How to get customers to open your emails

An email marketing campaign can be extremely effective, giving you the opportunity to make your message available to thousands of subscribers with a few easy clicks. That is, of course, if they can be bothered to open your emails. One of the biggest challenges in email marketing is not only crafting an interesting piece of content worthy of distribution but doing so in a way that will make sure your emails are read rather than sent straight to the ‘spam box’.

By taking the time to tailor your messages to each reader and create a personal feel many business emails lack, you can do your best to make sure your emails aren't just received, but opened and enjoyed as well.

Keep It Personal

No matter how good your email is, if the subject line isn't immediately compelling, no one will waste their time. There are many different strategies that can be effective, but personalisation is among the most prominent. A creative, personal headline that is both short enough to read with a glance and interesting enough to pique curiosity is one of the best way to draw reader attention, showing your subscribers that you care enough about each of them on a personal level. Consider crafting headlines using first names and details related to prior purchases or page visits in order to conceptualise messages that are too compelling to ignore.

Customise Your Text

Which is more enjoyable, reading an email from a friend, or reading an email from a company that was obviously sent to thousands of other people in addition to you? The former, of course, is much more alluring, but as a company with a mailing list, writing personalised emails would require a phenomenal and unnecessary amount of time. Instead, tailor the review text, the first 50 words or so of an email, using the same personal details you used in crafting a headline. By finding a personal way to address what you have to offer, you can bridge the gap between boring corporate communication and exciting personal news.

Send Emails From a Real Address

Nothing feels less personal than a No Reply email address from a company domain. It may be the easiest way to establish your mailing list, but it also puts up a wall between you and your readers, telling them that even if they want to reply to you, they cannot. Instead, use an email address linked to a real person. Giving readers a name to associate your company with is a way of humanising an entity, putting an imaginary face on anonymous communication. This will create a more familiar experience for those on your mailing list, and can also be effective at preventing your message from hitting spam folders.

Writing creative communications is an art form, but it's one that can pay off in spades when done properly. Taking a personal approach to your marketing can be a highly effective way of luring in readers long enough for them to open your emails and see what you have to offer. By making a few personal tweaks to each email, you can watch as your conversions, and in turn your business, continue to grow.

If your organisation is ready to get personal with your customers, download our eBook for more on how to optimise your content offering and increase your lead generation.