According to a 2007 study, 64% of key decision makers are reading your email messages on their Blackberries or PDAs. To grab their attention, and make sure your mail gets read, it’s important to follow these guidelines:
Front load your subject line. The first 15 characters are key. On many PDAs, the subject line is truncated and your reader will only see the first 15-20 characters, so be sure to put the most important information at the beginning.
If your message is urgent, say so. Many people will use Blackberries as a supplemental email device. When they’re out in the field, they’ll scan through their inbox on their Blackberries, but they’ll wait until they’re back in the office to really delve into reading their email. If it’s critical that your message get read and acted upon immediately, add the words “Urgent” or “Due Today” to the beginning of your subject line. But, be considerate of your readers and only use this tactic when the message really is urgent. If you cry wolf too often, soon your messages won’t be read at all.
Because you never know how your emails will be read, always compose your messages using multi-part MIME. Make sure the important text is at the beginning of the message. Current Blackberry devices have 320px wide displays – keep this in mind when designing your message.
Snub the prevailing advice – do not include your company name in the subject line. I’ve read more and more marketing experts suggesting that you include your company name at the very beginning of your subject line to aid in “branding”. I must say, I totally disagree with this logic. If your “from” line is formatted properly, there is no need to waste the limited space in your subject line. Your subject line is too precious to include duplicated information.
If you’re a B-to-B marketer, give readers the option to subscribe to the PDA version of your email, in addition to text-only or html options. Then design your email accordingly.
Remember, mobile users don’t read, they scan. When checking their messages in their Blackberries, they’ll be looking at cluttered rows of from fields and subject lines, and they’ll make a quick decision as to which message is relevant. Anything you can do to ethically make your message stand out will improve your open and click-through rates. Try adding symbols like * or ^ but use sparingly to avoid spam filters. And use keywords that will stand out as your reader is scanning the inbox.
And, finally, be sure to test your message across multiple platforms.
By: Karen Scharf
Posts Tagged ‘Blackberry’
Java 32 (AKA SciPhone) – Why This New Shake and Tilt IClone May Be the Best Mini Model Yet
November 18th, 2009
In the world of iPhone clones, consumers love to debate which model works the best, and which feature no phone should be without. Most are very passionate about their stance in this debate. The truth is, there is no right answer here. There’s only the right phone for each individual. One size does not fit all, but luckily, there are many different models from which to choose. For folks who are looking for a sleek, fast performing shake and tilt model with the latest version of Java, the SciPhone just might be it.
Shake and tilt is among the most widely debated iPhone clone features. Frankly, you either love it or you don’t much see the need for it. I’m of the camp who finds it very useful because there’s no fumbling around or scrolling involved. You just shake the phone when you want to advance songs or media. Likewise, you only need to tilt the phone when you want to take the picture to wide screen.
Examples of these shake to the music phones are the HiPhone i32, the CECT A380i, A88, and the A8+.
The SciPhone is among the newer of these models. It is known my many names, including Y32, 168 / i68 and the “mini HiPhone.” It differs a bit from its predecessors in a few ways. First, it’s thinner, smaller, and a good bit sleeker. It also now has an e-book reader. However, the addition that is getting the most attention is the latest version of Java. This addition opens up a whole new realm or productivity and gaming possibilities, including MSN, Office, and PowerPoint, to name only a few.
This allows you to read, edit, and manipulate documents away from your desk. It gives you productivity tools almost comparable the Blackberry. But, the availability of cool games can make it difficult to actually get down to work and use these tools. This is my own experience and flaw, though, and not the phone’s.
This java mobile still has all of the smart phone specifications that you would expect, including: a generous 3.2 inch finger touch interface; dual sim slots for two numbers or plans; slide unlock so that you can use whichever carrier you wish; a 1.3 mega pixel camera which also serves as a webcam; Bluetooth 2.0; full MP3 / MP4 capabilities; web browsing, emailing and messaging via GPRS and WAP 2.0; and 2GB of expandable memory.
The smaller size and number of features does not slow this model down any. It’s very fast and I love the e-book reader even though I thought I would never use it. I am finally getting around to reading the free reports / e-books I always download but never read.
The SciPhone still has the loud import speakers that are crisp and sharp. Initially, I wished for an upgrade to the 1.3 MP camera, but I’m surprised at the quality of the photos. Since this model starts at only about $150 and the price is falling, this phone is a no brainer if you like the smaller size.
By: Rae Edwards
