Mobile email: dealing with the marketing challenges

Last week's post proved that mobile email is on the rise and outlined half a dozen related challenges for email marketers.

So how do we deal with those challenges?

How do we, for example, adapt email design to account for the limitations of mobile devices, but without sacrificing on impact when the same email is viewed on a PC?

Should we even try?

Two years ago, ExactTarget published a detailed report on mobile email use and the implications for marketers.

The results of a follow-up survey are out shortly and Morgan Stewart (ExactTarget's Director, Research & Strategy) was kind enough to pass on some early insights.

The core message is "don't panic." Mobile email has caught on because people want a way to deal with urgent and personal emails when they are on the go.

As such, not many are using mobile email to interact with promotional marketing messages. Instead, they save such emails for later perusal:

"We're nervous about what mobile email looks like, but most people are actually waiting for the desktop to read commercial email."

So your design focus still needs to be on traditional display environments.

At the same time, the number that do read and act on promotions and newsletters through their mobile device is likely to grow.

However, since this development is driven by better mobile browser and email software, the problem is effectively its own cure.

Expect more from Morgan when the new results are fully analyzed.

Even though the mobile challenge may not be the big issue we sometimes assume, there are various changes you can make to better address the mobile email user base.

Make your normal email more mobile-friendly

Your commercial email needs to survive the filtering process that deletes everything that isn't worth saving for later. As Simms Jenkins wrote last year:

"...your goal should be to make it through this mobile gauntlet and hopefully get responded to later."

The basic value of your emails is the big factor determining whether you're saved or deleted. But you can help make the decision positive through the following tactics, none of which hurt the email experience back on the desktop (on the contrary):

1. Ensure your emails are recognized. This means, in particular, a consistent sender name (person, brand, organization, etc.) that recipients know, plus identifying text or images (e.g. logo) at the top of the email.

(See this post for more details on ensuring recognition.)

2. Use the preheader space to communicate the value of the content or offer. (See here for information on preheader design.)

3. Ensure images and logos use alt attributes so useful text appears in place of blocked images.

4. Make sure the important words are at the front of your subject line.

Kath Pay writes:

"Put the key information first in the subject line, such as call to action or the offer. That way, important information remains if the mobile inbox cuts off the subject line before the end."

For more on "frontloading" subject lines, see Part 5 of the subject line series, and this follow-up.

Optimize for the smartphone future

The "next level" of change you can make is to account for people who also read and act on commercial messages through their mobile device.

The number of such people is likely to increase as the smartphone market grows, smartphones improve their Internet capabilities, and the differences between phones and mini-computers become blurred (see the previous post.)

If a significant number of people are reading emails and websites on their smartphone, then this implies that these phones are doing a pretty good job at displaying both.

In turn, this means we can relax a little about design. Except for the issue of screen size.

In a recent report on email design, Aaron Smith notes:

"In the next year or so we may be recommending widths closer to 500 or 550 pixels for promotional messages as we'll want to pay more attention to market saturation and email usage on smartphones."

Loren McDonald also has some useful tips on general design improvements that help align PC and mobile email design.

The "mobile version" link

The widely-recommended practice of simply adding a link to a "mobile version" is easier conceived than implemented. It's hard to come up with a link that keeps all potential users happy.

There are two main challenges: how do you code the link and what do you put on the page hosting the "mobile version" of the email?

The landing page issue is rarely addressed in the media, because you actually have various choices. For example:

Option 1: A "normal" web version, for those with good browsers in their mobile device.

Option 2: A "full mobile" version of your email, which is simply a web page optimized for narrower screens and perhaps bandwidth limitations.

Option 3: A "simplified mobile" version, which is a web page consisting mostly of text in narrow columns.

Someone using an older mobile phone wants option 3. Smartphone users want option 2. And your CFO wants option 1 because it doesn't cost extra.

• Can your software or ESP automatically create a genuinely mobile-ready website version of your HTML email?
• Which kind of mobile-ready website version does it create? Is it the right kind?
• Can it still do it when you're using personalization and dynamic content?
• If the ESP or software doesn't have this functionality, can you do it yourself?
• Is the additional work justified?
• And if the landing page is mobile-optimized, does that mean the subsequent pages leading off that page have to be mobile-optimized, too?

Those are just some of the questions you need to ask: the mind begins to boggle.

Now for the link itself. If you do this...

Mobile version

...it will work fine on many mobile devices. But some will display this...

Mobile version

Another option is this:

Mobile version: http://email-marketing-reports.com/112/

The written-out URL is not linked here: it's just text.

If it was linked, it would introduce another whacking great tracking URL to fill up the screen on some devices, plus there are concerns that it might trigger some anti-phishing checks (see here for an explanation.)

The text link gives a clear and short URL for mobile users to click on or copy and paste.

I'd welcome any input from you on how you think it's best to link to a mobile version of your email.

Whatever link(s) you do use, put them right at the top of the email where they're easily found. For more on mobile link formats and traps to watch for, see this post.

Deciding if it's worthwhile

Given all the above, you might wonder if it's worth the hassle. And in many cases, it probably isn't.

Here's a quote from the great Anna Yeaman of Style Campaign:

"I'm ditching the mobile link in my newsletter. Only person who clicked on it was me because I was so chuffed I'd put it in."

Currently, developing a comprehensive mobile email and website experience probably only makes sense for very large lists or where you can be certain that your recipients are using mobile email and regard your messages as relatively urgent. An example might be stock updates.

Many experts recommend you let people self-select as mobile users when signing-up or in preference centers. The problem there is that people don't use their mobile device exclusively. As we noted, they tend to keep commercial email for later when back on a PC.

So if you send allegedly "mobile users" nicely formatted plain text messages, you're missing out on the power of HTML and images when most of these messages are actually read on a desktop or laptop.

So how do you decide how much effort to invest in making your emails mobile-friendly?

I can do little more than point you to this article by Deirdre Cook which covers that decision process in depth. She concludes:

"...unless there is a clear benefit to implementing a program today, for now, the best mobile strategy may be to use this time to enhance your knowledge of your customer's mobile habits and preferences."

With so many mobile devices, operating systems and software out there, nobody need feel out of touch if they're confused. I know I am. What's your take on all this?

More on mobile email marketing | Tags: email marketing, wireless email, mobile email

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