5 Ways to Increase Your Email Open Rates
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Are you using email marketing to connect with your audience?
It's a powerful tool that can help you turn leads into loyal clients. Unlike social media, where your message can easily get lost in the algorithm, email allows you to communicate with your audience in a more personalized way.
However, with so many emails flooding people's inboxes, it's important to ensure your emails stand out.
So, let's explore how you can boost your email open rates and get your messages noticed!
Email Open Rate Reporting
Your email open rate is the percentage of recipients who open your email out of the total number of people you send it to. A high open rate can indicate that your audience is interested in what you have to say.
However, it's important to note that there are privacy laws in place that can affect the accuracy of your reporting. With consumers becoming increasingly concerned about digital privacy, various protections have been put in place, ranging from the OS level (such as Apple IOS 15 mail protection protocol) to the international level (such as GDPR).
That being said, for the purpose of this content, when I mention open rates, I'm referring to the actual number of human beings who open your email IRL. I am not sharing ways to “game the system,” but rather, ways to improve the user experience for your audience.
Personalize It
Your subscriber wants to feel special and valued. One simple way to do this is to add personalization to your email subject lines.
“I have a surprise for you, Katie” is more enticing than “I have a surprise.”
The method off adding personalization to the subject line will depend on your email service provider. If you use ConvertKit, my ESP of choice, it’s just adding a simple shortcode in the subject line.
But don’t just stop at the subject line with your personalization- add your subscriber’s name to the greeting and in the body of your email too!
Speaking of subject lines….
Make Your Subject Line Matter
If you spend hours crafting a compelling email, and just slap a subject line on there, you run the risk of all that effort going unnoticed because your readers never actually open the email.
Think of your subject line as your pickup line – it should be catchy, concise, and intriguing to encourage your audience to open the email and learn more.
Experiment with different approaches, such as posing a question, using humor, or adding emojis. But above all, please, don’t use clickbaity subject lines just to get them to open your email.
The subject line should actually reflect the contents of your email. If you use bait-and-switch tactics, you will lose trust with your audience.
Use That Preview Text
Preview text is the little snippet of text that appears after the subject line in the recipient’s inbox.
Make them curious enough to open your email! Use this space wisely to provide a sneak peek or add another call to action.
Remember, the goal here is to stand out in an inbox and get your reader to take action!
Tag and Segment Your Email List
Not everyone on your list should be receiving the same emails!
Everyone is at a different point in their customer journey with your business, so it's important to tag them accordingly. One way to do this is by categorizing your subscribers based on their entry point onto your email list. For instance, you can separate the people who joined via a free lead magnet from the people who enrolled in one of your courses. By doing this, you can tailor your message to each audience, as they have different needs.
This targeted approach increases the likelihood that your subscribers will engage with your content. So, make sure to segment your email list based on the factors that reflect where your customers are on their journey with your business.
Focus on Quality Content
Gone are the days of bombarding your audience with generic, sales-focused emails.
It is important to avoid sending low-quality, irrelevant emails to your subscribers, as it may train them to ignore your emails entirely. When your emails are ignored, the opportunity to nurture your relationship with your subscribers and sell them your offer diminishes.
By providing high-quality content that educates and entertains your subscribers, you can create a positive association with your brand, and build trust with your audience. Consistently providing value not only strengthens your relationship with your readers, but also creates opportunities for referrals and word-of-mouth marketing.
Creating quality content doesn't have to be complicated. Sharing industry insights, quick tips, or helpful resources can help you build meaningful connections with your audience.
Creating quality content starts with the way you welcome new subscribers to your audience.
If you need help with crafting an effective email funnel, check out my mini-course, “Capture to Conversion: Your Email Funnel Blueprint.” For only $97, you'll learn how to leverage the power of email funnels without getting overwhelmed! The course teaches you how to understand your target audience, create a lead magnet that captures their attention, and nurture them through a well-crafted email sequence that converts them into clients. By the end of the course, you'll have the resources, knowledge, and tools to confidently create email funnels that drive growth. Click here to enroll.
