It’s no secret that people are glued to their smartphones. A survey from Morgan Stanley found that 91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile devices within reach 24/7. And people are using their smartphones for just about everything, including, of course, checking their email. In fact, Litmus found that 48% of emails are opened on smartphones and tablets.

Looking to make your emails more mobile friendly in order to reach busy, on-the-go renters? Read on for 10 tips to help.

1. Write a Compelling Subject Line
Many email clients cut off subject lines at around 40-50 characters (and that includes spaces!) so be concise and keep important words at the front of the subject line. Consider testing a few different subject lines to see which one produces a better open and click-through rate.

2. Give a Preview with a Pre-Header
Pre-headers (also referred to as snippet text) are the short previews of text that many email mobile devices display along with the subject line and sender (see below). Instead of using a generic pre-header (think “To view this email in your browser, click here”), use the pre-header text as another opportunity to entice readers to open your email. Just remember -- not all devices and email clients will display the pre-header, so keep the most important information in the subject line. 

 

3. Make it Short and Simple
Today’s consumers have short attention spans and are likely checking their email while doing other things like commuting, attending business meetings and hanging out with friends. Keep your emails short and simple and make the text easy to scan by using things like headings, bullets and numbers.

4. Use a Legible Font Size
Use a font size that’s large enough to be readable on small screens -- 14 point font is a good guideline.

5. Stick to Single Column Layouts
Multi-column layouts can get messy on different mobile devices. So, if you can’t code your emails responsively, stick with one-column layouts, which generally adapt better to various screen sizes so users don’t have to pinch, zoom and scroll to see the entire email.

6. Double Check the Width
Renters are likely using dozens of different types of mobile devices to open your emails. And not all devices will scale emails to fit the screen. Keep the width of your email layouts to 320-600 pixels wide to better ensure the email will look best on various devices.

7. Keep Key information on the Left
Though some phones will scale emails to fit the width of the mobile device, not all of them do. Keep key information (such as your logo and buttons), on the left side of your emails to avoid this content getting cut off.

8. Include a Clear Call to Action
What step do you want renters to take after reading your email? Make your call-to-action clear and put it somewhere it will stand out – near the top of your email is a great option. And make sure your call to action buttons are at least 44 pixels high by 44 pixels wide so they're big enough to tap with fingers of different sizes.

9. Don’t Go Overboard on Images
It’s great to include images that support your message, but don’t go overboard. Some mobile devices turn email images off by default. Think about whether or not your email will still make sense (and look good) if those images appeared as white space.

10. Test Before You Send
It may seem obvious, but remember to test your emails on various devices such as iPhone, iPad and Android devices to make sure things appear correctly and all links are working before sending out to your entire distribution list.

What other tips do you have for more effectively reaching renters who are checking their email on their smartphones and tablets?