If you’re dabbling in email marketing you must have an aim.
What is it?
If you just said, “to get my emails opened”, you’re only partly right.
Getting your emails opened is part of it, but it’s way more important to get the reader to act on it. After all, getting your email opened alone won’t generate you any income.
That means the copy within your email has to wow the reader and convince them to do what you’re asking them to do.
Sound simple?
Of course it’s not. If it were you wouldn’t be reading this.
How do you go about creating an email that will make your reader act?
For starters you can’t actually (remotely) make someone do something. Again, if you could you wouldn’t be reading this, but you can write something that will persuade them to consider it (if your offer is strong enough it will give them that final push).
Below are 5 reasons why someone won’t act on your email.
1. Promises, promises
Subject lines are really difficult to write.
Finding the right words to grab your reader’s attention and to get them to open your email can, at times, feel impossible. Unfortunately, this leads some marketers down the “making promises your email can’t keep” path.
There’s no point in promising the reader the earth if your content under delivers. If you do, you’ll lose their trust and they’ll unsubscribe.
The best advice I can give is to always make sure your subject line describes what’s in your email.
2. Sunglasses required
How many times have you been seduced into opening an email only to have your retinas burned out because of the garish colours and gaudy graphics it contains?
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be using graphics (although a lot of successful marketers have shunned HTML for good old fashioned plain emails), but if you do make sure they support the copy and don’t overpower it.
3. Choices, choices
How many options are you giving your readers in your emails?
If you bombard them with choices they are more likely to delete your email than take the time to work out where they should go.
Ideally, have no more than 3 choices. If you need more than that why not consider sending several emails and segmenting your list so each person gets the most appropriate email?
4. Intrigue
The whole purpose of your email is to arouse your reader’s curiosity and to get them to take an action.
If you tell all in your email there’s no need for them to make that click.
Keep them in suspense!
5. Time
The timing of your email will have a huge impact on your open rate.
The bad news is there is no set time of day or day of the week that will guarantee you a high open rate. The only way you can work it out is by testing. Every audience is going to be different, so test, test and then test some more.
When planning your next campaign think carefully your email’s subject line, content and design. Make sure they all work together along with the offer you are making. Email marketing remains one of the most effective forms of online marketing, so make sure you give your campaign the best possible chance of success.