Crafting the perfect mobile email

Smartphones have given email marketing campaigns new life. Because these web-enabled devices allow consumers access to their email inboxes at any given moment, many Americans are taking advantage of this capability.

A comScore report released earlier this year further highlights that fact. In 2009, only 31 million Americans checked their email from their phones on a daily basis. However, as of November 2010, 43.7 million consumers do so. Furthermore, the number of smartphone owners checking their email monthly jumped from 51.6 million in 2009 to 70 million in 2010.

With that said, it’s crucial that small business owners learn how to effectively create emails for these devices. Sure, the same email they send to regular subscribers may still be viewable by mobile readers, but these messages may be displayed awkwardly, losing effectiveness in the process.

The layout of the perfect mobile email

There are several factors to consider when crafting the perfect mobile email. Font size, complexity, color and ergonomics all need to be addressed.

Small businesses want consumers to read their emails, which can be difficult if the text is too small or illegible. Apple’s iPhone, will automatically adjust font size to 13 points if it isn’t at least that big, which the company deems to be the smallest legible font for the screen. However, email analytics firm Litmus suggests using at least 14-point fonts in emails. Headlines should be even bigger, at 22 points.

Complexity is another key issue. Many small businesses use specific templates that are designed to make emails look attractive. However, the reduced screen resolution of smartphones effectively throws a wrench into these layouts, making the messages hard to read. Companies should use formats that are readable regardless of what device consumers are reading from.

Most entrepreneurs take color for granted – they think what appears one way on their computer will look the same for everyone else. Even from computer monitor to computer monitor this isn’t the case, and the difference between traditional desktop screens and mobile devices is even greater. Certain colors may render text unreadable, so business owners should be sure to preview emails beforehand.

Finally, ergonomics should also be considered. Consumers tend to use their mobile devices with a single hand. Any links or social sharing buttons should be easily accessible for readers using only a single hand.

“Designing emails that look great no matter where they’re read can be quite the challenge,” Litmus associate Justine Jordan notes on the company’s blog. “As more people read email on mobile devices, chances are your recipient might view your email both on a mobile phone as well as on their desktop.”

Designing for the on-the-go consumer

Consumers aren’t just reading emails from their phones either – they are also browsing the web. With that in mind, many of these tips can be used to design better small business websites for mobile users. Font size, complexity, ease-of-use and colors are once again crucial elements to consider.

Another particular issue mobile websites suffer from is the use of Flash. Flash can be used to create interactive and engaging website elements, but Apple products can’t display the format. This effectively locks out anyone reading a small business website from an iPhone, iPad and iPod.

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