Optimizing for mobile devices is more critical than ever. In this guide, learn how to prioritise mobile-first email marketing with AI-powered personalization.

The Essential Guide to Optimizing Your Emails for Mobile

the-essential-guide-to-optimizing-your-emails-for-mobile

[[p]]With mobile-first indexing becoming the standard and [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/ai-in-digital-marketing-the-ultimate-guide" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]AI reshaping email marketing[[/a]], optimizing for mobile devices is more critical than ever. According to Audience Point, 50-60% of emails are now opened on a mobile device, a statistic that confirms more email is read on mobile than on desktop.[[/p]]

[[p]]Any marketer&#39;s objectives include increasing engagement and customer acquisition. The key? Mobile-first email marketing with AI-powered personalization.[[/p]]

[[p]]Along with knowing the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/email-marketing-skills" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]essential email marketing skills[[/a]] you need to boost open &amp; click rates, you also need to invest in mobile-friendly email marketing.[[/p]]

[[p]]In this guide, you&#39;ll learn how to:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_18687"]]Pay attention to pre-header text[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_18692"]]Make the most of buttons[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_18695"]]Utilize advanced device detection[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83606"]]Create a mobile-first layout design[[/a]][[/li]]
	[[li]][[a href="#heading_83611"]]Measure mobile email performance[[/a]][[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]When it comes to [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-ultimate-email-marketing-guide-for-beginners" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]email marketing[[/a]] best practices, the focus is often firmly placed on [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/4-tips-for-crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]subject lines[[/a]] &ndash; how to keep them short and succinct (yet compelling and informative) and why you should A/B test to see what best engages your audience.[[/p]]

[[p]]Pre-header text, meanwhile, is often overlooked, though it is equally important! Also known as a &#39;Johnson Box&#39;, it refers to the first line of your email text that is visible as a preview in a user&rsquo;s email client. It is an invaluable companion to the subject line and provides precious extra characters that you can use to incentivize your recipients to click.[[/p]]

[[p]]Because pre-header text length varies based on the email client and device being used, it&rsquo;s important to keep it short, punchy and easy to consume. This is where effective copywriting comes in, and you can use [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-are-the-best-ai-and-marketing-automation-tools" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]AI tools[[/a]] to help you along the way.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top Tip:[[/strong]] Learn how to use [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/using-ai-tools-for-copywriting" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]AI tools for copywriting[[/a]] to accelerate your work.[[/p]]

[[p]]Most marketers are aware of the concept of employing concise, incentivizing Calls-To-Action (CTA).&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]In mobile-first marketing emails, it&rsquo;s best to bring CTAs as far up within the copy as possible, and to limit the amount of copy used, as text-heavy emails don&rsquo;t perform particularly well on mobile.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s also recommended to use buttons instead of links. This is largely because hyperlinks, much like excessive amounts of text, don&rsquo;t make the most of an email&rsquo;s mobile-responsive design. Buttons are more distinctive and easier to click on when using a mobile device.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Since the rise of mobile adoption, effective email marketing has hinged on the use of mobile-first design principles. Email service providers such as MailChimp and Campaign Monitor offer users a selection of pre-designed, responsive templates that can be customized to suit your needs, as well as those of your target audience.[[/p]]

[[p]]Yet although mobile-responsive templates can look exceptionally good on mobile, they can still be hard to use.[[/p]]

[[p]]There are a number of approaches you can take to optimize the impact of your pre-header text. One is to make your subject line and pre-header text one connected message. This means that you have more space to put your messaging into context, or it can include a deeper level of detail, such as price points and percentage discounts.[[/p]]

[[p]]Personalization is critical to the success of email marketing &ndash; According to Drip, personalized emails have an average open rate of 18.8%, while non-personalized emails have an average open rate of 13.1%.[[/p]]

[[p]]In the same way that you can [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/toolkits/a-b-testing-tool" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]A/B test[[/a]] subject lines, you can also split test pre-header text and tailor it to different target audience segments. You can drill down on their preferences and the email clients and devices they&rsquo;re using. Your Email Service Provider&rsquo;s native analytics platform will provide you with this data.[[/p]]

[[p]]Tailor your pre-header message to add a more personal touch, and you might stand a better chance of improving your Click-Through-Rate (CTR).[[/p]]

[[p]]AI-driven personalization and [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-marketing-automation-tools-effectively" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]automation tools[[/a]] can now dynamically adjust your pre-header message based on individual subscriber behavior, location, and preferences to add a more personal touch and improve CTR. AI-driven personalization is available through tools such as Klaviyo and Mailchimp.[[/p]]

