Making a great marketing email that gets opened

How does your email shine bright enough to get noticed amid the deluge filling inboxes each day? A good subject line, with concise and relevant content inside and links that offer more information. Sounds simple enough. So why do 61% of business emails remain unopened? Read on for how to get yours opened:

• From and Subject lines
• Relevant and persuasive copywriting
• Clear and compelling offers
• Links to further information

How tough is it to get an email opened?

Tougher than leather! To give you an idea of what you’re facing as an email marketer, Radicati Group reports around 246 billion emails are sent worldwide every day. Okay, a portion of that is spam and filtered out, and lots are mid thread conversation.

Still, Radicati reports the average business user is expected to send and receive 126 messages by the end of 2019. Considering your own inbox, you can appreciate the battle email marketers face in standing out.

Subject Lines as a sales tool

Research shows that 47% of people will decide whether to open an email based on the Subject line.

Let’s say you run an online fashion retailer and have a good list of emails. You also understand whether existing or prospective customers generally prefer buying dresses versus shoes based on their online behaviour that you track with a good marketing automation platform.

So you’re ready to launch an email campaign to tell a segmented audience about a special sale on dresses from a new designer.

Before you get any sales, you need to get them to open the email. You know the saying about ‘First impressions last’…well, this is your chance. As they skim down the list of unanswered emails, your email must leap out and stop them scrolling.

There are two key things they’ll see; the From field and the Subject line.

The From field is critical. All your brand values and reputation are wrapped up in that From field. It must clearly identify your business as a source they recognise and trust.

How to nail an email subject line

Next is the Subject line. This will make or break your campaign with either a click to open or a click to delete. And that’s if they see it. While a great Subject line will get them to open, a poorly written one might end up in the spam filter.

The best subject lines are short, simple and under 10 words. Think about the most valuable information that is relevant to the audience receiving it. Be personal and local. For example Hey Annie, seen our Paris-inspired couture by Sydney designers?

Spam filters will gobble up any messages with the words “Free”, “cheapest”, “sales”, “specials”, “reminder” and “per cent off”. Also, any dollar signs, capitalisation and exclamation points are big triggers for spam filters.

How to write engaging and persuasive emails

If it speaks to the audiences’ interest and pain points, they’ll open it. That’s half your battle. Attention deficits, work demands, and the emails just below it are all silently bellowing for attention, and these are your other battles.

This means the content must be concise, on point, and convincing your audience that by clicking through they will have their itch scratched – and they’ll revisit that feeling of euphoria that comes with a completed transaction.

Keep your paragraphs short (1-3 sentences) and focus on a single idea. You can link to longer form blogs on your website if needed, but stick to a single idea with a clear call-to-action that encourages your audience to click through to some kind of offer.

For example, a link in your email could say ‘Click here to receive early bird discounts of 20% off for all purchases over $50’. Or ‘Click here or free shipping in the next 24 hours only’.

Use of compelling photography, video and bold text can also be used to highlight the appeal of special offers.

Email marketing creates the opportunity to speak in a more casual tone, so when writing, be friendly and persuasive to promote engagement (a fancy word for ‘clicking to taking a desired action’).

Think about the most appropriate tone for your audience. A management consulting firm would have a vastly different tone to a local hairdresser, but it doesn’t need to sound like a white paper.

Let them unsubscribe

The last thing your email needs is the ability for users to unsubscribe. We never want to lose people, but people’s circumstances change and they must be given a clear and easy way to stop receiving your emails.

Simply add a link at the bottom that lets people unsubscribe, change their preferences, or update their contact information. It’s not only good customer service but required under Australian and European law.

Summing up

Spend some time on your subject line. It shouldn’t be an afterthought you bash out before hitting send. The subject line is perhaps the most important part of the email because its the primary sales tools for leading people into the actual email content.

Keep it punchy, and under 10 words, and make it personalised and localised.

Make the email content friendly and engaging, with links to deeper useful content on your website.

Include a call-to-action that relates to an offer that is relevant to the target audience.

You’ll find each email marketing campaign provides learnings that can be taken to the next one as you see what gets conversions and what doesn’t.

With each email campaign, you’ll get to know how your customers respond so that you can adjust your strategy as needed, maximise your usefulness to them, and increase sales for you.

Traction Digital provides industry-leading, next-generation marketing technology that enables you to connect effectively with customers. We can automate campaign workflows, trigger conversations, and accelerate conversions through the one unified platform. For more information to help you provide a more relevant and engaging brand experience to customers, subscribe to our email and get the latest marketing automation tips and techniques.