Email marketing – one of the cheapest forms of marketing.
But cheap doesn’t have to mean less effective. These campaigns can be highly rewarding. There are many elements that contribute to the success of an email marketing campaign. Here are a few general tips to get you started.
Getting your email opened – one of the biggest challenges in email marketing. That’s what this post will focus on.
Hurdle 1: Spam Filters – it’s easy for your email to get lost in the depths of the crowded inbox ‘cos of these. Lets face it… You’ve pretty much blown any chance of an intended recipient reading your email if your email goes straight to their junk mail.
If you’re lucky enough to make it into your intended recipients inbox, there are several other hurdles to overcome.
So, ‘how do I improve my chances of my email being opened?’, I hear you ask.
Well, here’s a brief summary of my insight into how you can increase your email open rates.
1. Avoid Spam Filters
Ending up in someone’s junk mail is inevitably going to result in your email being disregarded.
So, avoid this! Well, as much as is possible anyway. To do this – you must understand how they work and what they look out for.
First thing to note: Avoid spammy phrases. “Click here!” – “Buy now!” – “Free!” – “!!!!!!!!!!”. These are some of the first things that spam filters will hunt for.
Spelling mistakes. Using all CAPITAL LETTERS. Using forms as part of the email. More things to avoid.
2. ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ Lines
Let’s say you’ve got past the spam filters and reached your intended recipients inbox.
How do you grab their attention? How do you stand out in a crowded inbox? And ultimately – how do you avoid your email being instantly disregarded?
The ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ lines are often all that the recipient will see before judging this; thus they are extremely important.
‘From’ lines should earn recognition and trust. You should consider this in the context of your target audience.
For example, if someone knows you/your brand specifically, you may want to use your name/brand name to make it more personal. Whereas, if they are likely to be unaware of your brand, you may choose to use a short phrase to describe what your company does. For example, Senior may use ‘Corporate Website Design’.
‘Subject’ lines – think about what might attract attention. What will get your message across? An example of a structure you may use to create your subject line could be:
1. Description
2. Differentiator
3. Call to action
3. Timing
Another factor in determining whether your email will be opened.
What time should the email reach your intended recipients inbox?
Generally – there is no quick fix to this. Trial and error. It can vary from industry to industry, business to business.
A common belief for B2B companies is that sending a promotional email out between Tuesday and Thursday office hours will increase open rates. People are in the office and in the frame of mind to work.
4. Consider ‘preview pane’ and ‘disabled images’
Particularly relevant for B2B companies where many recipients will use Outlook as their email platform.
Before fully opening an email, users are able to preview them in a smaller pane; the ‘preview pane’. Your email should be formatted with this in mind – it could be the difference between the reader opening the email fully and deleting it completely.
So, you’ve grabbed their initial attention through the ‘From’ & ‘Subject’ line. It’s time now to convince them that your email is worth opening. You must create interest within the section of the email that’s being previewed.
Also note this: Make sure your email is ‘disabled image friendly’. You could create a beautifully-designed email which has lots of pictures which you know your target audience will love – BUT they have their images disabled on their email platform. Whoops!
Good Luck!
Experimentation is key. Try out different ways of wording ‘Subject’ lines, for example. Remember: often with email marketing, the smallest change can make a huge difference.
Finally – Good luck with your email marketing efforts!
