According to a report from comScore, 60.7 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in October. With this type of stellar growth, B2B marketers are seeing how and why an effective mobile marketing message needs to be a top priority for 2011.
For companies already testing the waters in mobile marketing and looking for ways to improve their results, and those who are just starting to consider this option, let’s consider the following best practices for mobile targeted email marketing:
- Subject and from lines – The first clues leveraged by the reader in determining whether or not to open an email are the subject and from lines. In order to pass the credibility test, B2B marketers need to ensure email marketing messages use a consistent and trusted name in the “from line.” For example, it’s often best to avoid marketing messages coming from an account such as sales@companyabc.com. For the subject line, consider keeping the length to 15 characters or less to ensure the subject is viewable on a mobile device. If a longer subject line is required, keep the most relevant information at the beginning instead of the end.
- Formatting – Although most devices enable HTML email viewing, it is best to send critical email marketing messages as text instead of HTML allowing the email to be readable on any mobile email client. For added compatibility, consider sending emails in multi-part MIME format. This allows equal viewing on both mobile and computer email clients. To find the optimal formatting for email marketing, dig into analytics to determine what mobile devices are accessing the site most often over an extended period of time.
- Message – A recipient’s inbox is a privileged destination and they would rather keep it clear of non-relevant email. To achieve effective open rates, marketers must keep messages relevant to the reader or risk having the message deleted. This includes keeping the subject line and body of the email relevant and useful to the recipient. It also involves keeping the message shorter as most readers would rather not scroll on their mobile device. The call to action should be easy to find quickly within the copy.
- Design – A key element to recipients opening mobile emails is the design. If the design of an email is set beyond the screen size or includes heavy graphics, most mobile email recipients will simply delete the message. To ensure optimal viewing, keep email message’s width between 500-600px. Ensure any links added are after the main body of the message and break up paragraphs for easier viewing.
Understanding how key elements of mobile email marketing help deliver messages gives marketers the edge needed for effective and relevant communication on mobile devices. With Android and iPhone claiming almost 500,000 activations a day, the market will only continue to increase offering subsequent opportunities to augment traditional lead generation activities by connecting with prospects while they are on-the-go.
