4 Tips to Get Subscribers to Open Your Emails
When you are doing email marketing you have to pay close attention to several sets of numbers. These include open rates, click through rates and conversions. Yet in an important way, your open rate is the most important of all.
This is the first step towards getting the results you want. Before you can even worry about click throughs, you have to make sure that your subscribers are actually bothering to open your emails. Let’s look at some tips to help you accomplish this.
Consistently deliver value. If you have an email list, your subscribers are going to recognize your name. They then have to decide if the message is worth opening. This will depend on several factors, including the subject line.
What kind of messages you send out on a regular basis will have a lot to do with your open rate. If subscribers know they can count on getting an informative or entertaining message from you, they will look forward to your emails. If you are in this category, the subject line is secondary as people are interested in what you have to say. It takes time and steady effort to build this type of relationship with email list.
On the other hand, if your readers find most of your messages are boring or overly commercial, they probably won’t be too enthusiastic about opening them. If this goes on for too long they may even unsubscribe. That’s why you want to build the reputation of someone who sends out messages that are worth reading!
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Pay Attention to the Subject and From Fields
When someone sees a message, they make a split second decision on whether to open or delete it. As I mentioned, ideally you want to be on the subscriber’s “always open” list. At the same time, you have to realize that many readers decide on whether or not to open an email on a case by case basis. That’s why the subject line is so crucial.
The subject field is extremely important, as it informs the reader what your message is about. You should make it both relevant and compelling, and avoid using hype or overly promotional language. Both readers and spam filters are on the alert for signs that an email is spam or nothing but a sales pitch.
The “from” field is also worth considering. You can choose whether to use your name, company name or an impersonal email address such as info@mydomain.com. It’s best to have an identity that people can recognize. Having both your name and the name of the newsletter or website in the from field makes it easier for people to recognize you.
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Focus on Solving Problems
Your readers need a compelling reason to open your messages. If they know that you send them information that they can really use, they will be far more inclined to open them than if you do nothing but send them a bunch of affiliate links.
Your email list can be a great resource for earning commissions and selling products, but you have to also make sure that your subscribers are getting something out of the arrangement. You should always be researching what your audience needs and wants. You can then provide them with relevant content in your emails. When you do this, you should make it obvious in the subject line.
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Be Sociable and Entertaining
While you want to be helpful and informative, you also want to deliver the information in a way that’s appealing. Don’t be afraid to insert your own personality into your emails. You can also use humor to get your message across.
Some of the most successful email marketers talk to their subscribers like they are old friends. They often include personal and amusing anecdotes. These don’t even have to be directly related to the main topic of the list or newsletter. You don’t want to ramble on for too long, but if you reveal a little about yourself it makes you more accessible to your audience.
For example, if you just got back from vacation you could write a few sentences revealing an interesting or funny incident that occurred while you were away. You can then lead into your main subject. This doesn’t take up much space, but it makes the message more sociable.
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Email Consistently But Not Too Often
You have to strike a balance when it comes to reaching out to your list. If you only email them rarely, they will forget all about you. When people don’t recognize the sender’s name, they are less likely to open the message. So it’s important to stick to a regular schedule.
On the other hand, if you are sending out messages day and night, your subscribers will quickly get tire of this. Emailing too often can cause people to remove themselves from your list.
What is the perfect balance? There’s no single right answer, but you have to use your common sense. It also depends on how much information and content you really have to provide. Some successful marketers do well even though they email their list every day. More than this, however, is not recommended. Once a week should be the minimum. Several times per week is fine as well.
Focus on Getting People to Open Your Emails
Improving your open rate involves many factors. You want to get your subscribers to the point where they are glad to read your messages. You can do this by using effective subject lines and by consistently delivering valuable content.
Although we can separate metrics like open rate and click throughs, they aren’t completely separate. If people begin to open your messages because they find they are worth reading, it’s also likely that they will be interested enough to check out your offers as well.
You have to face the fact that not everyone is going to read every single message that you send out. On the other hand, there are many steps you can take to increase the percentage of people who do take the trouble to open your emails.