In the second half of 2012, 41% of commercial emails were opened on mobile devices, and according to a report by Knotice that percentage is expected to surpass desktop opens in the coming year. It’s more important than ever to optimize email campaigns for mobile devices, so here are a few tips to ensure that those newsletters and company updates are as mobile-friendly as possible.
Stick to one column
With a one column setup subscribers can see what they need to see without the using cumbersome double tap and pinch to zoom motions — motions that often lead to frustrating accidental clicks.
Finger-friendly links
Your calls to action should be as tappable as possible. Buttons are easier to tap (and notice) than text-based links, but if text is your route of choice make sure that your font is large enough to click. You’ll also want to make sure links are actually recognizable as a links — the classic signal for this is blue underlined text.
Make sure your font is big enough
Apple recommends using fonts sized 17-22 points in mobile emails. While that does seem a bit large, it’s important to remember that some of us weren’t graced with 20/20 vision.
Optimize images for load time
The larger the image, the longer the load time. To keep your load time fast, optimize images for web by adjusting image size to match your column’s proper dimension (no need for a 4272 by 2848 pixel image here) and choosing a web-friendly resolution.
Use blocks to stylize
A one column format can be monotonous so try breaking up text with text and image blocks. White space and headers will help guide the subscriber’s eye through the email.
