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Better Email Newsletters for Busy Mobile Users

Guest post by: Karen Scharf

Article Overview: More and more people are using mobile devices to check their email. Unfortunately, many email marketers are still assuming that their readers are viewing email from a PC, so they are sending marketing pieces that read as gibberish on a mobile.

Better Email Newsletters for Busy Mobile Users

More and more people are using mobile devices to check their email. Unfortunately, many email marketers are still assuming that their readers are viewing email from a PC, so they are sending marketing pieces that read as gibberish on a mobile. Here are a few ways to tweak your email newsletters so that they read well on any platform. First impressions count. Many mobile devices display the first few words of an email so that readers can quickly decide whether to read it. This is called a pre-header. Make the pre-header work for you by including the user's name, plus a short tease about what the email contains. Try using a casual tone so that at first glance, the email appears to be from an acquaintance.

To create a pre-header, simply type the desired message into the first few lines of the email, then add the newsletter copy after it. Since the pre-header is usually previewed as plain text no matter what font you use, you can format the pre-header so that it's small and inconspicuous when the email is opened.

Consider load time. Load time is very important on mobile devices, which don't have the same super-fast download speeds that PCs have. Send fewer, smaller images which load faster.

Sending an image? Include an alternative in the pre-header. Many mobile users keep their images turned off. If you have images in the body of your email, include a link to an online version of the newsletter, or at least include a short reminder to turn on images.

Include an unsubscribe link in your email. Why? Because most mobile readers are busy-so busy that they forget that they signed up for your list. You don't want to annoy them by making them delete content that they've decided that they don't want. I know of an organization that takes the opposite route and willfully circumvents all attempts to block their emails.

As a result, one of my acquaintances changed his email address just to escape their daily updates-and he complains about them to everyone that will listen. That can't be good for business.

Tell subscribers why they're hearing from you. If your pre-header includes a short reminder that they're getting your email because they signed up for your newsletter, it may prevent them from unsubscribing. This can be particularly important in the first few communications that they receive from you.

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Article Tags: email mobile marketing, email tips, small business marketing



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