Digital marketing in the United Kingdom is pretty evolved, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t recognise a good thing when we see it and stick with it. At Globital UK we deal with all aspects of online digital marketing every day, and while we keep up with the latest advances, we understand that sometimes a classic does the job just as well.

Email marketing has been around almost as long as email has. And with every pound spent returning an estimated 45 pounds in revenue, it’s a lead generation method that produces real and tangible results. It’s easy to track, and a lot of consumers prefer to receive commercial communications this way, so you can see why it remains so popular amongst digital marketers.

Over time, emailing marketing has undergone many changes, but the biggest has been the format in which it’s received. The United Kingdom’s 2016 Email Marketing Benchmark Report by international email marketing software and service provider Signup.to says that one of the biggest changes in modern email marketing is that the number of emails opened on mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) has increased by close to 30 percent. This makes the amount of mail opened on desktops and mail opened on mobile equally split for the very first time.

This is hardly surprising when you consider that more than three-quarters of adults in the UK own a smartphone, and are using them for instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as emailing.

Despite the need for mobile email marketing, businesses aren’t optimising their email marketing efforts for mobile devices and are seriously missing out because of it. Even though half of all emails sent to UK users are being received on mobile devices, only about a tenth is optimised for mobile. And most people who get an email that isn’t optimised will delete it immediately without reading.

Optimising your email marketing for mobile is easier than you think and by adding just a few steps into your normal email marketing routine, it can be done. Of course, it goes without saying that using a template that is mobile friendly is essential, but there are also other factors you should consider. Here are some frequently overlooked pointers on email marketing to take into consideration when creating mobile-friendly email marketing:

• Use Images Strategically – Did you know that almost half of all Gmail users turn off images when accessing their emails? Images take time to download (even more so if they haven’t been optimised for a mobile interface) and are data intensive. Many marketers mistakenly assume that because they are using mobile, the email should be graphic heavy and copy thin to capture the viewer’s attention. They should rather concentrate on using imagery strategically, in a way that is least likely to trigger a spam filter (as many image-heavy emails often do) and still leaves an email appearing attractively finished even if the images don’t load.

The best way to do this is to have no less than 30 percent of your email made up of images, to always provide alt text for your images and to make sure that your images are small or compressed.

• Optimise Your Call To Action – Technology research firm Radicati Group, found that the average small business receives and sends a minimum of 120 emails every day. So though your email marketing may generate more leads than other marketing, it isn’t the only email your target market will get in one day.

Including a CTA for your mobile email marketing campaign makes sense for both the medium and message. It should be short and to the point, and create a sense of urgency that compels immediate action. You want receivers to act whether they are scrolling through their emails in a queue, before bed or waiting for someone. There should also only be one CTA in an email, and it should be sized appropriately, as your potential customer will navigate to it using their fingers and not a mouse or touchpad. A short and sweet ‘Act Now’ button will go far.

• Create a Compelling ‘From’ Name, Subject Line and Preheader Text – The moment someone receives an email, they will read who the email is from, what the email is about, and perhaps the first few lines of the email itself in preview form.

You might not think this is important, but when you consider that you only have seconds before the person reading your email loses interest, it makes perfect sense. Having your ‘from’ line clearly stating your business name (and not an employee’s email or generic ‘info’ address) will also make your email less likely to be sent straight to a spam folder.

The first two words of your headline should be informational and tell the reader exactly what your email is about – and your most important details should always lie above the fold as research shows that most readers rarely read past this. Get them hooked here and they will likely open your entire email.

Optimising your email marketing for mobile really doesn’t take that much time or effort, but if you are like many small business owners, you don’t have the time, Globital UK is more than happy to help you out. We offer wholesale white label services and email marketing assistance – including optimising campaigns for mobile. Contact us for more information.

Sources: Digital Marketing Reseller