Woody Allen once observed that relationships are like sharks. They have to keep moving or they die.
Of course, the same could be said about optimizing email campaigns for mobile devices -pads, pods, tablets, smartphones, etc. Technologies change, as do customers' uses and expectations of them. So, how you transmit email messages, what information those messages contain, when they arrive, what they look like when they arrive -all these criteria (and more) now factor into whether your customers will continue to be your customers. And, you have to stay nimble, changing as your customers' preferences change. (Or as Woody Allen might describe it, you have to keep moving, so those relationships don't die.)
Every marketer knows that staying agile is difficult. But remember, losing customers hurts even more. Here are a few proven techniques to keep top of mind when optimizing your emails for new (and newer) mobile devices. Make it easy for your customers to read and understand the information you send them, and you will increase response rates even as you nurture brand loyalty. Once you know that a majority of your subscribers are reading on a device, consider optimizing for mobile. This may limit your display on the PC, but it will ensure that your subscribers can grasp the message quickly and engage easily - regardless of device I suggest you:
- Get to the point. Skip pre-headers -they just take up space you could be using for more important information. Make your email messages relevant to the immediate needs of your prospects.
- Pay attention to subject lines. The first 15 characters are the most critical. Use large fonts: 14-point for body text and 30-point for headlines.
- Tell them what they want to hear. Content may be king, but relevant content always gets the best results. Keep your customer data clean and up-to-date across platforms, so you can use segmentation and targeting to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time. In a world of spam, we need to make sure each communication with our customers has a purpose and each offer is compelling.
- Lose weight. Avoid Flash and other "heavy" tools. iPhones can't display Flash, and some programs/images/videos simply bog down load times. Just keep it simple, readable (i.e., displayed in one column) and relevant.
- Tell them what to do-and they'll do it. Make sure the call-to-action is clear, the URLs are functional and the number of clicks is minimal. Mobile device users have notoriously short attention spans, so make optimal use of any time you have with them.
- Start thinking about timing and location. Sure, it's nice to know the best day and time of day to send emails. However, mobile devices expand the possibilities. New technologies can tell you when a customer is near a store, what h/she bought recently, and what inventory item h/she might be interested in (including colors, size, etc.). These data-driven technologies use multiple algorithms, sentiment analysis, data harvesting and behavioral targeting to uncover hidden preferences, similar purchases by others in the same demographic and location and browsing preferences that led to purchases, all in real-time! Want to see it in action? Just go to a mall and buy items in several stores, large and small. Revisit the mall a week later and see what pops up on your smart phone or iPad as you pass those same stores.
- Maintain consistency. Smart marketers keep the same look and feel in messaging across all channels -whether traditional or digital. Variability can erode the value of your product, so make certain your email campaign is integrated with the rest of the marketing team and consistency becomes standard.
- Track, track, track. Digital marketing is interactive, and with the right tools you can track responses to email campaigns more easily than ever before. Today's analytics and marketing automation solutions can empower you with valuable insights to make your offers ever more relevant, even changing the message as the campaign evolves.
It looks as though Woody Allen was right -(customer) relationships are like sharks. Fortunately, with the right tools, marketers now are able to do what's required to keep those relationships alive. We can keep moving, offering targeted, relevant emails that truly resonate and drive sales with our mobile customers.
Image: Wikipedia