Email marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for both B2B and B2C companies. It helps you keep in touch with your customers and maintain a strong client relationship. It works because it helps you reach them in a place they visit every day – their inbox.
But once your email reaches their inbox, how do you make sure they get opened? When you begin email marketing, or even years into your process, you may notice your open rates are lower than desired.
Here’s the good news: increasing your email open rate doesn’t require a lot of work. Here are 3 simple ways you can increase your email open rates without the heavy lifting.
1. Make a Strong Subject Line
The most important part of your entire email, and the part people see first, is the subject line. While this may seem obvious, your emails need an engaging subject line. It needs to be attention-grabbing.
Subjects like, “November Newsletter,” and, “[Business Name] Newsletter,” aren’t going to get people to want to open your email.
Here are five suggestions from email marketing platform Constant Contact on how to write a killer headline for your emails:
- The question: Using a question in your subject line is a great way to make a more personal connection with the people viewing your emails.
- The command: Sometimes it pays off to be more direct with your audience as a way to get them to take action.
- The teaser: Believe it or not, people love cliffhangers. And if crafted correctly, the teaser tactic will pique interest and entice subscribers to read on.
- The list: Lists make it easier for people to consume the information you’re sending out. They also give you the chance to demonstrate your points in a more compelling way.
- The announcement: Subject lines don’t have to be complicated, especially if the goal of your email is to announce something new. Be straightforward about what your email is about.
2. Send From a Person, Not a Company
When scrolling through their inbox, people are looking for emails from people they know. If your email is sent from your company, it could immediately be flagged as advertising or worse yet, be sent to spam, and get completely ignored.
Sending your email from a person makes it feel more personal and direct, encouraging them to read what you have to say.
3. Keep Your List Fresh
Making sure you always have high-quality contact information can result in a huge jump in your open rate. Avoid buying leads lists, as they often contain incorrect or missing information, resulting in bad leads or reaching out to people who have no interest in your products.
Review your list regularly to weed out inactive subscribers, bounced emails, and correct any obvious errors like incorrect spellings or invalid email domains like, “@gnail.com.”
By keeping your list updated, you will realize a higher open rate and a higher engagement rate with your emails.
Interested in building stronger email lists, other ways to increase your open rate, or how to write killer emails? Get in touch with us today to start crushing your email marketing.
