Email is one of the most affordable and simplest way for business owners to communicate with their customers. One of the biggest problems of using email as a marketing tool is the inability to cut through the clutter of the multitude of other emails in customers’ inboxes. How do you get your readers to actually open, read and take an action upon receiving your email? While there is no single solution, there are ways to improve email marketing techniques to more efficiently engage with your clients.
Start with the Subject Line
Reduce Pet Shedding by 25% with Our New Brush That’s Under $10!
PetsGalore Introduces a 5-Star Rated Pet Brush
Between the two subject lines above, which email would you be more likely to open (if you had a shedding pet, that is)? Most people would open the former, simply because of the subject line.
Other than the sender’s information, the subject line is the single most important determinant of whether an email will get opened. Therefore, it is imperative to think about what you want to write in this space. An engaging email title should:
- Be Relevant – If you want a prospective client to read your email, you need to tell them why it matters to them. How can your email change their life for the better? In what ways can it help them? In the example above, the first email quickly gets to the point by letting readers know that a product can solve a certain problem – excessive pet shedding. The second emails fails to do that, as it simply announces a new product, but doesn’t explain its exact purpose.
- Be Authentic – With the mass amount of spam email most people receive on a daily basis, it is essential that your subject line sounds authentic. Don’t make unfounded claims such as 5-star, Effective, Proven, Fan Favorite, etc. Individuals are so bombarded with false claims that your email will read inauthentic and will likely be ignored.
- Contain Numbers – How do you grab the reader’s attention? Try to incorporate numbers into the subject line, as they help to fixate attention versus subject lines that only contain text. A study found that because numbers represent facts, it helps to stop the readers from looking away from the content as fast as they would if it contained just text.
Keep it Personal
By perfecting your subject line, you have hopefully enticed the readers to open your email. Now what? People are bored by the standard, blue-print mass emails; to stand out from the mold, make your emails personal.
Pretend like you’re writing to a friend, and address the reader directly by using the word “you.” If you make the reader believe that you are communicating directly with them, you will spike their interest level and peak their curiosity.
If you want an even more effective strategy, incorporate the reader’s name into the email. Brain studies have proven that seeing our names in print activate sour brains unlike anything else. When you address a person by their name, you lead them to become more engaged and trust you more.
Include a Call-to-Action
Just as a great subject line is imperative to getting readers to open your email, a call-to-action (CTA) is a must to get the reader to take action. After all, there must be a reason you are emailing your customers – whether you want them to complete a purchase, visit your blog, or enter a contest – you need to guide them to complete that step. One source found that a CTA increased email clicks by 371% and sales by 1617%.
The bottom of your email should always contain a simple and concise call-to-action, which can include the following text with a link:
- Click here to purchase the product
- Visit our site to learn more
- Enter this contest by August 31st!
- Share your comments on our Facebook page
To make your email marketing strategy even more effective, consider purchasing email marketing software. This tool can help you personalize your emails, add imagery and provide detailed results about how many people opened your email and what actions they took after reading it.
If you need financial help affording this software, IOU Financial can help! Apply for a small business loan by visiting our site! (Did you like our call-to-action, by the way)?
