments in the Web and electronic communication environments.
Her professional certifications and licences include a Bachelor of Arts (English, German, Wits) and a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration (Wits Business School).
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