We know what some of you are thinking … email? Is that still around? If that’s what went through your mind right now, get it out of your head. This blog post is not intended to start the old “Is Email Dead?” conversation again. Email is still a great communication tool with both customers and prospects, and it’s a great way to support your other marketing efforts. 

What we would like to talk about are the latest trends. Tablet and smartphone usage has greatly changed the way people receive and read their emails. The email creative you’ve been using for the last few years is just not good enough anymore. It needs to evolve. There are new innovative ways to get noticed in people’s inbox and we also want to talk about how email can support your other marketing efforts.

• Mobile Email Design. According to Constant Contact, at least 43% of all emails are being opened on a mobile device. Ideally, you should invest in an email template created with responsive design. This will provide the optimal viewing experience across the different platforms (PC, tablet, smartphone, and more). We understand it may not be an option for everyone so here are some quick tips that are easy to implement and ensures that your emails are viewable on mobile devices:

1. Use large call to action buttons that people can easily touch
2. Create email templates that are single column with a narrow width for easy scrolling
3. Make the email content easy to read using large font sizes for smaller screens
4. Keep subject lines less than 60 characters and include a short descriptive pre-header text 
5. Use descriptive Alt tags on image for emails received with images turned off

• Symbols in Subject Line. You might have seen this in your inbox lately. Travel companies have used airplane or sun symbols in their subject lines for a while and it’s becoming more common in other industries. Some popular symbols are: ♥ ★ ☼ ♫ ☀ ✿ ☆ ♡ ⇒ ☺ ❤ ✈ ✞ → ☂. The use of symbols in subject lines has been shown to increase the open rate and is worth testing. Some cautionary notes:

1. Use it sparingly. Make it a novelty to surprise your email recipients. 
2. Make it relevant. Use a symbol that goes with you subject line.
3. Some email clients will not support symbols, including Outlook 2003.
4. Test, test, test. 

• Use Email to Support Your Social Media Efforts. Two easy ways to do that are: 

1. Include links to your social media channels in all your email templates
2. Send out dedicated social media emails, making your customers aware that you are in social media and why they should follow you in social media. 

• Show Videos in Your Emails. Ok, we are not saying actually play the videos in your emails. Include a thumbnail of the video with a link going to your website, YouTube, or wherever your video is hosted. This is a quick and easy way to showcase your videos without email deliverability and design concerns.