You’re sending out emails, but no one seems to be reading them. You’ve tried everything – catchy subject lines, eye-catching visuals, even personalization – but your open rates remain low. It’s no secret that email is one of the most effective channels for communicating with customers. However, opening your emails is only the first step; you also need to ensure they are read and acted upon.
Well, don’t give up just yet!
American professionals are overloaded with an average of 121 unread messages per day. Imagine if you could grab their attention and get them to read your email. You don’t need a gimmicky subject line or rely on hoping they’ll see your message in their crowded inbox. Following some simple best practices can significantly increase your email open rate.
For instance, did you know that the subject lines with the highest open rates had between six and ten words? Or that individuals are more likely to open your email if you include a personal story? By experimenting with different techniques, you can determine what works best for you and start seeing higher open rates. So read on for 10 tips to help increase your email’s chances of being opened.
Email Marketing Basics
What’s an Email Open Rate?
The proportion of recipients who open an email out of all those who get it is known as the email open rate. The industry average for open rates is around 20.94%, but it can vary depending on the industry, the type of email, and other factors. For example, emails with a personal subject line are more likely to be opened than those with a generic subject line.
Additionally, emails from a sender that recipients recognize are more likely to be opened than those from an unknown sender. Finally, emails that are sent at the right time are more likely to be opened than those sent at an inconvenient time. By understanding what factors influence open rates, businesses can increase the likelihood that their emails will be read by their target audience.
Benefits of Email Marketing
Although it may seem like email is a dying form of communication, it’s still one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. At 21.33%, email open rates are higher now than they’ve been in years. In fact, this number is a lot higher than the 4.4% conversion rate for advertising campaigns. And with the right strategy, you can use email to drive more traffic to your website, generate leads and sales, and build deeper relationships with your customers. Here are just a few reasons why email marketing is beneficial to each small business:
- It’s affordable: Email is one of the most cost-effective marketing tools.
- It’s quick and easy: With email, you can craft and send messages in just minutes.
- It’s personal: Email allows you to send highly personalized messages to your target audience.
- It’s measurable: With email marketing, you can track metrics like open rates and click-through rates to see exactly how your campaigns are performing.
- It’s versatile: Email can be used for various purposes, including keeping customers updated on news and announcements, promoting new products and services, running contests and giveaways, and much more.
In fact in the cookieless advertising world, growing an email list will be bigger and bigger part that helps businesses of various sizes to target already warm audiences in your advertising campaigns.
So, if you’re not already using email marketing to grow your small business, now is the time to start. With its low cost and high ROI, there’s no reason not to try it.
10 Ways To Improve Email Open Rates
1. Always Use Succinct Subject Lines
If you want people to read your emails, keeping your subject lines short and crisp is essential. The ideal length is under 50 characters. Shorter subject lines are more likely to be read than longer ones. Plus, people are more likely to skim through their emails quickly, so make it easy for them to get the gist of your message at a glance.
There are a few ways you can make your subject lines more effective. First, try to use an active voice. For example, “Download our new white paper” is more likely to get attention than “Our new white paper is available for download.” Second, be specific. Vague subject lines like “Check out this cool new thing!” are less likely to grab people’s attention than ones that describe what’s inside, like “New report on trends in email marketing.”
2. Add Main Keywords To The Subject Line
Try to optimize your email subject line with your main keywords. For instance, if you’re targeting digital marketing agencies, you may want to include keywords like “search engine optimization”, “target ad” or “marketing strategy” in the subject line.
This will increase the likelihood of your email getting opened since you’re targeting the pain points of your target audience right from your mail’s subject line. With a bit of thought and research, you can come up with optimized keywords that will stand out in someone’s crowded inbox and make them want to read what you have to say.
3. Make Sure Senders Name Is Recognizable
Imagine scrolling through your inbox and spotting an email from a sender you don’t recognize. Chances are, you’re not going to open it. Emails with unrecognizable From names are less likely to be opened than emails from recognizable senders. So, if you’re looking to increase your email open rates, it’s essential to make sure your From name is recognizable.
One way to do this is to use your brand name as your From name. This way, recipients will instantly know who the email is from and will be more likely to open it. Another option is to use your name as the From name. This can be a great way to build trust and rapport with your subscribers. If they see your name in their inbox, they’ll know they can expect valuable content from you.
4. Use Personalization Tokens
Adding a personalization token to your email subject line is an effective way to increase your open rates. Why? Because it immediately makes the email feel more tailored and personal as if it was written just for the recipient. And when people feel like they’re receiving a message meant just for them, they’re more likely to open it. You can add a personalization token to your subject line in a few different ways.
For example, you could simply add the recipient’s first name: “Hi [First Name], thanks for being a loyal customer!” Or you could get creative and use a personal detail about the recipient: “I noticed you’re interested in [Topic] and thought you might like this article.”
