- Alise Talley
10 Simple Email Marketing Tips to Boost Open Rates
Updated: Feb 18, 2022
When it comes to email marketing, the devil really is in the details.
Word choice can mean the difference between higher click-through rates or a spam report.
But whether it’s your first email campaign or you’re a long-time marketer, a few changes to your email copy can help you cater to customers’ interest, improve consumer loyalty, and in turn, grow your business.
1. Have an Eye-Catching Subject
Subject lines are like the headline for your email and are one of the first things people look at before they open it (or decide to delete it). And on most mobile devices, deleting is just a finger swipe away.
You have to give your subscribers a reason to open your email and take the time to read it.
Appeal to them by telling them what they’d be missing if they don’t open it. Is there a sale that is going on for a limited time? Special updates about your company?
2. Be Mindful About the Preview Text
Next to the subject line, there is the 35-140 character sneak peek into what the email contains. This is the preview text. Here, there should be something warm or exciting that makes the subscriber want to click on your email.
If there is a link or unfavorable instructions that you're hiding within your email, make sure it’s not visible in the email preview.
3. Think of It Like a Web Copy
When it comes to your layout, it’s best to be straightforward. The information should have a hierarchy to it. The important information is at the top with a bigger font, and the less important information is below it.
With your content, you should have short, focused paragraphs that won’t overwhelm the reader. And you should only have one topic in a paragraph. The more clear you are, the better.
4. Keep It Lowercase
Sometimes, when marketers want to sound excited, they type in all caps and have seven exclamation points. Don’t do that!
Trying to shout at your readers, especially in the subject line, can come off as spam, and it can get you reported. And if enough users report you, email clients will mark you as spam, possibly blacklisting you.
5. Learn About Your Audience
Using audience intelligence tools, you can better learn about your audience's interests. The more you know about them the more persuasive and appealing you can be.
6. Don’t Sound like a Robot
While you’re personalizing your email copy, try to make them fun and conversational. Who said emails have to be boring? Just write the way you would talk, and your audience will be able to relate to the voice of your email more.
When you connect with readers in this way, you will be more memorable and build greater customer loyalty.
7. Choose Your Words Carefully
Along with being more personable, you can be more imaginative, too. Use imagery that engages your readers’ senses.
They’ve opened your email; you have their attention. Now, you can keep it by building a world that they can step into. This rousing, powerful language can give a narrative to your company and end in a call to action (CTA) that has your reader wanting to follow your instructions.
But, don’t get too carried away and overpromise something you can’t follow through with. Your audience can tell when you’re being fake, and it will disassemble all of the hard work you’ve done to strengthen the relationship with them.
8. Build in Psychology
There are some basic ways marketers can use the human brain to their advantage. There are inherent things built into the brain that people respond to, like how red and orange convey a sense of urgency.
Or, you can use pictures of faces that are clearly expressing a certain emotion, so the viewer will empathize with it.
The biggest thing you can leverage is the fear of missing out or FOMO. This is done by having time-sensitive offers or having an exclusive product.
9. Personalize Your Emails
No one wants a generic company email. Consider audience segmentation, where you group different demographics together and send more personalized messages.
You wouldn’t approach subscribers who have signed up yesterday the same way you’d talk to subscribers who have been with you for years.
10. Have a Goal
When you go to write a copy, have one goal in mind, one focused goal. If you have multiple, you’ll be scattered trying to fulfill them all and, ultimately, less effective.
And your goal doesn’t always have to be sales. It can be to send updates about fun developments in your business.
Email copies don’t have to be complicated. In fact, simple and focused copies can be the most effective. They get your point across to your reader in an easy way.
You just have to be mindful about what you want and how you’re going to pursue it. With these tips, you can develop greater click-through rates to grow your sales.