Plain Text Emails Perfect for Smart Phone Users
According to aol.com, 16% of email-using Americans use mobile devices to check their email. They also report that within the last year, 55% of these people upgraded their cell phone so they could check their email on the go. Judging by these stats, the number of people using mobile email is growing, and fast.
Smart phones don’t quite read like a computer screen yet, but they’re always getting better. It’s still a pain to try and read something graphic-heavy designed for a full size monitor on a 3-inch phone screen. Giving your leads the option to receive emails in plain text, designed for viewing on a smart phone, is a great way to ensure that they’ll receive your message in the most useful format.
To find out which delivery method your leads prefer, add a field to your lead generation form asking what format they want emails sent in, plain text or HTML. Or, to phrase it differently, ask them if they typically read their email on a smart phone or on a computer. If your dealership collects email addresses in the store, train your salespeople and receptionists to ask this question as well.
Make note of their preference in your CRM tool, creating a custom field if necessary. If this isn’t possible, you’ll just have to check the previous email sent to find the appropriate format, or look at the original lead email.
Create two versions of each email template that you send regularly, one in plain text and one in HTML (if your dealership send messages in this format). Make sure that the plain text version has a link to the HTML version in case they happen to be reading it on a computer.
This small tweak in the format that you send emails in will increase the chance that your leads are actually reading the ads, newsletters, and email messages you send. How many times do you open an email on your smart phone, realize it’s full of HTML and graphics, and delete it because it’s just too hard to digest? Or maybe you just close it, meaning to read it later, but never actually do. Don’t give your customers another reason to pass over or delete your messages without actually reading them.
By giving your marketing messages to leads in the format that is easiest for them to digest, you’re removing a road block that could prevent them from reading your emails. This one little adjustment makes it easier for leads to read and understand your emails, and can make your email marketing campaign that much more effective.