[[p]]Ensure a sufficient amount of white space around the button (where possible) &ndash; this will enhance mobile user experience (UX). Mailchimp suggests the minimum clickable area to be 44x44 pixels, with the white space at 8-12 pixels. Additionally, consider using high-contrast colors to improve accessibility.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top Tip: [[/strong]]Learn the [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/graphic-design-introduction-1-design-fundamentals-hubspot" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]fundamentals of graphic design[[/a]] to get you started with accessibility.[[/p]]

[[p]]Optimize your button CTAs by limiting the number of words used and ensuring that you utilize action verbs that serve as an additional encouragement to click. Phrases such as &#39;download now&#39;, &#39;find out more&#39;, &#39;shop the collection&#39; or &#39;get exclusive access&#39; lead users in the right direction by offering them information about where their follow-up action will take them. This will nurture them along the path to purchase without being too dictatorial. Using words like &#39;today&#39; and &#39;now&#39; will help to create a sense of urgency by intimating that the availability of your product or service is limited.[[/p]]

Example of an effective email button, OtterAI

[[p]]If you can gain an insight into how customers are consuming your content, you can optimize their email experience and accommodate a multi-channel journey that will increase engagement and conversions.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Advanced device detection &ndash; when emails can detect and adapt to different devices &ndash; is a simple alternative to mobile-responsive design.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]You can create emails that display different content depending on the device from which they&rsquo;re accessed, be it an iPhone, Android, or tablet device.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, if one of your digital marketing objectives is to increase online purchases, you can tailor an email that immediately displays button CTAs that allow a user to click through to a more streamlined, mobile-optimized product page and engage in a more simplified checkout process.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Device detection has become even more advanced with [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/optimize-content-for-ai-search" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]AI-powered content optimization[[/a]]. You can deploy machine-learning algorithms to tailor emails that are more personalized.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]If your goal is to increase app downloads, AI can analyze user behavior to determine the optimal time to send app promotion emails that display personalized product recommendations and streamlined CTAs.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top Tip:[[/strong]] Read [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/ai-in-digital-marketing-the-ultimate-guide" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]AI in Digital Marketing &ndash; The Ultimate Guide[[/a]] to discover how AI can help you in your other marketing efforts.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Modern email marketing follows mobile-first design principles rather than desktop-first approaches. The more succinct and visually optimized your marketing email is, the better it will perform, particularly on mobile devices.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Along with shortened text and explicit, prominent button CTAs, emails should now prioritize single-column layouts with larger fonts for optimal mobile readability.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Top Tip:[[/strong]] It&rsquo;s all well and good having a mobile-first email strategy, but you also need to hone the art of writing emails that convert. Check out [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-write-a-marketing-email" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]How to Write a Marketing Email[[/a]] to get those juices flowing.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Emails should be between 600 and 800 pixels in width, as modern email clients have adapted to provide better mobile preview experiences. &nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The preview you create is more important than your marketing email in its entirety because, much like your subject line and pre-header text, it can influence a user to engage with your email and click through within the first 3 seconds of viewing.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]There are two main types of layout types that can be used to optimize your mobile-friendly emails:&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]1. [[strong]]Single-column layouts[[/strong]] are best suited to text-based email as they support skim-reading, place content exactly where the user expects, and enable quick scrolling. Single-column emails also allow for more pronounced headings and better accessibility compliance, making your content more easily [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/digital-accessibility-for-marketers-part-2-user-experience-websites" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]accessible[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]2. [[strong]]Multi-column emails[[/strong]] can make reading more difficult due to the need for horizontal scrolling on mobile devices, so they&rsquo;re not optimal for text-heavy content. They are, however, great for emails with a variety of content, such as image-based content. This would work well in an eCommerce scenario, where a marketing email would be sent displaying images to accompany a variety of products targeted at the recipient.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Once you&rsquo;re satisfied that you have sufficiently [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-optimize-your-email-campaigns" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]optimized your emails[[/a]] for mobile devices, you should [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-use-data-analytics-to-drive-better-business-insights" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]measure their performance[[/a]] to determine whether there&rsquo;s anything you can do to improve your approach.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Focus on mobile-specific metrics such as:&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Mobile open rates vs. desktop open rates&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Mobile click-through rates and conversion rates&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]Mobile engagement time and scroll depth&nbsp;[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]And remember, you can use email marketing as a tool to collect [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/why-first-party-data-is-more-important-than-ever-and-how-to-use-it" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"]]first-party data,[[/a]] these insights can be used to influence your marketing strategy going forward.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s no better or faster way to break into the digital industry than with a digital marketing certification. DMI&rsquo;s certified and industry-aligned Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing will teach you the fundamentals of digital marketing, show you how to leverage AI in your marketing activities, and simple ways to cultivate soft skills. You&rsquo;ll also explore key channels such as email marketing, social media, SEO, content marketing, and display and video advertising to execute successful marketing campaigns in any industry.[[/p]]

The Essential Guide to Optimizing Your Emails for Mobile

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