6 Email Marketing Tips to Increase Your Open
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PERSONALIZE YOUR CONTENT
If your emails sound like they come from a factory and are impersonal, then they’re more likely to end up in the trash bin. People want to read things that are tailored to them so they don’t feel like a number, but rather an individual. Most email marketing platforms pull from customer lists so you can easily insert first names, last names, company names, and more. Additionally, it helps to have a clear customer profile established so you can tailor the message to something they’d respond to. Are you reaching out to industry experts? Then your terminology will look quite different compared to if you were emailing casual customers.
KEEP THE CONTENT BRIEF (BUT NOT TOO BRIEF)
Another easy email marketing tip: less is more when it comes to emails. Studies have shown that the ideal email length should be around 75-100 words. If your content is longer than that, then you risk people clicking away. Every word should be important in your copy as well. You want to entice your customers to keep reading and to click the link at the bottom of the email. On the other side, if your content is too short, you risk not having enough information for your readers to latch onto. It can also lead to your email sounding more like a sales pitch.
KNOW THE BEST TIME TO SEND AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN
Timing is one of our easiest email marketing tips. It doesn’t take much effort to send an email at an optimal time. Just schedule it for the correct slot and you’ll likely see higher engagement than normal. Many studies point to Tuesdays and Thursdays around 10 AM as the best times for emails. If you send emails during weekends or holidays, it’s easy for your message to get ignored. Mondays and Fridays aren’t the best either because people are typically trying to catch up on projects or trying to wrap them up. You also don’t want your campaign to launch right as people are turning on their computers because they’ll likely have many other emails to address first, leading to an immediate delete for yours.
CRAFT AN ENGAGING EMAIL SUBJECT LINE
The hardest battle fought in email marketing is getting someone to open your email. This is why one of the most critical aspects of any good campaign is to craft an engaging email subject line. Some strategies include adding a personalization block to it that throws in your customers’ first names. Emojis can also increase engagement as long as you use them sparingly and don’t overload your header with them. Also be sure to use a preheader. This is brief text that appears next to or underneath the subject line. A good preheader will often be a cliffhanger that leaves readers hanging so they have to click to satisfy their curiosity.
On a side note, don’t use things like “RE:” or “URGENT” in your subject line. This can easily lead customers to distrust your messages and get you sent to the spam folder.
FOCUS YOUR EMAIL LISTS
While it might be tempting to do emails for everyone on your contact list, that may not always be the best strategy. Some messages will be relevant to all of your customers, but not all. As stated above, people like personalized content. If you can segment or focus your email lists to smaller groups, you can more specifically tailor your messages to them. For example, if you’re running an e-commerce business and one group purchases a hammer while another group purchases a drill. You can send emails to the first group advertising a special on nails. For the other group, you could send out an email that advertises specific drill bits or battery attachments. The more specific your messaging is, the more likely people are to read what you have to say.
VARY YOUR CONTENT
The same thing gets boring after a while. That’s why it’s important to vary your content so there’s always something new. Maybe one of your emails can include a how-to video to coincide with your latest product launch. Perhaps another could include a coupon that customers can use to get a discount on their next purchase. Mix up your emails so you’re always providing something new and of value to your readers. If you stagnate, then those who clicked the first time may not click the second time and so forth.
