4 Tips to Improve your Email Open Rates

Sending marketing or transactional emails is all in a day’s work for marketers today. However, how do you actually ensure that the mail you spent so much time and effort on is actually making an impact? Are your customers actually opening the mail? Or, are your mails being deleted or trashed without even a thought?

In an age when emails are the most effective marketing tools, ensuring your mails get opened is key to the success of your campaign. So, how can you actually improve the chances of your mails getting opened?

1. Subject Line

A good subject line is half the battle won. The subject line of your mail needs to be attractive enough for the recipient to open it. Use a catchphrase that is direct yet subtle and the mail is sure to attract attention. Amazon is good at doing this. Their subject lines are direct and targeted – Half Price Sale / Most read books on Kindle this week / Redmi 4A Sale Today 12 noon. The subject says it all. All the reader has to do is open the mail and click on the link.

2. The Colours

As all good marketers know, a colour can make or break a brand. The importance of the right colour in emails can’t be overemphasized! Especially since your mail is a direct one-on-one conversation between you and your customer.

At a subliminal level, colours are associated with feelings, so choose the colour based on the reaction you want. Having a Halloween event? Make it dark blue and black. Want to talk about the ‘trust factor’ of your brand? Choose a bright blue. Want the recipient to get excited about what you are offering or act on it? Choose shades of red. The colour you pick can determine the fate of your mail.

3. The Design and the Copy

A design that is simple and yet engaging, and a message copy that clearly conveys what it means – these are the two most effective ways to ensure your customers open each of your mails. They need to know that opening your mails is not going to be a waste of their time, and they are going to get some actionable information or insight. Hence, think through all design elements on your mail. Do you need all those images? Is your mail clear enough, without revealing everything? Is your CTA direct and attractive enough? Is your content quality consistent and interesting? Remember that if you falter on even one mail, that might put the recipient off.

4. The Credibility

People are more inclined to open an email if it comes from a reliable source. So, if you have a good online reputation, the chances of your mails being opened go up. So, ensure that you are visible and credible on the internet. If you are present on social media, stay current and relevant. If you are not present on social media, ensure client testimonials or feedback on your website, or at least your product and service reviews.

Each of these four parameters in isolation is important but together, they form the four key pillars of any marketing email. And of course, recipients will only open your mails if they see any value there. Otherwise, the best subject, copy, colour or design will not be enough for your readers to stay engaged!