The Best Ways to Improve Your Email Open Rate
There are about 3 billion active email users. It makes sense to approach them for a subject as enjoyable as marketing. Part of the process is sending an email and getting it opened.
The fact is you’re not in a conversation all by yourself. That essentially means you want your business to have a respectable open rate.
Research has shown that successful open rate rates at about 20 percent. To that end, you’d want to hit that benchmark or surpass it.
What do you need to do? Implement working ways to get your customers to open your emails. That’s what this article represents.
Without further ado, here are good ways to get your customers to open those emails.
1) Make Your First Email Mind-Blowing
It’s foolproof that an excellent impression is necessary when you’re doing something for the first time.
That’s because people receive tons of emails a day and often remember very few of them.
For this reason, you have to buck the trend set by regular emails out there.
Giving your subscribers something new and mind-blowing will resonate for a while.
Even if it’s not your first time, get your act together before sending any email. You don’t want to sound spammy or lose the plot.
If you have to, take some time to prepare your email. Remember, it has to carry an engaging tone that shows a genuine interest in building the relationship.
It’s all about offering content customers can identify with.
2) Spend Time on Your Subject Line
The subject line is just about the essential aspect of your email.
What’s more, it’s something that’s within your control that will influence whether someone opens your emails.
As such, a lot of tike should be dedicated to it.
The subject line should match intent.
Make your subject line accurate to the subject matter by avoiding certain factors. Also, figure out the number of words or characters to use.
Word has it that the ideal range is between 45 to no more than 100 characters.
That’s mostly to keep the subject line visible on mobile devices. Again, about 6 to 10 words should do the trick.
You can develop up to five or more subject lines for every email you send and brainstorm over them. If you have a team, engage in deciding which subject line sticks out.
Here are some tips to help you out:
- Try out variations to get emails opened
- Avoid putting questions in the subject line
- Keep it short and catchy
3) Review the Rules
Rules are in existence for a reason, and if it involves emails, you better be on the right side.
To that end, before you get going with an email list, make sure you comply with applicable laws. Since some of these laws vary by region, you can check them out.
For example, SPAM Laws spell out all the rules for commercial, relationship, and transactional email.
Apply them
Accordingly, you can’t use false or misleading headers or subject lines. Besides, if the email is an ad, it must be so identified. Also, people must have a way to opt-out of your emails.
Ensure you keep abreast of the rules so that you don’t violate them because you seek a better open rate.
4) Proofread Before You Send
Getting emails across to your subscribers is easy. However, it’s opening them, going through the content, and responding that matters.
In line with that, let your emails have a professional feel. How? Keep basic errors out of the way by proofreading your emails before sending them.
Mind you, you’re not just checking for typos but also for meaning and readability.
Hastily sent emails always end up in the junk folder.
Do the following:
- Proofread by clicking all links to verify that the work
- Go over your content and ask yourself if you would like it
- Proof emails on mobile devices and desktop computers
5) Send the email from YOU
Stats show that marketing is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.
That’s why you need to get a bit personal from your end. How? Let that email come from you.
For example, subscribers will feel much better seeing a name like” Alex” or “Sandy” rather than from a business name.
The fact is that your customers will feel more connected when they can identify with you.
6) Send Your Email Twice
The fact is that people have no problems neglecting their inboxes or for a long time. After all, it’s theirs to operate.
That means sending your email on a bad day will most likely see it ignored. What to do? Go around bad timing by sending your email campaign twice.
If you send out the initial email, send out the same one again. But this time, use a different subject line for the audience who didn’t open the previous email.
This approach has the potential to improve your open rates.
7) Get to the point
Ever heard the phrase “cut to the chase?” With your emails, you better get to the point pretty fast.
With all the roubles about people ignoring their emails, you don’t want to give them a valid reason to keep at it.
To that end, get busy with providing critical information devoid of word fillers.
No point hiding
For example, if your email is about a new product on the block, tell them what it’s about, the price, and how to get it.
Even if you have to pitch a product, giving a good description of what it does is essential.
People want a situation where they don’t have to read in between the lines to learn about your offers.
If you bug them with too much information, they’ll avoid your problems mails the next time.
Picture this, workers between ages 25 and 34 spend 6.4 hours a day checking their email. The fact is your email isn’t the only one, so you’d better have something worth opening.
8) Show Their Inbox the same respect you have for Yours
While we’re figuring out how others can open your emails, you probably don’t open all your emails.
As such, it doesn’t make sense to bombard your subscribers with useless emails with woeful subject lines.
