It’s getting harder and harder to get your subscribers to open your emails…
Let alone read and act on them!
As a result, business owners are seeing plummeting open rates for their email newsletters (ezines) … some email open rates are being reported as low as 8.6%.
With the sheer volume of other information avenues we’re constantly subjected to these days, it’s not surprising that email open rates are taking a hit. In addition to email there’s:
- Social media – Facebook & Twitter
- Mobile marketing via SMS messaging/text messages
- Constant bombardment of emails coming into our inboxes
- Radio
- Television
Is it any wonder business owners are beginning to question the value of email marketing?
However, email marketing is still a really strong marketing strategy for your business; you just have to ensure that you’re doing it right to get the maximum return.
There are some simple strategies you can put in place to ensure that your emails are opened and read.
And I’m going to share my top five with you today:
1. Do what you say you’re going to do. Not only does this build credibility, but it also shows you as being reliable and trustworthy — going back to the like, know, and trust factor. That means if you say you’re going to publish a weekly newsletter, you better make sure that you do. Because of all the different information avenues mentioned above, unless you’re top of mind for your subscriber, you’re quickly going to get lost in the masses. Sticking to a regular publication schedule means that your subscriber will come to expect your communications on time, and they’ll be looking out for it!
2. Provide valuable and useful content. Make sure your communication content is information-rich and on-topic for your subscriber. If you’re going to reuse old articles ensure that the content is still relevant and correct. Stick to the 80/20 rule —80% content; 20% pitch.
3. Keep it clear and easy to read. Don’t let your newsletter become a glob of links and “click here”s. Keep the content really clear with lots of white space and only include one or two calls to action in each publication.
4. Plan a solo mailing campaign. If you’ve got something that you really want your readers to read, then plan a series of solo emailings to draw their attention to it. This is especially great for new product and program launches and other “special announcements”. But a word of warning… don’t go overboard with your solo mailing campaign otherwise your subscribers will likely assume all you do is sell, and will very quickly unsubscribe.
It’s about maintaining a balance between useful, relevant content, and asking your subscriber to buy – which you do need to do as you’re running a business. And running a business is all about making a profit.
5. Be smart with subject lines. Make sure your subject line is relevant to your content; don’t try gimmicky subject lines that are 1) likely to be marked as spam; and 2) turn your readers off because they sound too salesy/sleazy. You want to create subject lines that relate to the content of your email, but — and this is the most important part — also piques your reader’s curiosity and makes them want to open your mailing.
Next time you put together your ezine or solo mailing keep these points in mind. Play around; experiment; and watch your stats closely to see what works and what doesn’t. And if you are using a service that provides you with Ad Trackers (such as 1ShoppingCart) set these up to track exactly who and how many people click through from the links in your email communications. And cross-reference these to your subject lines.
If you really are interested in what the publisher is sending to you, you’ll happily open their emails. There are several newsletters that land in my inbox each week that I ALWAYS open and look forward to receiving.
Finally, don’t get too hung up on open rates. They’re only intended as a ball park figure after all!
