“Fast Paced” is an understatement when it comes to describing today’s society. People are busy, constantly on the run, and have very little time for themselves. It is a common sight to see people all around looking down at their phones while they eat, walk, and go through their days. So why make an email that can only be viewed on the computer?

As the saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” So, since we can’t get people off their phones, we can tailor our emails to better fit them. The solution to this is responsive email, which allows viewers to have an email viewing experience that is optimized to fit any device they choose, whether that be a laptop, a desktop, a tablet, an iPad, or a mobile device.

The strength of responsive email is that it’s adaptive, making fonts more legible on smaller screens, making links on touchscreen devices just as easy to click with your finger as with a mouse, or making sure images are resized to fit any screen. Responsive email is a potent tool because clear communication also demonstrates your own competence and understanding for reaching your audience in meaningful ways.

There are really no downfalls to making your email accessible through any device, there is only an abundance of benefits. When a viewer opens an email on their phone and the content is difficult to navigate, it is very unlikely that this viewer will then go to a computer to properly access it. However, giving your message legible, front-and-center placement, regardless of a viewer’s preferred device, helps you to capitalize on the split-second window of attention that your viewer is willing to give.

Another advantage to using responsive email, is through word-of-mouth marketing. If a viewer is intrigued by your email, and is inspired to show their friends, family, or coworkers, they will be able to easily access the full content of the email no matter what device they are on. Your viewers do not need to say “I’ll show you later on the computer”, and inevitably forget, thus inhibiting the diffusion of innovations.

While it is vastly important to create emails that are aesthetically pleasing and easily accessible on the computer, the smartphone is now becoming more and more integrated into daily life, and it is crucial to stay current with the times, and evolve. Responsive email is one way to make viewing your email a relatively easy process.