When it comes to Email marketing, there are a few metrics that can really impact your success. Open rate is one of those metrics. It can tell you how well-received your Emails are, and it can give you an idea about the days and times your blasts are most successful.
To figure out where your open rates stand with your competition, its best to start with some industry benchmarks. You can find this information by utilizing resources like Marketing Sherpa, or your Email service (like Constant Contact).
When you’re looking at your open rates, keep in mind that this number isn’t 100% accurate. Open rates are tracked by using an embedded image (usually tiny 1pixel x 1pixel) on your Email. If that image is viewed, a “hit” is counted and recorded as a “view”. This method is great, but doesn’t work for text only Emails. These days with so many people checking their mail on their phones, you can be sure that your open rate is much higher than is actually being recorded. However, it’s important to remember that to track change, you only need a stable metric – it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate to show an increase or decrease that can yield valuable marketing information.
Improving Your Opens
1. Subject Lines - split your list and use two different subject lines to find out which type of subject gets more opens.
2. Send Times – Just because you’ve always heard that Tuesday is the best day for Email doesn’t mean it is. In fact, because everyone has heard Tuesday is the best day, it’s the day that your recipient is hammered with other Emails. Try changing the day and time you send your Emails.
3. Segment Your Information – Split your list into categories of interest or geographic location, and target your content, subject line, and offer to appeal to that specific genre.
4. Study Your Competition – You could be inspired by the information your competitors are sending to their clients. Find ways you can further distance yourself from your competitors.
5. WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) – People are busy! Unless there is a payoff they will scan your Emails more than they will read them. Make sure your benefit is stated clearly and is near the top of the Email so it can’t be missed.
By improving your open rates you will get the added benefit of reaching more people with your message. If you need to improve your open rates, give us a call. We are experts at Email marketing and can help take you to the next level.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
Share/Save
Leave a Reply