The key is to make the message feel unique and valuable so the recipient knows it’s worth their time to open. To make it feel more customized and personal, you may also include the recipient’s first name in the subject line or introductory paragraph. Using personalization tokens, you can immediately capture attention and increase your chances of getting your message read.
5. Write Compelling Copy
You want your email open rates to be through the roof, and one of the most effective ways to make that happen is by writing compelling copy. But what exactly makes for “compelling” copy?
Here are a few creative tips to get you started:
- Ask a question in your subject line. This Immediately engages your reader and entices them to find the answer by opening your email.
- Use curiosity-inducing words. Words like “secret”, “found out”, and “results” can all pique someone’s interest and make them more likely to open your email.
- Make a bold claim. This could be something like “double your open rates with this one simple change” or “the best way to increase your open rates.” It’s essential to make sure you can back up any bold claims you make, but doing so can help get people curious about what you have to say.
- Use time-tested most popular copywriting techniques to achieve your desired goals. Among the most popular are AIDA, QUEST, PAS, and The 4 P’s.5. Create a Sense of Urgency With Time-Sensitive Content
6. Create Urgency to Act
Nothing quite like the fear of missing out motivates people to take action. Additionally, in email marketing, instilling a sense of urgency can significantly boost open rates.
One way to create urgency is to use time-sensitive language in your subject line. Words like “limited time offer,” “deadline,” and “24 hours only” can give recipients a sense that they need to act fast. But beware of using these techniques too often, or you’ll lose their impact.
Another way to create urgency is through scarcity. People are much more likely to notice if you’re offering a limited-edition product or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Again, though, be careful not to overdo it. If everything is scarce, then nothing is.
So next time you want to increase your email open rates, try infusing your content with a sense of urgency. It might just be the nudge your recipients need to take action.
7. Use Symbols or Emojis in Your Copy for Attention-Grabbing Flair
Being seen in a world where we are continuously inundated with emails can be challenging. However, using symbols or emojis in your copy can effectively grab attention and increase your open rates.
A few strategically placed emojis can make your email more visually appealing and help it to stand out in a sea of text-based emails. Additionally, emojis can help convey complex emotions or concepts concisely, which can be especially useful in email marketing messages. When used sparingly and thoughtfully, emojis can be a powerful tool for boosting your email open rates. So don’t be afraid to experiment with a few.
8. Keep Your Emails Mobile-Friendly
You might be surprised to know that 65% of all email is now opened on a mobile device. If your emails are not optimized for mobile, you’re likely missing out on a massive chunk of your audience. Here are three ways to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly:
- Use a responsive design template. This will ensure that your email looks great no matter what device it’s being viewed on.
- Keep your subject lines short and crisp. You see, longer subject lines are usually shortened on mobile devices, making them difficult to read.
- Use large, easy-to-click buttons for your call-to-action. Tiny links can be challenging to click on a small screen, so ensure your CTA is easy to spot and click.
By following these simple tips, you can ensure your emails are being seen and read by the people who matter most – your customers and prospects.
9. Time It Right
Timing is everything when it comes to email marketing. The difference between a successful campaign and one that fails can be determined by timing. So, how can you ensure that your emails are landing in subscribers’ inboxes at the right time? Here are a few tips:
First, look at your analytics to see when your subscribers are most active. If you notice that most of your opens occur during the morning hours, adjust your send time accordingly. According to this research, email open rates are the highest in the middle of the week. Another research that supports it says that emails sent on Tuesday have the highest open rates with Thursday being the runner up. Eventually, your best bet to determine when to send out emails is by performing some A/B tests for your organization on different days of the week to see what works right for you.
Secondly, pay attention to global trends and events. For example, if you know that people are likely to check their email less during the summer months, schedule your sends accordingly.
Finally, consider sending time-sensitive emails at different times of the day to see what works best. By experimenting with timing, you can ensure that your emails always land in subscribers’ inboxes at the right time.
10. Incentivize Recipients To Open Your Email
You can increase your email open rates by incentivizing recipients to open your email. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or a free product. You can also include a link to a contest or giveaway. By providing an incentive, you are more likely to get recipients to open your email.
Conclusion
Email open rates are significant to track because they indicate how interested recipients are in your content. Email marketing helps small businesses create personalized content and build credibility. It also aids startups in increasing brand recognition and building robust customer relationships. And if you want to improve your email marketing strategy, it’s essential to focus on improving your open rates. You can do this in many ways, and we’ve outlined 10 of the most effective ones.
Try implementing some of these strategies and see how they impact your open rates. Remember that what works for one business might not work for another, so experiment until you find what works best for you. Email marketing is still a powerful tool when used correctly, so don’t give up on it just yet! Improving your open rates will help you reach more potential customers and increase sales.
