E-mail marketing has been a staple part of every business’s marketing plan since AOL said, “You Got Mail.” However, your audience doesn’t interact with email the way they used to. In the store, on the go, or in bed, customers are checking their mail at rapid rates.
However, they aren’t plopped in front of a desktop monitor; they’re sliding through an inbox with their thumb making second by second decisions on what to keep and what to toss. It’s time for you to go mobile.
Be Mobile Ready
With smart phones ranging in size from calculator to a deck of cards, you have to be ready for any device. Mobile phones are the easiest, fastest and most convenient way for your customers to read through emails. 70.1 million U.S. email users check their inbox on a smart phone every year. How do you adjust?
- Change the coding to adapt to any size screen
- Create a simpler design, requiring less information to load
Offer Discounts, Coupons, Etc
Email marketing is a great chance to offer on the go coupons. A stroll through the mall could turn into full fledge shopping spree if you give them a reason to spend. To do this, however, you must make a few logistical considerations.
- Your coupon should be mobile ready. Assume that your customers have no time or place to print a coupon, but still want to shop. Allow them to have it scanned directly off the phone for quick, easy purchasing.
- Allow them to save it. While you want customers to spend right away, they may be in a rush. Allowing them to use it toward an online purchase at home or at another time will show them you understand their busy lifestyle.
Provide Interesting Snippets
Whether your content is spectacular or not, face it, customers aren’t going to hang on every word you put in your newsletter. Because of this, you want to create quick snippets of content that will give them a reason to come back later.
- Customers perceive numbers as relating to a sale or deal. This is a great way to catch their attention.
- Headline all the stories with links to the full text. This gives them a reason to keep from deleting the email, and go back to it later.
Convenience, Convenience
When someone is reading through an email in the doctor’s office, or sitting in traffic, it isn’t likely they’ll pull out a credit card to make the purchase right then and there. However, your customers do want to have access to your products. Include links to various products on your website to give them an easy way to browse. Then, make it easy for them to complete their purchases afterward.
- Give them a way to sign in to their shopping cart to store items for later.
- Make it simple to share the items, encouraging friends and family to check it out as well.
E-mail marketing is a great way to reach your customers, however, the way they interact with your messages is changing every day. In an increasingly mobile world, it’s critical that you get your email mobile ready and follow suit.
