I can’t count the number of times I have opened an email on my blackberry only to find that it’s not easily readable. Sure, I could download the images and wait for them to load, but I don’t know if it’s worth the time. And once I sit back down at my computer, that email is already marked as opened and I never go back to check out what it said. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
This problem is a huge lost opportunity for e-marketers to grab consumer attention. You only get one chance with each email to make an impression, and if that email message is not easily readable your recipient will quickly tune out. People are busy and sometimes do not have the time to investigate the messages in their inbox. Combine that with the limitations of some data plans and your window of opportunity shrinks even more.
As PDA devices are extremely prevalent, you have more people receiving and opening emails away from their computers and away from the big screen graphic capabilities that come with it. The popularity of PDAs stems from their ability for turning your downtime, like waiting in line, into something productive, like checking your emails. This audience is often a captive audience because they always have access to their email and check it frequently. I don’t mind opening product or company emails if I’m bored waiting for something and I will sometimes read emails just to kill time.
When opening an email, if there is a PDA version that uploads immediately, I will usually read the whole email. Or if there is a PDA version link directly at the top, I am very likely to click and read. Including a PDA version is incredibly effective and there is no excuse for companies to not create a PDA version. They are simple to generate and the technology is available to detect if an email is being opened by a PDA device, sometimes down to the very version of the phone.
A PDA version makes an email accessible, convenient and quick to download for the growing population of smart phone users. Catering to this trend will make your email campaign appeal to a larger market, and will certainly make this blogger very happy.
