The best practices for mobile brands in 2014

Kristina: How important is mobile to brands who use email to engage shoppers?

Eddie Howard, Senior Product Manager for Vocus: This is great for marketers. No longer are emails only consumed in front of a computer screen during certain hours. Now consumers are reading emails during the day, when in bed, at bars, while commuting and while watching TV. This trend is only going to get bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if 75% of emails were opened on a mobile device by 2016. What does this mean for marketers? It means the number of opportunities to get marketing messages in front of consumers has increased big time and it's continuing to grow.

Kristina: How does this change how brands/marketers need to address email campaigns?

Eddie: Email campaigns must now be designed for multiple viewing scenarios. Marketers can't assume their emails are being read at a desk during work hours or in the evening at home. Marketers must learn the behaviors of their target demographics and adjust their marketing efforts accordingly. For example, if your target audience primarily consists of traveling professionals, your email campaigns must be designed for easy consumption while on the road, in airports, or in taxis. The built-for-desktop image and text-heavy emails just won't work anymore.

Kristina: Have marketers begun adjusting their messages to the different mobile screen sizes?

Eddie: Absolutely. Many marketers have implemented responsive emails, which adjust the rows and columns appropriately when viewed on different devices. This way they can create one email that adjusts smoothly when viewed on a laptop, smartphone or tablet, regardless if it's a portrait or landscape view.

More from Eddie on Monday, including his top tips for mobile email design.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: 2014 email predictions, email best practices, email marketing, email trends, iContact