Improve Your Email Open Rate
Email marketing is not dead! It is known for delivering the highest return on investment out of all other forms of marketing. As you probably know, the open rate is a good way of determining whether or not your emails are effective. Then there is another hurdle in front of you – you want the receivers to be motivated to not only open your emails, but to read them. A low open rates indicates a lack of interest, low quality content, poor execution, or a variety of shortcomings. However, it is not a lost cause. Little tweaks can make a big difference.
Improve Your Email Open Rate
1. Start with a Great Title
Why do you usually open an email that’s sitting in your inbox? Is it because the subject line is exciting or alarming? A subject line that is vague or generic will not make anyone want to open your email. It should strike a balance between personal and informative, as it should at least hint at the content.
2. Send it at the Right Time
Timing is everything. Conduct your own research on the best times. It might vary on your location, the individuals in your email list, or the nature of your subject matter. In general, it is not a good idea to email bright and early on Monday mornings when everyone’s inbox has been flooded over the weekend. It will be overlooked. Activity is also low on the weekends, when most 9 to 5 employees avoid work-related tasks and take a break from looking at a computer screen all day.
3. Personalize the Greeting
This takes a little more effort and research on your end, but your open rate will be much higher if you include the recipient’s name in the greeting, whether you know this individual or not. Emails directed at individuals see much more success than mass emails.
4. Create More Than One List
It is likely that not everyone in your email list is similar. For example, some are current clients and some are potential clients. Segmenting your list into smaller, more targeted lists will ensure a higher open rate because the content has been tailored specifically to their needs. The content need not be drastically different, but changing just a few lines lets the readers know that you understand them.
5. Review Email Lists
Email addresses often change as individuals switch companies. You most likely have a number of emails that bounce back. Delete these addresses or correct them if they have obvious typos. Of course, you should always be building up your email list, not decreasing it, but it is beneficial to delete recipients that cannot receive your emails or are completely inactive.
6. Make Emails Mobile Friendly
If you are on the move, chances are you have your smartphone with you. Roughly 74 percent of smartphone owners use their phone to check their email. If your email does not function well on mobile devices, chances are, they will not be opening any more of your emails in the future.Don’t lose subscribers! Format your emails so that they will be attractive on mobile devices.
7. Be Aware of Sending Frequency
Don’t bombard recipients with so many emails that they become irritated. They will grow tired of seeing your company name in their inbox multiple times a week. Two a week is considered the maximum. The more frequently you send emails, the faster your email open rate will decline.
8. Write Quality Content
Of course, reading the content requires opening the email, but if recipients open an email from you just once and find it interesting, they are more likely to continue doing so for future emails. What can you give to them? How can you enrich their lives? Show value.