2. Make A Good First Impression –
Your email will be judged by its subject line, so you’ll need to make it stand out from
the rest. According to Mail Chimp, the best email subject lines are short, descriptive
and provide the reader with a reason to explore your message further. Here are a few
tips to help get your emails opened:
Keep it short and to the point. Rule of thumb is: 50 characters or fewer.
Tell the reader the benefit of opening your email: “Increase Your Blog Traffic by 50%
Today”
Avoid repetitive subject lines. Daily, weekly and monthly emails, especially, should
have fresh content - and subject lines to match. Open rates for regularly-sent emails
typically tend to start high and drop off quickly. Repetitive subject lines don’t help.
Use numbers in your subject lines, when applicable: “7 Reasons Your Sales Pitch
Sucks”
3. Try Sending Your Emails at Night –
Emails sent during the 9 to 5, tend to have lower open rates.
According to Experian Marketing Services, the time of day that
receives the best open rate is 8:00 p.m. to Midnight.
This day part not only performed better for open rate but also for
click-throughs and conversions.
4. Does it Look Good on Mobile? –
47% of all emails are opened on Mobile devices.
Be sure your design is responsive, so it looks great everywhere it
is seen.
Here are a few simple tips:
•Use a one-column template for your emails
•Increase the font size for better readability
•Make the call-to-action large, and place it at the top
5. Re-Connect With Inactive Subscribers –
Research shows that the average inactivity for a list is 63%.
Try using re-engagement campaigns to reel some of those folks back in.
Breakdown your inactive email leads into categories such as: over 90
days, over 1 year, etc. and then design specific email campaigns
targeting those groups.
Create several emails for each group so you can do A/B testing to find
out what works.
6. Use Surveys to Gain Knowledge About Your Customers –
Email surveys can be a great way to engage your subscribers and gain
insight into what it’s going to take to convert them.
Create short 5 or 6 question surveys, specifically tailored to the group of
subscribers you are trying to target.
You can add surveys to existing email marketing campaigns, or create
stand-alone survey emails.
Use the information you gather to help plan future campaigns and
messaging.
7. Give Something Away –
Everybody loves FREE stuff. People are more likely to open your email if
they believe there is something of value inside.
According to Blue Wire Media, the types of content that lead to the
highest rates for opens and clicks are eBooks, whitepapers, reports,
templates, and other tools.
8. In general, people tend to get annoyed (and unsubscribe) when their emails
are constantly directing them to “click here”, to go somewhere else, and do
something else.
They subscribed to your list expecting to receive something specific.
Whether it’s a quarterly newsletter chock-full of insightful articles, free
information, daily lists, or weekly tips… be sure you’re giving them what they
signed up for.
What strategies do YOU implement, when creating YOUR email marketing
campaigns?
Elise Franzetta Ware
July 22, 2015