Blog

Mobile Optimizing

by AJPublished 05 Aug 2013

Mobile internet usage is growing every day. If your email marketing campaign isn’t adapting to better suit your mobile viewers, you’ll quickly find yourself in danger of being left behind. With a few simple changes to your existing newsletter design, you’ll be able to create a separate campaign that targets your mobile readers exclusively. Use the following tips to get started.

Survey and Segment. Survey your subscribers about how they prefer to view your emails. Separate subscribers that use mobile devices, and create a new category only for mobile users. Then, send a trial newsletter to those users with the subject line: “[Your Business] Newsletter: New Mobile Format” and keep an eye on the results.

Offer Options. When you begin creating your mobile-friendly newsletter, make sure you include the option to view in a new window. This will make it easier for subscribers to read your newsletter in a less restrictive setting.

Trim. Consider the smaller screen size of most mobile devices; scaling back the size of your newsletters will thoroughly improve the reader’s experience. Create a single-column newsletter that doesn’t exceed 650 pixels, and keep media to a minimum. Large file sizes will slow down mobile connections (which are often slower than computer connections), and expansive newsletters will require more horizontal and vertical scrolling from readers.

Make Your Links Pop. Before adding hyperlinked text or images to your newsletter, consider the size of human fingers on those tiny screens. Increasing the size of your links and adding extra padding around the images will encourage readers to keep clicking by offering an easy target on the smaller screen.

Let Them Know. Once you’ve got your mobile-friendly mailer ready to go, send out an announcement to all of your subscribers letting them know about the new newsletter and give them the option to sign up.

Offering a separate newsletter to mobile users can quickly increase the efficacy of your email marketing campaign. A few design changes and a little outreach can create big results in the way your emails are received, so don’t hesitate to ask your readers what they would prefer.