Not too long ago, if your business sent out an email to customers, you could reasonably assume that the recipients would read it on their desktops or laptops. Today, that assumption would very likely be incorrect. Thanks to advances in mobile technology, people are now reading their emails on their phones, their smart watches and even their glasses. You may be thinking, who cares how my emails are read. The truth is, you should care, because the device being used to read your emails plays a big part in how effective those emails will be.

While other marketing strategies have caught up with the mobile generation, others such as email marketing are lagging. Most marketers still associate email marketing with computers. By simply optimizing your business’s emails for mobile devices, you can ensure that your email marketing campaign will be far more effective.

Seven tips for improving your email marketing campaign

Here’s a look at 7 ways you can improve your email marketing campaign:

• Establish rapport with customers. Because mobile screens are much smaller than a laptop screen or monitor, the way emails are displayed have to be condensed down. On smaller displays, emails are displayed in a way that makes the name of the sender much more prominent. If your customers can’t immediately figure out who sent the email, chances are it will go straight to their “deleted” folder
• Think about the subject line. While not displayed as prominently as the sender’s name, the subject line is still critical. For most people, the subject line is the last thing they do before sending an email and it is normally hastily written. The subject line is the most important part of an email. It’s the difference between an email being opened and an email being deleted. The rest of the email doesn’t matter if it goes straight to the “deleted folder” without being read
• Don’t forget the pre-header. One feature unique to emails displayed on mobile devices is that they include a pre-header or snippet text. The pre-header is simply the first bit of text in the body of the email. Make sure it’s not some automated time stamp but rather something that will grip your recipients’ attention
• Your call to action should be obvious. People are even less likely to read through a lot of text on a smartphone compared to a computer. So make sure your call to action is clear and make sure it stands out
• Consider responsive email design (RED). The best way to reach customers via email regardless of platform or device is responsive email design. It will change the way your email looks based on which device is being used to access it.
• Include an image. A picture is worth a thousand words. So use one. Make sure you use a picture that is relevant, attention grabbing, and unique.
• Watch where you place your unsubscribe placement. Mobile devices are relatively small; it’s much easier for your customer to accidentally click on the wrong link. Keep that in mind before you place your unsubscribe button right next to your call to action link.

Source:  Entrepreneur