Having a massive email list is great, but it’s not enough to guarantee sky-high open rates. You need to take the necessary steps to position your emails to be opened and clicked by subscribers.
Subject lines are one of the most important factors when it comes to email marketing. It’s the first thing that a subscriber sees when checking their inbox, so it needs to be eye-catching and compelling.
1. Your Subject Line Isn’t Getting You Any Opens
One of the first things to check is whether or not your subject line is working. Email subject lines are the first thing subscribers see when scrolling their inboxes on their smartphones after waking up or opening up their laptops. They have to be enticing enough to draw their attention and make them want to open the email, especially for emails nest brands.
Brevity is the soul of wit, and it’s also the secret to high-performing email subject lines. Studies show that emails with subject lines that are 49 characters or less attract 12 percent more opens than longer subjects. This is especially important because people have short attention spans when scrolling through their inboxes, and they can lose interest fast.
In addition to keeping it short, make sure your email subject line is relevant to your recipients. It’s easy to get caught up in the lust for a high email open rate and start sending out generic or misleading subject lines. However, this can hurt your reputation and erode your audience’s fragile trust in you as a marketer.
While intrigue can be a powerful force in your subject line, it’s best to position what’s in it for the reader. For example, if you’re promoting a product sale, make it clear that they’re getting a discount on their favorite item. If you’re urging them to upgrade their software, be explicit about how much they can save.
Subject lines that imply urgency are also a great way to catch your audience’s attention. Flash sales, limited-time offers, and limited quantities of popular products are all good examples. These subject lines are a great way to show your audience that their time is valuable and that they’re likely to miss out on an offer if they don’t act quickly.
Finally, personalization is an excellent way to drive your email open rates. Using your subscriber’s first name, remembering their birthday, or referencing previous orders and campaign activity will give your emails a more intimate feel and encourage them to open. It’s important to note that not all personalization tactics are equal, though, and you should test out different ways to personalize your subject line for maximum effect.
2. Your Email Isn’t Getting Any Clicks
When a subscriber opens their inbox, they see a whole lot of junk. They have a limited amount of time to read their emails and they don’t have the energy to sort through everything that is trying to grab their attention. This is why the first thing that a reader will do when they get an email blast from you is to scroll past it.
If you aren’t getting any clicks, there are a few things you could do to improve the situation. One is to change the subject line of your email and try something more creative and interesting. Subject lines do a lot of the work in determining whether or not someone will open your email so they should always be clear, relevant and compelling.
Another way to increase your click rate is to add more content in your email. This can be anything from more text to images and even some fun emojis. Having more content in your email can help you stand out from the crowd of spam and junk emails that your subscribers are receiving on a daily basis.
You could also try changing the timing of your email campaign. For example, if you want your readers to make a purchase from you, sending them an email in the morning probably won’t be the best idea since they will be just starting their day. Instead, you may want to try sending them an email in the afternoon when they will be more likely to be able to take action on your call to action.
Finally, you could also try changing the type of link that you are promoting in your email. For example, you might want to try linking to a landing page that is directly related to the product or service that your company offers. This way, your readers will be more enticed to click on the link and learn more about what you have to offer.
No matter what the reason is for your low click rates, don’t give up on email marketing completely. There are a few simple ways that you can improve your results and get your CTOR up to par.
3. Your Email Isn’t Getting Any Conversions
If you are getting lots of opens, but not many clicks or conversions, this could mean that your email is missing the mark for your industry or target audience. This is a good time to review your email content and design, and test new subject lines and call-to-action phrases.
Another possibility is that your subscribers simply aren’t interested in the offer you’re promoting in your email. This could be because they’re not a good fit with your product or service, because they have opted-in to other businesses’ offers instead, or because they don’t even know about your business. If your opt-in form clearly lays out the types of emails you will send, it should be easy for new subscribers to understand what they’re signing up for and expect from you.
The quality of your email list also plays a role in your open rates. A low open rate tells mailbox providers that their subscribers don’t want your email, and can lead to a bad sender reputation, blocked or filtered emails, and ultimately lower email deliverability. Regularly weeding out inactive or outdated subscribers and cleaning up invalid addresses will help keep your email deliverability high.
It’s also important to make sure that your email content and subject line is as relevant or useful as possible to your subscribers. If it isn’t, they’ll be less likely to open your emails and may eventually stop opening them altogether.
Lastly, the timing of your email can play a huge role in your open rates. According to email marketing experts like Peep Laja, sending your emails on Mondays or Tuesdays after work tends to result in the highest opens, because they are fresh in people’s minds and are less likely to be drowned out by other messages competing for their attention.
In addition, making sure that your email is compatible with all device types will help improve your open rates. If the majority of your audience checks their email on mobile devices, it is crucial to ensure that your emails look and load well on these platforms. It will not only help increase your overall open rates, but it will also improve the likelihood of new subscribers converting on your offers and generating more revenue for your business.
4. Your Email Isn’t Getting Any Sales
Email is a powerful conversion tool. In fact, it returns an average of $38 for each $1 spent, according to eConsultancy. But if your emails aren’t being opened or are going straight to spam folders, you could be missing out on some major sales.
Here are a few reasons why your email isn’t getting any responses:
1. Your Email Has No Call To Action
An important part of an effective email is a clear call to action that encourages your subscribers to take the next step and convert. Make sure your email has a clear CTA that is easy for your audience to understand, and avoid making it too wordy or confusing. A strong call to action will help your subscribers understand what you want them to do next, and it can also be a great way to increase click-through rates and sales.
2. Your Email Is Trying Too Hard To Sell
A common mistake that email marketers make is trying too hard to convert their clients through email. This can come across as insincere and pushy, which is not the best way to approach your audience. Your emails should be informative and educational, and you should focus on building trust with your readers.
3. Your Email Is Not Personalized
Personalizing your email campaigns is a surefire way to boost your open rates. Including a reader’s name in the subject line or a short preheader text will help your email stand out in their inbox and grab their attention.
4. Your Email Is Not On A Reliable Email Service Provider
It’s crucial that you choose a reliable and reputable email service provider. Email providers like Gmail and Yahoo use your email open rates to determine if your email is spam or not, so if your emails are consistently landing in spam folders it might be time to switch providers.
It’s also a good idea to clean out your email list on a regular basis. Removing subscribers who have consistently bounced or haven’t engaged with your brand for a long period of time will improve your open rates and protect your email reputation.
