The next time you head to the grocery store or spend some time out in another crowded place, take a moment to look around at the people surrounding you. Aside from the fact that most of these passersby are probably glued to their phones, you’ll probably also notice that a significant amount of the mobile devices being used bear the Apple logo.At first glance, this little social experiment might not seem like it has much of a point aside from providing some commentary on the fact that modern life is inexorably tied to smartphones and other mobile technology. However, as the team from Dazeinfo and other industry experts point out, the insight garnered by this activity serves as another sign of Apple’s continuing dominance of the mobile world.To prove this point – and help set your brand up to leverage this understanding into better email marketing content for this portion of its on-the-go audience – let’s delve into exactly why playing by Apple’s rules matters more than ever before for companies that plan on reaching out to customers via the inbox.
Understanding the Bond between Apple and the Mobile Inbox
The best place to start this discussion is by delving into the aforementioned research complied by the team from Dazeinfo. As these industry experts explain in their report covering Apple’s impact on the mobile world, this platform generates the greatest return on investment (ROI) for email marketing of any platform – and it’s not even close.More specifically, after pulling data from over 13 billion email opens, the Dazeinfo team found that Apple iPhone users opened inbox content at a rate of 33 percent, with the Gmail demographic chiming it at 15 percent. While the gap between these two platforms in terms of opens is already substantial on its own, the fact that Apple iPad users also claim the third spot on this list at a 12 percent open rate makes the need for Apple-oriented optimization even more apparent.
What Makes Apple’s Platform so Agreeable to Email Marketing?
So what makes the users of Apple products so agreeable to the overtures of inbox-based marketing content? The answer to this question requires looking at this relationship from a few different perspectives. First up is the fact that mobile interactions – of any variety – accounts for 55 percent of all email opens; easily dwarfing the market share generated by desktop and webmail alternatives.Going a step farther, Apple currently lays claim to over 680 million devices worldwide, with another 150 million units being sold every fiscal year. In other words, combining the rising tide of mobile email usage with the reality that Apple devices hold sway over a significant portion of the digital marketplace creates a powerful opportunity to make the most out of the inbox outreach process.
Putting This Information to Good Use
In terms of generating an actionable response to this insight and capturing the attention of the prominent iOS audience, Lauren Smith of the HubSpot Blog points out that it all starts with understanding how Apple’s native email app handles incoming messages and content. To start, this platform places an emphasis on readability by automatically resizing fonts, so cut straight to chase and utilize fonts that are no smaller than 14 pixels for body copy and 22 pixels for headlines. Doing so ensures that your content doesn’t fall prey to any oddities in the resizing process and maintains a pleasing visual experience for the end user.Additionally, it’s also a good idea to incorporate a single column layout and touch-friendly buttons. The big key here is that single column layouts accommodate smaller screens and enhances legibility. As for touch-friendly buttons, try to focus on inclusions that stick to a minimum size of 44 pixels by 44 pixels. This sizing not only ensures that your calls-to-action (CTA) take center stage within the mobile email content, but also minimize the chances of your target viewer clicking the wrong element.The final suggestion to consider – emphasizing more streamlined content – comes from a “bigger picture” approach to mobile optimization. Like any other on-the-go user, the people that make up your iOS segment of viewers prefer concise, approachable, and relevant content. It might not seem like much initially, but skipping the fluff and getting straight to the point is a powerful way to optimize the inbox experience for these individuals.Naturally, covering the importance of the Apple-oriented portion of your following and how best to cater to these highly engaged users is a lot to digest in one sitting. However, with this insight leading the way, there’s no reason why your brand can’t make the most out of this golden email marketing opportunity and tap into the power of this inbox segment.
