According to numerous articles on mobile marketing and email marketing to mobile phones, most people use their smartphones to deal with important emails on the go, while they save promotional emails for their desktops. The key to a mobile email strategy, then, is to avoid the “Delete” button to ensure that promotional emails are read later, when the consumer is back at his or her desktop. Try these four strategies to increase the chances that your mobile emails will be archived for later consumption.

1) Deliver a recognizable format

Make sure that your email sender includes a consistent, recognizable company name and a logo if possible. Also, make sure that the format of the email is consistent. Readers become accustomed to a particular look, and something different may register as unwanted.

2) Use pre-header space to communicate the value of the offer or the content

The pre-header shows in the preview pane on a regular email service like Gmail or Hotmail. This at-a-glance opportunity may be your only chance to communicate why your email should not be deleted. Create a quick headline for a content message or a synopsis of a promotion and a call to action for a promotional message.

3) Design for multiple environments

Go ahead and design your email in HTML. HTML is rendered well by the iPhone and by desktop computers. While the email may not be perfect for the recipient’s mobile phone if the phone does not use iOS, the message will survive on the desktop, where it is more likely to be read and clicked. Androids also register certain HTML emails well so you’re only risking loss with Blackberry users, unfortunately a dying breed anyway.

4) Keep the message succinct and navigable

Mobile phones are used for quick content absorption. Therefore, if the user does decide to read through your email on his or her mobile phone, the message has to be quick and to the point. Also, any links have to be clear cut and easy to tap, and the links should take the customer to a mobile-optimized website.

Keep in mind that the most important aspects of email marketing are building trust with recipients and offering value. If your recipients trust what you have to offer, then the design of your mobile email can be less than perfect.