6 essential tips for creating mobile-friendly emails

When you send an email, keep in mind that many of your subscribers will open it on their phones or tablets rather than on their desktop computers or laptops. Most digital marketers still consider mobile device optimisation to be an afterthought. Nonetheless, it has risen to the top of most digital marketing strategies over the years because approximately 50% of email opens occur on mobile devices.

If your emails aren't mobile-friendly, you're potentially missing out on opportunities to engage your subscribers and drive results. So, let's look at six simple, yet crucial tips that you can use right now to make your emails more mobile-friendly.

Take these steps to make your email campaigns mobile-friendly

Developing mobile-friendly email campaigns is not as difficult as it might seem. The key to mobile emails, first and foremost, is simplicity. With limited space, you must be mindful of your content and layout. Your goal is to provide a quick and easy experience to your subscribers.

1. Compose short subject lines

On mobile devices, the generally ideal character length for your subject line is 25-30 characters. Since your subject line is the reason for a high open rate, make sure you give yourself a chance to succeed on mobile as well.

If you find that a large percentage of your subscribers open your emails on an iPhone or Android device, you can strive to keep your subject lines a little under 25 characters if possible, so that they look good on those devices. This is for the typical Gmail user using an iPhone or Android in portrait mode.

2. Avoid having menu bars

Tiny menu and navigation bars are difficult to use on a mobile device. We strongly advise you to avoid them altogether. Since this is an email, not a website, there is no need for a traditional menu or navigation bar. Stick to the basic building blocks for emails: links and images.

3. Keep your copy brief

Keep your copy for mobile-friendly emails brief and to the point. Create short content, such as bulleted lists and short paragraphs, to help your reader absorb your copy and understand what action they should take in response to your message.

4. Avoid using links

If possible, avoid using links. They're hard to click and necessitate zooming in and out. We would recommend using call to action (CTA) buttons that are at least 44 x 44 pixels to ensure full clickability.

Also, when writing emails for busy, on-the-go readers, you want to get right to the point and tell them exactly what you want them to do right away. Therefore, to make your email more mobile-friendly, place your call to action near the top.

5. Use a single-column layout

Despite your desire for your emails to be visually appealing, you should also prioritise functionality. Since the small screen size limits the number of design elements you can use, keep it simple and easy to navigate with a single-column layout.

A single-column layout makes your email mobile-friendly while also simplifying your design and emphasising your most important content.

Also, keep in mind that the email should not be wider than 600 pixels.

6. Leave clicking room

Remember to leave enough white space around links and CTA buttons to make them easy to click.

With these six essential and helpful tips, you should be well on your way to creating mobile-friendly emails that your on-the-go readers will love to open and act on.

What steps do you take to ensure that your email subscribers have the best mobile viewing experience possible? Let us know in the comments section below.

Comments

Contact us
for help

Fill out the form and we will get back to you.

Join Our
newsletter

Ready to enhance your email marketing campaigns?
Sign up to our weekly email newsletter for email marketing news, tips and tricks.