You have a mobile-friendly website, right? But hold up, what about your emails? Are they stunners on a smartphone, or are they missing the mark?
Let’s lay it out: The world’s gone mobile, and the smart businesses are riding that wave. But get this – less than 56% of brands are stepping up their email game for the small screen.
According to the brainiacs over at Litmus, almost half of all marketing emails are now opened on mobile devices. And that number’s not stopping; it’s screaming like a rocket.
Here’s the deal: Email marketing isn’t dying; it’s a heavyweight champ in direct audience reach. But if your emails aren’t looking clean on a mobile screen, you’re leaving a ton of opportunities – and cash – on the table.
Haven’t jumped on the mobile email bandwagon yet? It’s not too late. Gear up, because here’s everything you need to get in the game:
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Mobile Email’s Massive Impact
Want to know how you stack up against the competition? Let’s dive into some eye-opening stats.
Back in the sunny days of June 2016, only about 48% of businesses had a mobile-friendly website and email marketing strategy. Another 37% had their website on point, but their emails were still stuck in the desktop era. And a startling 7%? They were missing the mobile boat entirely. Sheesh!
But here’s where it gets juicy: From 2014 to 2015, mobile-responsive emails shot up by a jaw-dropping 74%. That’s crazy! That’s partly because customers are ditching brands whose emails look like a hot mess of garbage on their phones.
And get this: Mobile readers aren’t just casually browsing. They’re locked in, more engaged than the desktop crowd, and way more likely to whip out their wallets. And that’s the point isn’t?
Sure, these stats might shift a bit depending on your brand and audience, but the writing’s on the wall: Mobile-friendly emails aren’t just a nice-to-have; they’re a must.
Crafting Emails for the Mobile Age: The Four Styles
Here are the four heavy-hitters:
01. The Responsive Design Gladiator
This is the king of the jungle. Responsive emails morph like shape-shifters to fit any device they land on.
The layout, the size – everything adjusts seamlessly. And the best part? Email marketing wizards like Aweber or MailChimp handle the heavy lifting.
They tweak and tune under the hood, so you don’t have to mess with a single line of code.
Plus, these platforms give you the dirt on whether your readers are thumbing through your emails on their phones or scanning them on desktops.
02. The Hybrid Hero: Responsive-Aware Design
Next up, meet the shapeshifter’s cousin – the Responsive-Aware Design.
What’s the big deal? It turns your email into a smooth operator. Navigating through the header and footer becomes a breeze, setting the stage for that all-important click.
This design’s a game-changer if you’re gunning for clicks – be it a landing page, an app, or the promised land of a sales page.
03. The Mobile Maestro: Mobile-Aware or Mobile-First Design
Here comes the contender that’s all about keeping it sleek and straightforward – the Mobile-Aware or Mobile-First Design.
Imagine this: a neat, single-column layout, text big enough to read without squinting, images that don’t hog the screen, and buttons and links that are just begging to be clicked.
About 15% of brands are already here. Why? Because it’s a breeze to set up, and it cuts straight to the chase, delivering your message without any fluff.
The catch? You’ll need to roll up your sleeves and whip up a separate version for the desktop crowd.
But hey, that’s a small price to pay for keeping your mobile readers hooked.
04. The Double Agent: Quasi-Mobile-Aware Design
Last in the lineup, but definitely not the least, is the Quasi-Mobile-Aware Design. Think of it as a double agent – primarily cozying up to desktop users but also throwing a bone to the mobile crowd.
Its kill move? Making the main content block mobile-aware.
The heart of your email plays nice with mobile screens, but the headers and footers? They might be a bit of a rebel, not always falling in line on smaller devices.
Once the heart throb of the mobile-email world, this format’s now taking a back seat as more brands are jumping on the responsive design bandwagon.
Nailing the Perfect Email Design for Your Brand
Choosing the right email design? It’s like picking the right guitar for a rock concert – it all depends on your audience.
Let’s break it down: If your emails are mostly opened on desktops, with less than 10% of your audience on mobile, you might get away with the quasi-mobile design. It’s like playing acoustic at a small gig – it does the job.
But, if more than 20% of your fans are tuning in via mobile, you better amp it up with a Responsive or Mobile-Aware design. Think of it as plugging in that electric guitar for the big stage.
Don’t forget, the crowd’s moving to mobile. So, you might want to tweak your strategy, keeping an eye on where the audience is heading, not just where they are now.
And here’s another thing to consider: What kind of vibe are you aiming to strike with your audience?
The design you pick sets the stage for the entire experience – make sure it’s one that gets your audience headbanging.
The Lowdown on Tracking Your Email Analytics
Alright, you’ve unleashed your mobile-friendly emails into the wild. Now, it’s time to play detective. Keep a hawk-eye on your analytics.
It’s how your mobile audience feels about your design.
As time rolls on, you’ll start to pick up on the differences between your desktop and mobile users.
This is where you get to be a bit of a mad scientist. Experiment, tweak, refine. It’s all about cranking up the experience to 11 for both types of users.
Now you know. So, here’s the million-dollar question: What are you going to do about it?
If you read to this point, maybe you’re thinking, “this guy is pretty helpful. I like him”. If that’s you and you’d like to see how else I can help you, click on the link and send me a message. I’d be happy to help you get more customers you love to work for.