Show them the same level of respect you expect from others. Information you’d hate to receive shouldn’t be sent to them either.
That way, your users always know your email is worth opening.
9) Build Trust
Trust is vital because what you have with your customers is a relationship. If they don’t trust you enough, opening your emails becomes a difficult chore.
Moreover, they should also trust you with the essential or useful information you provide.
When you go ahead and breach that trust, it’ll take some doing to get those emails opened.
Be careful about what you send while also giving them a chance to opt-out.
How to Ensure your customers open your emails
10) Forge a Relationship
While you’re doing your best to sell your products, don’t forget you’re dealing with human beings.
That’s why building relationships with them matters. You can go further by following them on social media and interacting with them on different levels.
You might learn something that improves your business.
11) Ensure the Audience Is Right
Sometimes, you have to admit that the audience you’ve developed may not be the right fit.
As such, your emails might hit the wrong spots. You can always hyper-target customer segments in your marketing efforts using channels like Twitter or Facebook.
A report also suggests that 72% of consumers claim that they will ONLY engage with marketing messages that are tailored to their interests.
Even subject lines tailored around the right audience will go far.
Besides that, consider that emails with personalized subject lines generate 50% higher open rates.
12) Deliver What You Promise, Stay Consistent
Whatever people signed up to get from your email, you should live up to it. Consider that it’s what you promised or offered that made them subscribe in the first place.
When you’ve met that need, remain consistent in other areas as well. That includes a consistent voice, style, product, and quality.
Tips to be more consistent:
- There’s no “ideal” time to send a message. It depends on your audience.
- Consider the type of emails you send
- Use A/B testing where possible
13) Solve a Problem
People often have one problem or the other. Hence the reason why they’d be willing to open your mail.
What would your brand do differently if you had knowledge that an email marketing newsletter would help solve a problem?
You’d be glad to meet that need and probably have that customer sign up for life.
Figure out what your customers are lacking and try to get it solved.
It’s possible the solution doesn’t take more than necessary or requires just your email subject line.
You can:
- Ask people to share what they’re reading for work
- Concerns they have about specific products
- What catches their fancy
14) Save them Some Money
Many brands have discovered and perfected the art of offering subscribers the opportunity to save money.
Customers generally want to spend the least amount on a product they need. To that end, you can try taking some percentage of certain services.
Choose your vocabulary wisely.
There are some words business-to-consumer marketers use, too. For example, words like “free,” “save,” “sale,” or “free shipping” appear in their subject lines.
With these, such customers look forward to the emails reaching their inboxes. They’ll be eager to search their email for any promotional offer.
To get the right marketing emails that suit your business, you can test different types of offers.
Whether that’s in the form of free shipping or a percentage discount, you can save them some stress.
Remember, let your subject line carry the promotion you’re offering.
15) Check Your Display Name
What name do people see when they receive your email?
That because it’s the most recognizable thing about your email and catches the eye immediately.
When your mail hits their inbox, it’s the first thing your recipients see.
Moreover, the name you choose sets you apart from other businesses. You wouldn’t want your name in the mix of those sent to the junk folder.
Tips to help you:
- Use your full name at all times; including your surname
- Don’t use generic mailboxes or email addresses
- Include a clear signature that your recipients easily recognize.
16) Make it Important and Easy to Take Action
There’s no point whetting the appetite of your subscribers and leaving them to hang.
That’s why you must make it easy for them to take action after reading your email. It’s the best way to meet their needs without feeling intrusive.
Also, part of making action easy involves inserting a way out. Yes, some subscribers will ultimately leave.
Attend to issues
Lead prospects to share their specific problems and be willing to listen to them.
Get to the genesis of the matter if you can before attempting to solve their problems.
That’s also a great way to build rapport and trust. In line with that, you have you give up some time and attention to help them better.
What action would you take?
When you figure that out, don’t hesitate to let them know about your plans.
By then, the actions you prepare should be easy to follow.
17) Don’t Send Any Further Emails Just yet
Learn to take a hint. Sure, the goal is to make your recipients open, read, and respond to your message almost immediately.
Also, you may have left some vital information out and need to send further emails. Well, you shouldn’t. At least, not yet.
Play the waiting game
When a recipient doesn’t reply to your first mail, wait for it. Only send reminders when you’re sure it’s essential.
Try to avoid a scenario where recipients struggle to decide which of your mail is worth opening or responding to.
Conclusion
These are excellent ways that lead your customers to open your emails.
If you must continue to grow with digital marketing, implementing some of these points will boost your email campaigns.
