As just about anyone will a smartphone knows, the importance of mobile email marketing is growing quickly. According to a Return Path study, 55% of all email is now opened from a mobile device and the percentage is only going to grow. For many people, mobile email is now the default option.

To make the most of this trend, firms needs to optimize their email marketing campaigns for mobile devices. Here are three ways to achieve this result.

1. Get to the point
While it is typically important for email marketers to keep their messages relatively brief and to the point, this is particularly critical when it comes to mobile. While more people are accessing email on their mobile devices, they are often spending less time reading those emails, making them less likely to thoroughly read a lengthy message viewed on these devices.

Screen size is a likely factor when it comes to these new reading habits. Obviously, a smartphone can display less text at a given time than a laptop or desktop. An email advertising message’s length may seem entirely reasonable on a large screen, yet appear overwhelming on a mobile device, requiring the recipient to scroll through page after page of text.

With this being the case, is critical that email marketers ensure their mobile messages are direct and concise. Brevity must apply to all aspects of the email marketing message, including the subject line.

2. Focus on the pre-header
The pre-header consists of the first few lines of text from an email that a recipient can view before opening the message. This snippet of text can play a large role in determining whether the message is read, as it will be visible to the mobile device user, before they have chosen to open the email. If the pre-header seems dull or irrelevant, it is less likely the recipient will take the time to open the email.

3. Test, test, and test again
It is important that email marketers constantly test their campaigns in mobile environments to ensure that every component works correctly. Without testing, it is possible that messages will be distributed that feature unloadable images, broken links, or other aspects that render poorly on a mobile screen. These issues reflect poorly on the company and undermine the effectiveness of the mobile email advertising effort.