How many emails do you get in a day? More
importantly, how many of those emails do you delete or read?
That is the same issue facing your
customers when you send out an email blast. You want to entice them to open up
that email and get at the contents. It all comes down to your subject lines.
Are you doing what you can to get the most open rates?
Try these steps to
improve your subject line:
Step
One: Use Your Company Name
This should appear in the "From"
portion of the email. This approach can work both ways. If your company is new
then the recipient might click on to see what this is all about. If you've already
built up a relationship then you want your customer to know what you're sending
has value. Remember you're in fierce competition when it comes to breaking
through the average email inbox.
Step
Two: Use Capitals
By now anyone who is familiar with online
etiquette knows that when you type in capitols you are essentially using
"exclamation." This doesn't mean you have to "scream" your
entire subject line but break it up with capitals. For instance:
YOUR COMPANY NAME: Special offer for an
amazing product
Step
Three: Use a Follow Up
Often it will be helpful to follow-up an
email with another email within the same week. The body can be the same but the
subject line can change to reflect something current. Make it fresh and
applicable to your customer's needs. Tell them upfront what you're offering in
as few words as possible.
Step
Four: Use an Invite
"Time is running out." Nobody
likes to read that especially if it means we'll be missing out on a good deal.
Your subject line can incorporate an invitation that makes it seem like a
special arrangement just for that viewer. In many ways this can be an indirect
call to action as you are setting a time limit on a response. That's a very
clever and proactive way to increase sales.
Step
Five: Use Spell Check
The worst thing you can do is send out a
sloppy subject line. Make sure you've checked and double-checked for proper
spelling and grammar. Let someone else check it before you sent it out. Once
you hit that send button it's gone and can't be taken back.
You might find that a particular subject
line works wonders for your conversion rates. That's great and you can
certainly use a variation on that theme but always try to keep your messages
fresh. If there is a way you can capitalize on what is trending on Google or
Twitter all the better because you know that's what everyone is talking about
for that day.
