What Will It Take For Someone To Open Up Your E-mail?
Filed Under Sales And Marketing |
Most people will look first at the subject line to see what is in it and then they will look at who sent it. It is VITAL that you use those 56 characters to the best of your ability. Be clear and concise. Find ways to be creative, but not confusing. Let them know what you have to offer leaving them wanting more, but avoid being vague or they will quickly hit the delete button.
Testing-
Test your subject lines with a few options. If you don’t test your market’s hot buttons then you can’t calculate what is working best for your viewing public. Conversion rate is so crucial.
First Name-
Test your subjects out by seeing if they appreciate their first name in the subject line. Some would consider it overdone, but I believe that there is nothing better than to see the letters C-A-D-E in that order. I am sure you would feel the same.
Honesty-
Tell…don’t sell. People are tired of you giving them pitches. They want to be informed. Just be honest with them and let them know exactly why you are sending this email. If you decide to spin your email then you will get opt-outs. Use the name and issue in the subject line if it is a reoccuring news letter. If it is a special promotion then be forward with it. Studies show that open e-mail rates of 60% to 87% for the informative subject lines whereas less than 15% for the flashy subject lines.
Commercial E-Mails-
Give people the choice to opt-in with this seperate e-mail that promotes your commercial offers. Let them know that you can only support your free newsletter by offering your promotional letter. If they opt-in then let them know what you are offering them in the commercial e-mail subject line. Remember to be clear and concise. “$1 off per lead purchased”. If they don’t want it then don’t worry and respect them. They will want it down the road if you continue to offer valuable information. They will trust you and go back to you because they know you will be fair with them.
Branding-
Use that same name, company name, or slogan that they have become accustomed to. They have grown to respect and trust that name.
Avoiding Filters-
There are certain things that every spam fliter will look at. It is important that you avoid using all capital letters, exclamation points, and spammy words that are going to get you in the spam box. The best thing you can use is a spam checker with an e-mail service provider or you can go to ProgrammersHeaven.com Spam Checker (www.programmersheaven.com/webtools/Spam-Checker/spamchecker.aspx). It will check your from line, subject line, plus the entire e-mail content for any potential problems you may have in your message. This is a quick process and the faster you can learn about this then the more shots you will have and convincing your database.
Build Value Quickly-
If you want to get them involved or coming back then they have to know you are going to provide worthwhile value. Don’t waste time, do it in the subject line. Help them know their reward for opening your e-mail such as “Better linking strategies to move to a Google Page Rank 6 in 3 months.”
Consistency-
Once you have provided this value continue to give it to your readers. As my friend Courtney Tuttle points out, you have to establish stickyness so your readers will return over and over again and view more and more of your offers.
Comments
4 Responses to “What Will It Take For Someone To Open Up Your E-mail?”
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Stickiness without being annoying is an art that can be mastered I guess. Also, that spam checker tip is extremely helpful, thank you.
thanks for the post cade… once i get my blog going to the point where i will be sending out email newsletters, alot of this will be super helpful!
I especially agree with the “first name” topic. There’s nothing more convincing than a personalized call to action.
Nice