Month: January 2015

Your Emails Need Responsive Design

Posted on | by mporter | Leave a Comment on Your Emails Need Responsive Design

There’s a big shift in how people are consuming digital content. Everywhere you look, people are scanning their mobile devices – while they wait in line, at the coffee shop or on public transportation. Software company Litmus reports that 51% of emails are currently opened or previewed on a mobile device, and the trend is only increasing. Responsive emails – designed to provide the optimal experience on different platforms – are now a marketing must-do!

Why it’s time to incorporate responsive design

How to make your emails responsive

Remember MailChimp’s mantra “one eyeball, one thumb, arm’s length” when designing mobile emails. This means that your email should be easily readable with one eye; links and calls-to action usable with one thumb; and any text and visuals large enough to be taken in at arm’s length.

These additional tips from our team can help make your emails are attractive – and effective.

  • From names – Limit “from” names to 25 characters.
  • Subject lines – Limit to fewer than 50 characters and make sure they are useful and specific. Incorporate timely topics and a sense of urgency for more oomph.
  • Preview text – Keep in mind that the first few lines of your email are critical! The preview, around 100 characters, will show along with the subject line in the mobile inbox. Make sure it grabs readers’ attention and interest.
  • Font size – Avoid minuscule text. Make sure that your font size is legible for mobile reading.
  • Images – Only use essential images and make sure they are crisp, small and don’t take too much time to load.
  • Colors – Strong-contrast colors will be easier to read in bright light. Avoid white text because some email clients don’t support it – and you could be left with white text on a white background.
  • Sections – Think beyond the column. Use good header text, dividing lines and numbered paragraphs to help with scanning and navigation.

Some examples we love

  • Ten for Today features super-clean design, great use of dividing lines – and it even tells you how long it will take to read each article.
  • Pinterest’s welcome email is much like Pinterest itself: bright, colorful and friendly. This example features actionable chunks and great call-to-action placement.
  • When you’re letting people know about an event, take a page from the Kikk Festival, whose email has great use of color and image.
  • This Behance newsletter features a masterful combination of copy and design. And it does a killer job of transforming the magazine-style webpage into mobile.

Don’t forget great content!

Now, pair your awesome design with awesome content for maximum impact. When creating content for mobile, remember to lead with what’s most important, in case someone is just scanning. You want a clear and concise message that someone can grasp in a glance. Remember to put your call-to-action near the top of the email, so it cannot be missed.  

Crowdsourcing + Gamification = Impact

Posted on | by jellis | Leave a Comment on Crowdsourcing + Gamification = Impact

There’s a long tradition of drawing upon the wisdom of the crowd to answer questions or solve complex challenges. Crowdsourcing is engaging the collective wisdom of an online or virtual community for a common goal: to gather ideas, stimulate innovation, solve problems or increase efficiency. Think of crowdsourcing as brainstorming on a massive scale.

The Internet has increased the exchange of information and ideas exponentially, making it easy to solicit and gather information from networked masses around the globe. Crowdsourcing is being used everywhere – from Wikipedia to corporate idea jams to product innovation groups. Crowdsourcing is even being used for significant global problems, such as helping health care workers find better ways to fight Ebola.

So, how do you get people to take part in crowdsourcing? In some cases, asking participants to volunteer for the sake of a personal interest or cause they believe in may be sufficient. Sometimes, more motivation may be necessary to yield good results. An obvious solution would be to pay participants – for example, offering a nominal gift card for their time.

If payment is not an option, gamification can be a great driver. Just adding the elements of competition or reward can increase people’s desire to contribute to crowdsourcing initiatives. Here are a few examples of pairing game mechanics and crowdsourcing.

  • Pediatric oncologists were looking for a way to help sick kids keep up with their pain diaries – which is tough when they’re feeling the fatigue of chemotherapy and other treatments. The Pain Squad iPhone app engages kids as “detectives” helping find a cure for cancer by logging their information. New users start out as “rookies” and progress up to “police chief” as they complete activities.
  • Have you ever had a great idea for a Lego set? On Lego IDEAS, your vision may become reality. Users share a project description on the site and gather online support against competitors. 10,000 supporters qualifies your project for official Lego review. Many ideas have gone on to become successful products marketed worldwide. 
  • Syngenta Thoughtseeders reaches out to R&D scientists for coveted partnership opportunities. Signal partnered with Syngenta on this program designed to help encourage collaboration and new ideas from third parties.
  • The Good Growth Plan is another Syngenta initiative addressing the challenge of sustainably feeding the growing global population. Signal helped them hold a contest offering grants for the best idea submissions.
  • Games are not only providing a platform for innovation in R&D – they’re helping to cure diseases! Foldit is an online game that challenges players to fold proteins. In 2011, gamers solved the riddle of an HIV enzyme’s structure (a challenge which had stumped scientists for a decade) in just three weeks – allowing researchers to target drug treatment. The opportunity to compete against other gamers to solve a real-world problem was a big draw.

Hungry for more? Check out our new Game of Gamification white paper to see how different organizations are using game techniques in crowdsourcing initiatives. You’ll also get concrete steps to incorporate gamification into your marketing and communications strategy.