Email Essential: Optimize for Mobile Size
If it ever meant something else, that’s over. Because optimize now means “how to make anything internet-related work to your advantage.”
This word got added to the marketers’ top terms some years ago when we were scrambling for SEO advantage. We had just conquered our keyword and content marketing strategies when we had to step up again by optimizing our websites for mobile visitors (an increasingly larger share of activity). So, we were sitting in our marketing meetings talking about “fat-finger” links (makes it easy for a normal-size finger to click a link on a small screen) when we recognized we had to optimize our email for these same devices.
Here’s where we are. Email has still got it going on as a viable media but needs tweaking for mobile habits. According to MarketingSherpa data, optimizing emails for mobile is more than three times as likely to generate ROI. Contractors will want to give attention to these areas:
Simplify layout and content – As a first step, the design, copy, buttons, and images should be simplified, if not technically mobile responsive. Start with a design layout that’s scalable, but even better if it’s a mobile responsive email template, enabling your email to display well on any size device.
Mobile-optimized subject lines – Keep the key message in the first 30 characters, an important factor when mobile email cuts off subject lines.
Mobile-optimized landing pages – When visitors click the link from mobile phones, they need to go to a page with a responsive design, where they can follow through on the call to action. Or it’s a waste of their time and your marketing budget.
Something to note: The “mobile-first” concept is a developing trend. The mobile audience is given priority – considering that desktop and tablet users are able to view and interact with your email too, but without the advantages they could be receiving.