Email marketing is a very profitable aspect of marketing right now. When used correctly, it can be a great way to interact directly with a tailored list of customers who have an attachment to your brand. However, when misused, it can come off as spammy, people can see the emails as a nuisance, and the profitability can decline steeply.
There are many different aspects that come together to perfect an email marketing campaign, but the first step is always getting the recipients to simply open the email. Here are a few ways to increase open rates to help your email marketing campaigns thrive.
Optimize subject line content
Your subject line is the first way you can grab a reader’s attention and convince them your email is worth reading. Thus, optimizing the content of your subject line is essential. Try to be sure your subject line is informative about the information in your email without being boring. Pun and other witty word play are a great way to spice up a subject line.
Optimize subject line length
Your subject line needs to be informative, but you don’t want it to become a novel. Keep it short and snappy, just getting your main point across and leaving the details for the body of the email. The ideal length for a subject line is between 6 and 10 words. This will not only display nicely in your recipient’s inbox, but will also leave them curious to learn more about the topic your subject line teased.
Personalize subject lines
One more way to add extra impact to your subject line is by personalizing it. You can populate it with the first name associated with the email address you are sending to. Then, each recipient feels the email they are receiving is meant specifically for them, and is not just a generic mass email.
Optimize sent from name
No matter what system you are using to send your emails, you should be able to change the name the emails are sent from. As the sender, you will want your name to be familiar to your recipients. Don’t try to get too clever because you could end up confusing people.
Segment lists well
After crafting your email, there are still additional steps you can take to optimize your open rates. One way to do this is to make sure you are sending the email to the right people. Ideally, you do not just send every marketing email to every single email address you have ever gathered. Craft emails that cater specifically to different segments – certain demographics, repeat customers, shoppers who left items in their cart, etc. Ensure you are sending emails only to the most relevant populations to increase the open rates.
Send at the right time
Once your email is all ready to go, the final way you can increase open rates is by queuing up your email to send at the optimal time. Set your emails to send at the time of day and day of the week you expect the largest portion of your recipients to be online. If it gets buried underneath too many other emails by being sent at a non-peak time, your email is at higher risk of being deleted without even a second glance.
