When designing mobile friendly email for your email marketing campaign, there are two extremely important roles that come into play: content and usability. To comply with these roles there are several design elements that need attention when creating a functional mobile email. Just as mobile friendly websites have become a necessity to many businesses, mobile friendly emails cannot afford to be forgotten.
Below are 6 design tips you can implement immediately on your next me designing a mobile ready email where content and usability are equally important.
Create an easy to read layout
A single column layout is probably the best option to choose when you consider the limited screen size of phones. Incorporate inline images that float right or left to the text to keep the email from being too boring. Single columned emails greatly increase legibility.
Enlarge fonts
Considering the size of the screen, make fonts enlarged and easy to read. Stick to using fonts that are 14x or larger. Fonts should be set larger than you would use in traditional emails.
Call to action
As true with any email, a strong call to action is needed in order to be effective. Don't be afraid to make the CTA button big and bold; front and center. It should be an obvious clickable or "tappable" button.
Use images carefully
Images are great but use them carefully. Aside from iOS they are automatically blocked by other operating systems and users have to approve their display. Also determine if they will render correctly and if not, it may be best to skip them and amp up the text a little.
Keep message concise
Since people are most likely scanning their emails on the go or away from their computers, it is extremely important to keep your message simple and to the point. Place all important design and content elements in the upper portion of the email.
Cut away clutter
Space is limited on handheld devices so cut down on any social sharing buttons and other navigations. Present a clean and streamlined design while keeping the email message at the forefront.
These are just a few design tips for you to implement when focusing on mobile ready emails and will hopefully help you better understand effective mobile marketing. It's been said before that responsive design is not just a trend and that designing for mobile devices is becoming a necessity for every business. This no longer just pertains to your website but also to the emails you send!