Precise Timing
eMarketer, the definitive expert on all things email, says that the number of people using email in the U.S. alone will be 236.8 million by 2017. Worldwide, the numbers are expected to reach 2.76 billion. The key is to take advantage of the huge increase in volume without getting lost in the waterfall of daily correspondence. That’s where timing comes in. Harland Clarke reports that most emails, whether accessed by desktop or phone, are opened during normal business hours.
Short Is Smart
Make sure to try to keep your subject lines as short as possible without losing any impact. In fact, messages with 10 characters or less were opened 58% of the time says a recent Adestra Report. Now that you’ve got them to open your email, get right to the point. In most cases, you’ve only got the subject line and the first 1-3 lines at most in your message to grab the recipient’s interest. Graphics, even video, will make your emails stand out especially as daily numbers increase.
Personal Touch
The Buntin Group/Survey Systems Sampling International says people spend more time on email than texting or Facebook. Before you send out the next eblast, however, it’s time to personalize. Behavioral data and other information gathering will cost you but the technology is vital to tailor emails to the needs, wants and interests of both existing customers and prospects. Then don’t forget to measure your CTR (Click-Thru Rate) to analyze the success or lack thereof of your campaigns.
Info Sharing
Placing links in an email is a great way to get more information to those who are interested. But where to place those links so they’ll actually be clicked can be trickier than you think. Divide your mailing list to see which link placement got the most hits or use consecutive posts to test various placements. Whatever you do, add a social sharing button at the bottom of each message so if your recipient likes your content they can easily share it with friends.
