Steps To Improve Email Marketing Open Rates
There are three steps to improving email marketing open rates. First, you have to get past the spam filters that block so many emails. Second, you have to use great marketing creativity to develop strong subject lines. Finally, you have to measure your open rates and experiment with different subject lines. Focusing on these three keys will help you take it to a higher level and grow your business by reaching more prospects allowing you to close more sales.
Understanding Email Marketing Open Rates
Before we get into the keys of improving your email marketing open rates, it critical to understand what affects email open rates and how they are measured. Email marketing open rates reflect the number of people who opened an email and took action by clicking a link or enabling images within the email. An email marketing open rate is calculated by dividing the number of email messages opened by the number of email messages delivered. Email marketing open rates, albeit not fully accurate, give you a healthy check on where your newsletter email list and content stands. So to improve your open rates you have to actually get into a prospects or customers inbox, and then you have to get them to open the email. Do that and you will improve your open rates.
Getting Past Email Spam Filters
The first key is to get your email newsletter into a prospects inbox. With the increase in spam comes the increase of spam filters. These “helpful” tools also make it pretty hard for legitimate opt-in emails to get through sometimes. Overcoming spam filters is the first step in getting your email marketing seen and opened! Spam filters work by looking for bogus links and email addresses, and keywords that popular with spammers, such as “free hosting”, “additional income”. We have compiled a list of 200+ spam words to avoid in email marketing. You can also search for specialized spam content checker software programs that can scan and test your emails likelihood of being sent to a spam folders. If they don’t see your email, your email marketing open rates will drop, so this step is critical.
Writing Great Subject Lines
After you get your newsletter into the inboxes the next barrier is grabbing people’s attention. We all get tons of emails daily. Which do you choose to read? The ones that pertain specifically to you or are from a person close to you? Which mass emails do you read? The ones that offer you a sizzling discount or juicy information? There’s much to be said for a good solid subject line in your email. Think of your subject line as your first impression. We all know that first impressions say a lot and are often lasting. Three proven tactics to a good subject line that will improve your newsletter open rates are: Urgency, Curiosity, and Controversy.
Urgency in Email Subject Lines
When urgency is used in your subject line it creates action. Anytime things are time-sensitive or quantity-bound they become more valuable. People inherently don’t want to miss out. Department stores do this all the time with their Holiday and Semi-Annual Sales. If you don’t rush to the store now you will miss out on huge savings. Limiting the quantity of an item creates scarcity and throws us all into a tizzy. When people see your email you have a short window of time to get their attention. Incorporating urgent messages will undoubtedly spark action. Examples:
•“Limited Time Offer”
•“Labor Day Weekend Sale 50-70% off!
•“One spot just opened up…”
•“There are only 2 spots left”
Curiosity in Email Subject Lines
We are curious creatures, nosy (for a lack of better words). We want to be filled-in and up to speed. Starting a sentence, adding an ellipse and then finishing the rest of the sentence in your email will peak their interest so much so they can’t help but open your newsletter! Teaser subject lines are a great easy way to increase email marketing open rates. Just be sure you make good on your tease. Not following through will not only put a bad taste in your readers’ mouth, but also make your email marketing seem like spam. Reward them for taking the bait!
Controversy in Email Subject Lines
A controversial subject line will gain attention because let’s face it. We all for some reason are drawn to things that surprise us, take us off guard, and raise eyebrows…the juicy stuff. When writing controversial (different) email subject lines, just be sure not to offend, that’s going too far. Controversial email subject lines can be successful when tied to current events, breaking news, or other hot or important topics. The only requirement other than not offending readers is to make sure the subject line is paid off in the body of the newsletter with a legitimate and compelling association to your business, industry or topic of discussion. This type of email subject line tends to be harder to create, but when done right can greatly attribute to improving your newsletter open rates.
Measuring and Experimenting with Email Marketing Open Rates
The real key to having better email marketing open rates is realizing that you are never done experimenting. Sending out a 1,000 emails without measuring how many people open and actually read your emails is a sure way to lose money. Many email marketing systems have ways to track when someone opens an email. This is done by using tracking images or analytics tags that send a piece of data back to the tracking system and indicating that an email has been opened. Don’t be too concerned with the privacy implications, as most systems don’t track individual email addresses, but only keep data at a campaign level. So once you have come up with the right words to avoid the spam filters, the right subject line to get them opened, and sent out your first batch of emails, determine if you are happy with the email open rates. If not, don’t be afraid to experiment and try several different combinations of content and subject lines to see which one works best. You really need to have at least a 1,000 or even 10,000 emails sent with a specific combination to be able to really measure the results and determine which one works best. After you run a few experiments, pick the best performing content and subject line and then really get your email going with better email marketing open rates! For other ideas, check out our Free e-Book – Email Marketing – The Only Bailout Your Business Needs .
Still want more? Watch our new webinar, “From email newsletters to email marketing that drives sales”.