How often do you send an email straight to the trash without opening it?
If you’re like most people, it probably happens to you dozens of times every day. Unfortunately, in today’s busy world, many emails that aren’t absolutely essential are delegated to the trash can instead of claiming a few seconds of a reader’s time.
While email marketing campaigns can be very effective, some campaigns work better than others. With these tried and true tips, you can be sure your email newsletter is effective, interesting, and, most importantly, opened!
1. Make Sure Your Subject Line Is Catchy
While it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, it’s altogether too common for a busy professional to disregard emails that don’t have a compelling or important-sounding title.
In order to catch a reader’s eye and convey the message that your content is worth reading, choose a title that is to the point, catchy, or witty but still conveys the message you are trying to send.
An interesting title is an asset, but you should try to avoid subject lines that could be considered clickbait, or a misleading title designed to generate as many clicks as possible.
Although clickbait can be effective at drawing in readers, most people dislike clicking on an article or opening an email that has a completely different message than what the title implied. This creates distrust in readers, driving them away from further communications.
2. Keep Your Content Professional
Above all else, email marketing content should be high quality. While email communication is often casual and relaxed, an email marketing campaign is a big part of your online reputation and should speak to what you have to offer.
If your email newsletter is littered with grammar issues or uses text message abbreviations, your readers won’t take you seriously, resulting in a marketing campaign that does more damage than good.
By relying on professionally-written content that is aimed at the interests of your readers, you can be sure that everyone who opens your emails will get an accurate image of the prestige and reputation of your business and what you have to offer.
Many companies also see utility in HTML content with images, providing a more put together look and feel for readers.
3. Keep Content Brief and Easy to Read
Most working adults lead very busy, full lives, making reading long articles a luxury for which there is little time in the day. In order to best attract readers, keep your content short, to the point, and easy to read.
Rather than overwhelming your readers with technical language and long-winded articles, give them something they can read over easily.
Many newsletters don’t provide full articles but rather titles, highlights, and summaries from successful content marketing pieces with a link to the original blog or post. If you feel as though shortening content sacrifices your message, this method allows you to provide a brief yet informative experience to readers while still allowing them full access to articles that may attract their interest.
When handled properly, an email newsletter can be extremely effective. By crafting titles that are are captivating and content that is proper, professional, and easy to read, you can ensure your email marketing content is read and appreciated.
