Using a little personalization will boost your open rates by a factor of two, according to recent research by MailChimp. A study based on 40 million marketing emails found that a personalized subject line is more effective than a generic one.
Personalization is also a good way to stand out in the inbox. Some of the modern email marketing services make it easy to do so. For instance, you can include a reader’s name, location, and even their favorite sports team. This can be a fun way to get your message in front of the right people. Personalization can also boost clickthrough rates.
In addition to personalization, you can also improve your open rates by using actionable subject lines. The most effective ones are short and to the point. In fact, a subject line that is less than forty characters can boost open rates by ten percent. The most effective subject lines should also be informative and relevant to the recipient’s life.
For example, a subject line containing the word “free” is more likely to be opened than a plain old free offer. Another subject line that works is one with a video. Emails with a video have an open rate increase of 7% to 13%.
Other email marketing best practices include including a call to action, preview text, and a clear message about the email content. These small touches can be the difference between getting a click and your message ending up in the spam folder. In addition, a subject line with a witty call to action can inspire the reader to open the email.
The best email marketing strategies also include a well-timed email message. For example, if your campaign is scheduled to run over the weekend, consider sending a preview message on a Monday morning. This can get your message into the inbox of those who are likely to read it before they head to bed. If you are emailing a list of subscribers, consider sending a personalized message to everyone in the list. This will improve the clickthrough rate, which will translate to more sales.
The best email marketing strategies should also include some good old fashioned testing. Use A/B testing to see what subject lines work best for your audience. The most effective subject lines should be at least five to seven words long and under forty characters long. It is also a good idea to use a personalization token, such as the recipient’s name or birthday. Personalization also demonstrates that you care about your recipients. You can even use a pet company to mention their cats in a relevant email.
The best way to increase your email marketing open rates is to take the time to put the right email marketing tactics in place. Getting the right email message in front of the right people is the most important factor in your success. While this may seem like a hassle, it can mean the difference between a high open rate and an unopened email.