Here are some pretty devastating facts about email marketing (you might want to brace yourself):
The average open rate of marketing emails across all industries is 21.5%.
The average click-to-open rate is 10.1%.
The average click-through rate is just 2.3%.
This means that if you can have an audience of 2000, just 46 of those people are likely to actually end up clicking on your link or promotion.
Why are these figures so low?
It’s 2023. People are overwhelmed with emails. If they’re faced with a generic, boring or overly salesy email, it’s probably not going to cut through their already crowded inbox.
So how can you make sure that yours does?
Know Your Audience
Who are you actually targeting here, and what are they looking for? A solution to a problem? An irresistible bargain? A source of great entertainment? Get to know your audience and it will be much easier to create something that has an impact.
Nail Your Subject Line
If your readers are bored before they’ve even opened the email, that’s not good news. Your subject needs to grab attention by piquing curiosity or evoking emotion. Keep it short, descriptive, and compelling. And make sure it doesn’t sound spammy! Apparently, 69% of email recipients will report an email as spam simply by reading the subject line.
If you’ve got a limited-time promotion coming up, instead of something generic, try something that hints at the urgency of the situation, such as:
“Get triple points in the next 24 hours – hurry!”
Or you can even throw a cliffhanger into your subject line :
“John, we’ve finally found the solution…”
The solution to what? What have they found? Adding an element of suspense can be a great way to encourage readers to find out more.
Get Personal
This doesn’t just mean addressing your recipients by their first name (although that can help!). It’s about tailoring your content to their interests and behaviours. Segmenting your audience into groups can also be a great way to make sure each campaign targets the right people and boosts your chances of conversion.
Open With Style
You have mere seconds to grab your reader’s attention before they decide not to read on, so your email needs to stand out. Open with something that they can’t resist, like a thought-provoking question or a shocking statistic – just like how we opened this blog post!
Perfect Your Layout
As painful as it is to hear, most people are likely to skim through your email rather than sit down to fully digest it over a cup of coffee. This means that it needs to be scannable. Break it up with short paragraphs, subheadings, bullet points, images, buttons… you get the idea. Make sure everything is easy to see and get to the point ASAP.
Be Persuasive
But be subtle about it! Don’t beg your readers to take action. Instead, demonstrate how your product or service could be the perfect solution to their problems so that they can make the choice themselves.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Got an offer or promotion coming up? Let your readers know about it. Language such as “Limited time offer” or “Last chance” tells your audience that if they don’t act fast, they’re going to miss out.
The bottom line? An effective marketing email actually takes time and practice to get right, but with a little research and creativity, you can start building your mailing list into a valuable resource that you can truly rely on.
pointwestcreative.com 