The future of email marketing is already here and it’s called mobile. Mobile marketing will be front and center in 2016.
As email marketers, we should now be thinking of email as primarily a mobile channel. While the traditional desktop environment is still important, it is now in decline and will continue to decline as mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, continue to take their share of the online arena.
Make no mistake: If your number one email marketing priority in 2016 isn’t mobile, you’re in real danger of actively turning away a significant portion of your business.
Consider this: The only people who will love you if you don’t adopt a mobile-first strategy are your competitors. And remember, in this mobile age, competitors can come online quickly and disrupt your business before they have even hit your radar.
But first some good news…
Mobile technology has strengthened the position of email marketing. Email is an integral component of the mobile environment. It has freed email from the constraints of desktop devices. People now carry their email inboxes with them everywhere and engage with them constantly. The mobile age is a good time to work in email marketing.
So why is mobile so important? Let’s look at some stats:
66% of all emails are first opened on a mobile device.
This doesn’t mean you will have a second bite of the cherry if you don’t adopt a mobile strategy. Very few people will return to an email on a desktop device if they are unable to successfully engage with it in the mobile environment. This means that when you only have one chance to positively influence subscribers, you better make sure you don’t waste that opportunity.
Two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone and 51% of time spent online is now on mobile devices.
Many smartphone owners will only ever access online services via the mobile environment. For some demographics, the smartphone offers the first real opportunity to live in a connected world. Those with a choice prefer spending time online via their mobile devices.
65% of mobile users check their email within 15 minutes of rising and 15 minutes before going to bed.
The smartphone has become such an important aspect of our lives, it’s often the very first thing we think of in the morning and the last thing at night. There is no cut-off point. This means there is never a bad time to send your email campaigns because your subscribers are ready to accept them and engage with them anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
Have you taken the first steps to secure your position in the mobile age? The power to do so is literally in your own hands. Go mobile.
This abridged post first appeared on the iContact Email Marketing Blog.
Photo: Esther Vargas
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