Studies done throughout 2013 show that email marketing still beats out Twitter and Facebook when it comes to attracting new customers and that those customers tend to shop and spend more via email than another other platform.

Understanding that email marketing is still an important component to any marketing strategy is only one step in ensuring successful email campaigns.

The secret to successful emails in 2014 is to keep your mobile readers in mind during the design possess. Since email open rates recently hit 51 percent with 88 percent of people checking their email via a mobile device, it would be unfavorable to design emails that do not lend themselves to easy mobile readability. Below are some design tips that will help you bring your emails into the 2014.

• KISS – Keep it Short and Simple
Having all the bells and whistles might sound like a good idea, however, it can also be distracting to the reader. Using simple headers and adding in a little white space will help guide readers eyes through the content rather than sending them in a million different directions.

• Forgo the side column
Sidebars viewed on desktops work well, however, mobile screens are smaller, meaning the information contained on those beloved sidebars becomes more difficult to read and content may easily go unnoticed.

•Size matters
Make sure you design emails with mobile devices in mind. A size of 600px has been recommended for easy to read emails.

• Make it touchable
Just like the side bar, links become smaller when viewed on a mobile device. Don’t lose out on a possible customer because the link is too small. Try to make links finger-friendly (roughly 46px squared) and avoid placing a bunch of links in close proximity to avoid user frustration.

Know some other design tips that can bring email marketing into 2014? Please share them below!