Why Mobile Should Simplify Your Email Marketing Not Complicate It


mobile-friendly
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking a lot about mobile-friendly emails.
From simple strategies that will help you create mobile-friendly emails, to data that supports why mobile needs to a part of your email marketing — we’ve been focused on helping you make the switch to mobile-friendly email design.
You may still have questions about whether or not mobile is something you’re ready to think about.
It’s understandable. You’ve got a lot on your plate and chances are your current email strategy has delivered plenty of positive results. Why complicate things by introducing a new approach?
But what if designing mobile-friendly emails didn’t complicate your current approach to email marketing at all? What if it actually presented an opportunity to get back to the basics and simplify your email creation process completely? Then would you think twice about getting started?

Effective emails start with understanding what you hope to achieve

When you got started with email marketing, one of the first things you were probably told was to set a goal for what you hoped to achieve. What is the purpose of your email? How are you going to measure its success?
This is something you’ve most likely continued to keep in mind.
But you’ve also probably found that sticking to this basic principle isn’t always easy. You have a lot going on each month and while you may want to focus on one important goal, you also have a lot you need to do to help grow your business and attract new customers.
So what happens? Emails get longer, as does the time it takes to create them.
A process that should be as simple as coming up with a goal, creating content to achieve that goal, and delivering it to the people who signed up to receive it, gets more and more complicated.
And while you may have an email that delivers plenty of great information to your audience, the lack of focus may be distracting your readers from the action you want them to take in the first place.

Mobile can help simplify the process

Rather than trying to cover everything you have going on at your store, restaurant, or office, why not get back to focusing on one single goal you hope to achieve.
What is the action that a reader should take to help you grow your business this month?
Last week, we took a look at a mobile-friendly email from East Coast burrito chain, Boloco to show how to create emails that inspire action on all devices.
If you missed it, here’s a look at a great mobile-friendly email:
Boloco3
This email, like all great emails, started with a single goal in mind.
With more than 20 stores from Vermont to Washington D.C., there’s plenty that Boloco could have been talking about in their latest email. But emails jam-packed with information just don’t work on a mobile device. Neither do emails with multiple calls-to-action.
When you’re checking email on a smartphone or tablet, you’re forced to experience emails differently. You’re not seated at a desktop with the time to read lengthy articles and the ability to easily scroll to find information. You’re looking at a screen that fits in the palm of your hand, scrolling, and clicking links with the tip of your finger.
The experience is different and therefore, expectations change as well. Mobile users expect information to be delivered in a way that is clear, concise, and to the point. And while they may continue to open your emails, they are much less likely to act when information isn’t presented in the way they’ve come to expect on their smartphone or tablet.

So ask yourself, what is the purpose of your next email?

While it may seem like a challenge to turn your lengthy email into one that meets the needs of a mobile reader, focusing on a single goal will simplify the process right from the start.
Whether you’re a retailer who wants readers to shop online, a restaurant owner who wants to fill your dining room or a consultant who just wants to drive traffic to your website, you’ll be in a better position to achieve results when you have a clear goal in mind.
Once you decide on the goal you’d like to achieve, all you need to do is provide the information necessary for them to take the next step.
When you have the content you want to include, you can now sit down with this checklist of simple strategies for mobile-friendly emails:
1. Be as concise as possible in both design and content
2. Use a single column template
3. Use a single, clear call to action
4. Avoid tiny fonts
5. Take it easy on images
(Click here to get a closer look at this mobile-friendly checklist.)
By getting back to basics and simplifying your email marketing strategy, you’ll be well on your way to creating mobile-friendly emails and achieving the results you’ve been looking for!

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