Discussion

Why you need to start using responsive email design

I probably don’t have to tell you how irritating it is to receive an email that doesn’t display properly.

In fact, you’re not alone.

Over 70% of people will immediately delete an email if it doesn’t function the way it should, so ensuring that your email is responsive across all devices is an integral part of your email campaign.

What is responsive email?

When we say ‘responsive’ we mean that your email should deliver the same look and functionality on every device that opens it. Whether it’s a smartphone, desktop, tablet or HDTV, your email needs to offer the same quality on every device.

The idea of responsive email doesn’t sound too complex. It’s only when you take into account the various coding requirements for different devices and platforms, is when the issues start to arise. For example, iOS differs to Android, and Yahoo has different requirements to Gmail.

It’s not as simple as scaling down your email to fit onto a device either, as this tends to produce hard to read messages. What you need to do is ensure that you are using the right code to produce responsive email across each device.

Why is it important?

The benefits to producing responsive email design are clear to see:

  • It provides a better user experience
  • Consumers are less likely to delete your email
  • It helps you connect and engage with your audience
  • Consumers are more likely to click-through
  • It will improve your ROI
  • It shows that you are a professional organisation

Not only that but the rise in mobile over the past few years is staggering, meaning now more than ever is the time to become responsive. Gone are the days when we used a phone to simply text or call people. We live on our mobile’s, so it comes as no real surprise that 91% of consumers check their email at least once per day on their smartphone. The truth is, a smartphone has evolved to offer everything we could possible need right within our pocket, so it makes sense that as marketers, we evolve with it.

What should I take into account?

When designing your email you need to be assessing your content to ensure that it will work across the board. The problem with traditional email is that it tends to feature a lot of images, too much copy and fixed-width frameworks. So when it comes to appearing on a mobile device, the message is lost because it’s fixed to a desktop design.

Ideally, when your email appears on a mobile, it should skip certain features such as long paragraphs of text so that it can focus on the important elements such as the call-to-action buttons. A responsive email will also take into consideration how a mobile user likes to view content. Mobile is all about providing quick and to the point messaging, so make sure you include simple layouts and large CTA buttons in order to achieve this.

When coming up with design ideas for your email campaign, think about mobile ahead of desktop. That way you won’t be struggling to decide what to cut out of your mobile email, and you’ll create a much stronger, clearer message throughout the campaign. Once you’ve got your email fully responsive and optimized, it’s also important to make sure that the landing page you are directing your users to is just as responsive. Ensuring that you are consistent in your email and on your website will result in a high ROI.

Instiller does it all for you

Here at Instiller we understand that it’s not easy working out code for every device, so that’s why we provide the tools to do it for you.

We have a drag and drop email designer that will help you design emails from scratch and create templates that look exactly how you intend them to look.

You’ll be able to create a great looking email campaign that works across every device – saving you time and the hassle of using code.

Plus, if you need to make last minute changes to copy or fix a broken link then our online editor can do that with the click of a button.

Not only do we provide an easy-to-use email builder, but we also offer integration with Litmus so you can test your emails before you send them.

Litmus allows you to preview email templates to ensure everything looks great on all devices and email apps, in the preview pane and with images on or off.

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If you want to benefit from all the above, plus many more features including campaign planning, reporting, split testing, device tracking, social sharing, data management and content automation then start your free 14-day trial today!

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