by Claudia Bruemmer

Shopping by smartphone has grown significantly over the past year, and that means general merchandise vendors can take advantage of creating compelling mobile emails for their subscribers. The tips below can help B2B marketers put together mobile emails designed specifically for smartphones that can help boost conversions.

In May 2011, the Nielsen Company reported 38 percent of U.S. mobile phone owners use smartphones, and usage is up from 29.7 percent in October 2010. Another study done by ExactTarget in May 2011 indicates most smartphone subscribers take advantage of the phone’s email capabilities:

• 53% check email several times a day
• 29% check email throughout the day
• 66% check at least once a day

Furthermore, email was found to be the most effective conversion tool, as 55 percent of respondents took action based on emails received on their smartphones. The survey also found other communication methods were not as effective:

• 41% took action based on text messages
• 35% took action based on Facebook recommendations
• 32% took action based on shopping apps

Despite the above consumer preferences, not many B2B marketers have created mobile marketing campaigns for their email audience. Most of them are challenged by the constraints of the small mobile touch screen. However, they are not exploiting the unique opportunities available from the anytime-anywhere access of mobile subscribers. Below are some tips to help B2B marketers create mobile emails for a growing mobile audience.

Understand Your Smartphone Audience. Mobile emails are naturally suited to some audiences but not others. Estimate what portion of your audience reads your emails on a mobile device by tracking pertinent data. To realize ROI, you need to weigh the value of that portion of your audience. Also note the portion of your smartphone users that are repeat buyers, which account for the majority of a firm’s revenue. If so, then the straight percentage of users may not be your only criteria. You must consider the total value of that population to your business.

Plan Your Mobile Email Campaign. Even if very few of your subscribers currently access email with smartphones, the growth trend indicates this will change.

• Look at the content, purpose and goal of your messages. Some emails will be very useful for people on the go, such as daily coupon deals that don’t require printing.

• Review mobile design principles. Many times, you can use the same version of your emails for both desktop and mobile. However, you must ensure your message will render well on both smartphones and desktops.

• You don’t need to create separate versions for different types of smartphones. Find a common denominator and deliver a version that works across all devices.

Expand Your Mobile Email List. Few marketers use mobile capture to grow their lists. Expanding your email strategy to use mobile allows you to expand your email list to a smartphone audience. Whether you are a restaurant, retail store or entertainment venue, people respond to a call-to-action when they are at a specific location interacting with the brand. Smartphones let you exploit that.

Adjust Layout for the Small Screen. Your goal is to simplify usability. You don’t want to make your smartphone subscribers zoom in or scroll to read your text. You also don’t want them struggling to get to your landing page because their finger can’t hit the right link. Below are a few things you can do to make things easier for mobile subscribers:

• Use a single column of text. While 320 pixels are often recommended, 450-500 can also be used with good results.
• Increase font size, usually 16-18 pixels for body text, and 21 or 22 for headlines.
• Leave enough space around buttons and links for a finger to tap them without hitting the wrong one.

It’s important to apply design principles and create compelling content to get conversions. If your mobile email is compelling enough to engage a reader, then the landing page or point of sale must also be easy for a user to read and use. Test your mobile emails on as many mobile devices as possible before sending to your audience.

Adjust Content for the Mobile Environment. People reading email on their smartphones are likely to be in the midst of other activities. Email can be filling a gap while they wait in line or when they take a break from their main activity. Take this context into consideration when creating content.

Tighten the focus and the copy in your mobile emails. Don’t try to accomplish too much in one email; stick to one idea, concept or offer. Crisp writing is always desirable, and it is mandatory when addressing a mobile audience. Convey only what is essential. Keep messages short, succinct and appropriate for the small screen.

The subject line and ‘from’ field are very important. Since mobile email apps don’t allow a preview, the subject line and the ‘from’ field must get a reader’s attention with a total of 60 characters.

Succinctness is important in the subject line. Your first 35 characters are those that show up across most mobile devices. The key to the ‘from’ field is don’t get it wrong. You want it to meet your subscriber’s expectations. Some companies send emails from a specific person so the ‘from’ field doesn’t show the company name, only the person’s name. However, if it’s not familiar to your audience, it can work against you.

In closing, smartphone shoppers have grown exponentially over the past year, and general merchandise vendors can take advantage of creating compelling mobile emails for their subscribers. B2B marketers can follow the above tips to put together mobile emails designed specifically for smartphones to help boost conversions.