I wanted to share with you some thoughts from one of our designers at eROI, Stephen Aase, on mobile design optimization. This is not a technical post but more about how he approaches the creative aspects of campaign development.

It is easy to see the natural progression of email becoming more apparent in the mobile realm. With 91 percent of the U.S. using mobile phones and 97 percent utilizing email, it is imperative the Email Marketing world keep up with optimizing every sent message from these platforms. Especially when delivering them to mobile inboxes. When maneuvering through these hoops we try and keep a few key principals top of mind.

Subject line perfection – Hit your point home from the start. Beating around the bush will only muddy the waters. Most mobile email platforms give you a subject line in a clear cut way. Know your audience and find out what will make your email one they read vs. discard quickly. It is often the case that it is easier to delete an email on a mobile device than to read it. So keep it strong, simple and engaging. Perfecting this is the start of any good campaign, but within the mobile landscape it is read or delete. So get it right the first time.

Simplicity with fluidity – It is pretty easy to over design for the inbox these days. But we find that the best way to get attention on a mobile device is to keep clear messaging throughout. When designed in a fluid layout an email will be able to scale no matter which device is reading it. Are they viewing the email in “landscape” or “vertical” mode? Either way a fluid layout will work perfectly well. While simplifying the way your email lays out is important, it is equally important to understand the principals of design in the medium. Specifically, form following function. It is easy to see that keeping your design simple on a small handheld device will help the function of the email. To perform well you must deliver a message clearly and simply, without rendering problems getting in the way.

The offer in two places – When dealing with e-commerce emails you have to truly rely on the fact that finishing a purchase on a mobile device is nearly impossible. Do not worry about the click through, worry if the message is strong enough. Keeping your messaging simple and to the point is often times met with your user making the correct decision. The choice is then not to buy, but to save the email for a later time. Consider how your email gives your customer value. This will in turn lead them to their desktop to continue reading about what the offer can provide.

Links without kinks – If you are not gathering any information about what platform or device your emails are being viewed on, you are missing out on some crucial ingredients to a successful email blast. Most platforms cannot read what device your customers are viewing your emails on. If you include a “View Mobile Version” link on your emails you will have direct access to how many of your customers are interacting on a mobile device. Keep track of these stats, as they are important to the ever changing inbox. Know how to connect the right way with the right audience.

People ARE reading email – big time. Mobile engagement has begun to rank the highest in most all of the tests we have been doing with our clients. As our culture continues to become more and more mobile, the plain and simple truth is that not having an optimized rendering of you emails through mobile is a big mistake. The ways in which we interact with our inboxes is in flux, but people are reading in greater numbers and more often. If anything, this has re-energized the Email Marketing boom, and will make any companies email campaigns hit harder and stronger.

So which side of the inbox are you on?