In a Crowded Inbox -- How to Get Your Email Opened

Your email avoided the dreaded spam folder, and it is now sitting, waiting in your recipient’s inbox. You are halfway to your goal — an open click. Or are you? Just because your email is in the inbox does not guarantee that they will read it. It is vying for your recipient’s attention over the other emails that are doing the same thing. Or worse, in peril of being sent to the trash bin if the subject line doesn’t pique their interest. A recent report states that, “47% of email recipients open email based on the subject line.” (Invesp)

The Subject Line

The key to getting your email opened and read rests on the shoulders of just 41-characters or fewer (no pressure). The subject line is the key that will open the door and let your message in to be read. Without a strong, attention grabbing message in the subject line, the rest of your email does not stand a chance. If you have done your research and know a little about your prospect, you can craft an email to meet their needs and entice them to continue reading what you have to say and offer them.

Email is a communications channel that is used to either start or continue a conversation. It is how businesses communicate with their clients and prospects. How they nurture their leads, guiding them through the process and converting them into clients. But how can you keep the conversation flowing if they won’t open your email? What can you do to get that coveted open click?

The Highly Sought After Open Click

To get them to open and read your email will take some effort on your part. For openers, you need to know your market and who you are targeting. Each time you email someone, one of two things is taking place — you are continuing a conversation or you are starting one. But the conversation will go nowhere if it does not compel them to open and read your message.

How can you get your email opened?

1. Make sure you are contacting the right person. And that they have given consent to receive emails from you.

2. Write an attention grabbing subject line that addresses a need, makes a promise, states a fact, or is personalized.

3. Follow through on the message. The first few words or sentences in the body of your email need to further entice the reader and collaborate, expand, on what the subject line stated.

4. Tailor your email communications with the prospect’s needs in mind. You need to address the “what’s in it for me” question your prospect will have. Be prospect focus.

The Body of the Email

Once the email is opened, the body of the email needs to build upon the subject line guiding the reader through the email and leading them to what they need to do next. The information in the email’s body should be how the reader would benefit from the product or service and what action you want the recipient to take. Do you want the reader to download a white paper on your latest product, sign-up to be part of your mailing list, are you introducing a new service, or you are asking for a meeting. Whatever the topic, your message needs to be straightforward and lead them to the action that you would like for them to take with a clear call-to-action. The best emails are the ones that state a problem and offer a solution; or provide something of value, a product or service, to the prospect.

Remember email is a personalized medium, keep it conversational. Write the message in a business-friendly tone. Stay away from corporate jargon instead, adopt a business-conversation tone — clear, professional — you are speaking with a colleague.

“Email marketing is all about continuing to build relationships and provide information and insights to people.” (HubSpot)

If you would like to work with a professional copywriter, one whose background is in sales and marketing, contact me at info@miamiwritingservices.com for a complimentary consultation. I will work with you to help you reach your goals.

Are Your Emails Reaching the Right Person

A recent statistic states that, “72% of consumers in 2019 only engage with marketing messages that are customized to their specific interests.” (SmarterHQ). Emails are communication vehicles that are used to share information with one another. They allow you, your brand, to build relationships with your customers.

Keeping that in mind, you need to craft the emails in a way that builds trust, provide value, and guide your prospects and clients through the different stages of the buying process and open the door for conversations. You need to remember that at the receiving end of your well-crafted email is a person who will open and read your message.

Before you hit the Send key, consider who you are sending it to. Are they expecting to receive information from you? Is the message of value to them? Is your message clear to the recipient? Is it well written and error-free? Each time you connect with your customers, strive to communicate something of value to them.

“Email marketing is all about continuing to build relationships and provide information and insight to people.” (HubSpot) The three key components to building email relationships are:

1. Set Expectations Your recipient has signed up to receive regular communications from you to learn about your product or service. Reach out to them to thank them and let them know how often you will send emails to them. They established the lines of communication; now it is up to you to continue the conversation.

2. Create an email layout This is more than how the email will look; but how it is structured. What will the Subject Line say, how the Preview Text introduces the body of the email and lures the reader in; the content then reinforces and builds up the interest. Be clear with what you would like the reader to do. Your copy should inform and guide the reader, leading them to what they need to do next — Call to Action. To have a high performing email, it should follow the AIDA model — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

3. Personalize the email This goes beyond addressing them by name. By personalizing the email, you are sending the information that they need and want. By segmenting your data list, you know who your customers and prospects are and can send them the information that is relevant and of value to each. You would not send to an existing client a trial offer to your product or service, would you?

“Reaching the inbox isn’t your goal, engaging people is.”—Matt Blumberg. Every time you sit down to write an email, start by outlining your goals. By selecting the right goal, you will optimize each section of your email to drive conversions. A recent survey states, “87% of marketers use email campaigns to nurture their audience.” (Business2Community)

By regularly staying in touch with your clients and prospects, you begin to:

1. Interact and develop connections

2. Stay top-of-mind by providing relevant information

3. Provide value

I’ll leave you with this final statistic and you decide if adding email marketing to your marketing tool box could add more to your bottom line, “59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.” (SaleCycle)

If you would like to work with a professional copywriter, one whose background is in sales and marketing, contact me at info@miamiwritingservices.com for a complimentary consultation.

How Important is Email Marketing to You?

Did you know that, “80% of business professionals believe email marketing increases customer retention.” (Emarsys) So, my question to you is — “How are you connecting with your customers?” If you are not using the power of email marketing to interact with your customers and convert leads into buyers, you are not using your full earning potential.

It’s a well-known fact that people will do business with people they know, like, and trust. If your customers or visitors take the time to visit your webpage or sign-up to hear from you and then they don’t, you are missing an opportunity to lay the foundation for a professional relationship and to convert those leads into customers.

Build Trust

You need to reach out and connect with your customers — regularly. Keep them engaged by sharing relevant and meaningful information with them to build their trust. Just like you would begin a relationship with someone you meet face-to-face, the same principles apply — you need to built trust and respect; and offer relevant and meaningful information.

Provide Value

Each time you connect with your customers, strive to communicate something of value to them. Offer a tip that they can use to simplify their workflow or increase their sales. Use this vehicle (email) to establish a rapport with your prospects, customers, to provide them with useful information that will enhance their business. This is one way you set yourself apart from the others and earn your prospects’ trust. It will also establish you and your business as the authority in your field.

High ROI Channel

“More than 59% of marketers say that email marketing is their biggest source of ROI.” (HubSpot) These marketers have harnessed the power of digital communication and have strategized effective email campaigns to convert leads into sales. “For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42.” (DMA)

Today email marketing is very much alive, relevant, and an effective marketing tool — a vehicle that continues to grow. “In 2019 alone, 293.6 billion emails were sent and received each day. […] this figure is expected to increase to over 347.3 billion daily emails in 2022.” (Statista) The potential to reach your target market, communicate with them and increase your profit margins are endless with a strong, well-executed email marketing campaign. Business owners who know the importance of a well-crafted email and the potential it has to add to the bottom-line place email marketing at the core of their company’s marketing strategy. How about you?

If you would like to work with a professional copywriter, one whose background is in sales and marketing, contact me at info@miamiwritingservices.com for a complimentary consultation.

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