Key takeaways
- Design emails mobile‑first: over 65% of emails are viewed on mobile platforms first.
- Keep layouts simple and conservative. Text‑based designs render more reliably in apps like Gmail and Outlook.
- Avoid image‑heavy templates; they can render jumbled and may cause contact‑list decline.
- Make CTAs thumb‑friendly by giving buttons extra on‑screen real estate to reduce misclicks and lost conversions.
- Ensure all links point to your mobile site and double‑check them before sending to avoid frustrating mobile users.
- Consider adding click‑to‑call to speed conversions and have a sales team ready to handle mobile leads.
Introduction
It doesn’t seem like all that long ago the notion of having a primarily mobile audience was unheard of. When it came to optimizing messages, it was all about maximizing the vast real estate found on the traditional desktop screen. Oh, how things have changed in just a few short years. Today, over 65 percent of all emails are viewed on mobile platforms first, according to J. O’Dell of Venture Beat. While there’s still a part of your contact list that feels more comfortable reading messages solely on a desktop, it’s a safe bet to say that the mobile portion of this list makes up the overwhelming majority. With this in mind, there’s no better time than now to hand out a few tips regarding mobile optimization. This way, the next time someone opens up one of your messages on the go, you’ll have all the tools you need to blow them away with great email content.
A Simple Message Says a Lot
Before doing anything else, the best thing you can do to maximize the potency of your mobile messages is to keep things simple. As Steve Dille of Marketing Land explains in his piece on optimizing mobile emails, certain smartphone apps, like Gmail and Outlook, have a tough time rendering complex layouts and designs. While it might not be the flashiest trick in your bag, going with a more conservative, text-based approach is your best bet to reach these customers. If you stick to your guns and keep sending out image heavy messages, don’t be too surprised when you see contact list numbers take a tumble in response to these jumbled and messy templates.
Size Matters for CTAs
Dille goes on to note that plenty of marketers think in terms of mouse pointers and not thumbs when it comes to setting up calls to action (CTA) in marketed emails. When viewed under the contemporary approach to optimizing content, this makes sense. However, in the mobile world, having a small CTA button is an easy way to kiss conversions goodbye. Think of it this way, how much patience do you have to fumble and fight with a button that’s hard to press, especially when misclicks could create even more problems in the form of opened links and scrolling pages? If you’re being honest with yourself, the answer is probably somewhere between little and none.
To overcome this issue, don’t be afraid to give a little extra real estate on the screen to the CTA. Even if it seems like this button stands out a little too much, the customers trying to click it and act on your offer will definitely be happy you took the time to put a premium on thumbs and not mouse pointers.
Don’t Forget to Make Links Mobile
Another issue that trips up plenty of marketers and brands comes with using links properly in marketed messages. The big problem here isn’t having links in your message – these additions definitely have a spot in many emails – but rather what type of links you use. According to Charles Gaudet of Forbes Magazine, the simple error of not directing users to your mobile site can ruin the impact of your marketed message. Much like clicking on a small CTA button, there are few things more frustrating than trying to view a desktop-enabled page on a small mobile screen. With this in mind, take a few minutes to double check your links before firing off your next email. It might seem like overkill initially, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you find out that potential customers ended up skipping your message because they didn’t feel like fighting with a regular page on their smartphone browsers.
Click-to-call Speeds Things Up
Of course, if you’re really in the business of making the conversion process a breeze for potential customers, then it’s probably time to consider adding in a click-to-call button on your marketed messages. As Jenny DeGraff of the Content Marketing Institute explains in her post regarding mobile optimization, the idea of talking with a trained professional is far more appealing that scrolling and clicking through digital sign-up and payment forms for many customers.
Naturally, for this method to really take off, you’ll need to have a sales team dedicated to handling the needs of mobile users. However, switching over the professionals you already have in place to take on this new approach really shouldn’t take too much training. From here, if you can round out the process with the rest of what you’ve learned about making the most of the continued emphasis on mobile devices, there’s little that can stand between your brand and a bright email marketing future that connects with users who are always on the go.
FAQ
Because the audience is largely mobile: over 65% of all emails are viewed on mobile platforms first, so prioritizing mobile display helps you reach the majority of readers.
Keep designs conservative and text‑based. Smartphone apps like Gmail and Outlook can struggle with complex layouts, so simpler templates render more reliably on mobile.
Make CTAs noticeably larger and give them extra on‑screen real estate so they’re thumb‑friendly. Prioritize thumbs over mouse pointers to avoid fumbles, misclicks and lost conversions.
Confirm every link directs users to your mobile site. Sending people to desktop‑enabled pages on a phone can ruin the impact of the message and frustrate recipients.
Use click‑to‑call when you want to make the conversion process easier for recipients who prefer speaking to a trained professional instead of filling forms. Consider having a sales team dedicated to handling mobile users; moving existing staff to this role shouldn’t take excessive training.
Watch for jumbled or messy templates in mobile viewers, drops in contact‑list numbers and lower conversions. These are the outcomes associated with poor mobile optimization and improper links.
There are several pitfalls: using complex/layout‑heavy or image‑heavy templates that don’t render well, designing CTAs for mouse pointers instead of thumbs (too small) and linking to desktop pages instead of mobile sites.
