According to the most recent DMA Digital Tracking Study the number of people who said they normally viewed their emails on a smartphone, iPhone or mobile grew by 36 per cent in six months.

Based on this rate of growth, and the heavy press coverage it has received, UK marketers are increasingly concerned about the impact of mobile on their email marketing efforts. Are they right to be?

Discussion about the impact smartphones will have on email marketing tends to focus on design. Most people worry about how to ensure that their emails look good on a smartphone. While I think that is an important consideration, in some ways they are worrying about the wrong thing.

Email viewing habits – the facts

The first thing to remember is that just because you can read your emails on your smartphone it does not mean that everyone always does or will. This is also borne out by the DMA Digital Tracking Study which found that only 15 per cent of the people studied “normally view” their emails on a mobile device, as compared with 64 per cent who do so on their desktop and 51 per cent on their laptop.

Speaking from personal experience and observation on the way friends, colleagues and family process and respond to email, I believe that very few people will only ever use one device to receive and interact with the marketing messages we send. If that is so, then the key to building an email marketing strategy that includes mobile has to take a lot more factors into account than the email client and size of the screen.  For example it would be very useful to know:

• How many subscribers open only on their mobile or desktop/laptop?
• How many subscribers open on both their mobile and their desktop/laptop and, if so, in what order?
• Do subscribers who open on both spend more or less?
• Which device works best for opens/click and purchases?
• Which devices/domains are subscribers more likely to open twice on?
• Do some subject lines work better on mobiles?
• Are there any other factors that influence the proportion of mobile opens in a campaign?

Knowing the answers to questions like these may change the way we approach the mobile challenge.

Eight key tips for mobile emails

1. What are the objectives of your email?
If your CTA is purchase, you might be better not to optimise for mobile as consumers might be less likely to purchase using a mobile device.

2. Think about your product
You might prefer people to see your beautifully designed products in all their glory on a large screen rather than in a thumbnail sized image (think fashion or gadgets!). If you’re a B2B selling whitepapers then it’s a whole different ball game.

3. Offer different viewing options
Include a ‘View on Mobile’ link using a short url and include it at the very top so Blackberry users don’t need to scroll to find it.

4. Think about mobile options in your preference centre
It’s hard to design for mobile without lessening impact of main version and so a text version may be better.

5. Test, and test again
Optimise your testing by ensuring it includes the platforms and email clients your subscribers are using – and review this list frequently to make sure you stay up to date. Remember, mobile email is in its infancy so what works today may not work tomorrow.

6. Make the content relevant
Remember the nudge effect – and make your email valuable even if people don’t read the whole thing.

7. Know your mobile email hotspots
Don’t waste the top left corner of your email – it’s the part most likely to be seen by all.

8. Keep page loading time to a minimum
It takes longer to load a page on a mobile, so keep the email file size below 20kb – few subscribers have the patience of a saint.

This information comes from the Direct Marketing Association and the website www.b2balliance.info which brings together best practice guidelines and other key information on a range of B2B Marketing & Communication topics from a powerful alliance of specialist trade organisations.