Email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools in marketing. However, the success of an email campaign depends heavily on one critical factor: the open rate. The number of subscribers who open your emails differs depending on many factors, but there are many different approaches to take in order to increase your numbers. Consider these effective strategies:
Create Compelling Subject Lines
Subject lines are more important than some businesses might realize. It’s the first thing recipients see. Fun, intriguing, punchy, short and thought-provoking subject lines will entice opens. Some other basic rules to follow are:
- Keep them simple.
- Don’t overuse emojis or punctuation.
- Be personal.
- Be mobile-friendly.
When creating your next subject line, ask yourself if you would read that email.
Craft a Friendly Preview Text
This is the small text line that appears under your subject line in an email inbox. This section can be used to give a summary of the valuable content inside your email. Make sure that it is clear and concise to entice your readers into opening your email.
Clean and Segment Email Lists
In addition to a quality subject line, cleaning and segmenting your email lists can improve your performance numbers. Removing recipients that bounce, no longer engage or are not relevant anymore will increase the percentage of people who open your emails. Segmentation allows for more targeted content to be sent to specific industry or regional groups. Tailoring emails to your subscribers’ behaviors will also increase the chances of them opening your emails.
Optimize Email Timing
Timeliness always matters so knowing when to send your emails can help increase open rates and overall email marketing effectiveness. Here are some tips on days to send your next email campaign:
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are a marketer’s favorite. (Trust us!)
- Weekends are self-explanatory. This is when most people are spending time with their families doing activities and not checking their emails.
- You also don’t want your email to be a part of the Monday trash dump as people ready their inboxes for the week.
Send time optimization is an ongoing process. What works today may not work tomorrow, so it is vital that you revisit your strategy and adjust as needed.
A/B Testing
Have you ever found yourself with a couple of possible subject lines and you’re having a hard time deciding which one you think will perform best? You don’t have to guess, just try A/B testing. A/B tests provide feedback you need to choose which elements of your email content is best for your campaigns. You can A/B test CTAs, images and more. Knowing if certain elements perform better with your audience is a great way to increase your email open rates. Check out our blog post on how to use A/B testing & why it’s important for more information.
According to Campaign Monitor, the average open rate across all industries was 21.5% last year. Improving your email open rates involves a combination of data analysis, creativity and optimization. When you follow these best practices and strategies, you’re not only increasing the chances of your emails getting opened but also leading to more conversions and higher click-through-rates.
If you’re looking to boost your email metrics and create email campaigns that people will want to engage with, contact JSK Marketing! With our email marketing services, we’re here to help turn these proven strategies into tangible results for your business. Get started with us today!
