Mobile email customization vital for customer engagement: expert

Mobile devices can no longer be ignored

The best way for a brand to optimize its email marketing is to create different versions for both a desktop computer and a mobile platform, as well as customize content for mobile users.

Brands that cater to both mobile users and desktop users will reach the most consumers and ultimately increase Web traffic. The headline content of an email can also effect whether or not a consumer opens an email and clicks-through to a site.

“The most effective types of email are the ones that make the best use of mobile and desktop channels,” Deborah Hall, managing director of web2mobile, Toronto. 

“Emails that support multiple versions offering content appropriate for the channel are the most effective,” she said.

“An example of this is a desktop version of an email newsletter with larger images and then a sharp mobile-Web enabled version that you can touch or swipe, geo-map to stores and call store to order,” she said.

Me mail
There are three important steps that a brand must take if it wants to have a successful email marketing base in today’s on-the-go, customer-service-oriented environment.

The first step is to create a mobile version of a brand’s Web site, and then the brand should link to this in their email blasts, per Ms. Hall.

“There is not much point in having a smart mobile version of your newsletter and then nowhere to send users for additional information,” she said.

Next, brands should optimize a mobile version of emails and newsletters so that users who are viewing on their phones have easy access to the actionable content such as events, store locators and promotions.

The third step is to run time-of-day testing against the mobile version of your email newsletter.

This will allow a brand to see what articles or items users are clicking on at particular times of day.

Brands can also use this to track which content was more interesting to desktop users as opposed to mobile users.

Opening up
Headlines and content make a large difference in terms of email marketing results.

Deals- and sales-themed emails are seeing high-levels of click-throughs, per web2mobile research.

Sale locators, “Contact us” links and maps also receive generous clicks from mobile devices.

In terms of product content emails, the best way to engage readers is through small, very specific chunks of information.

For example, headlines such as “5 scarves you need for fall” with short, bullet-like text content is often effective, according to Ms. Hall. This type of information is easy for viewers to read quickly while they are multitasking.

Brands also need to keep in mind step three and really determine what time of day works best for their particular products.

For instance, a prime time to send emails for travel sites is probably Thursday or Friday when people are planning weekend activities.

Flash-sale sites mainly use morning and lunchtime email blasts to engage shoppers during their lunch-hours when they are at their desks.

“Overall, I think time of day is one of the most interesting parameters as it relates to mobile,” Ms. Hall said.

“The concept of all-day-mobile on various devices and the multi-tasking between devices is important for marketers and advertisers to consider,” she said.

Final Take
Kayla Hutzler, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

Share this article:

>Tweet this | Follow us on Twitter

No comments »

Tags: Deborah Hall, email marketing, mobile email, mobile marketing, mobile2web