How to Get Customers to Open Your Emails

How to get Customers to Open Your Emails

There was a great article on entrepreneur.com called “4 Ways to Get Customers to Open Your Emails” by DJ Waldow that I want to share with you. The article outlines some simple tips that email marketers can utilize to up the open rate on their emails. Here are four primary ways to keep customers opening your emails on a regular basis:

1. Solve a problem.  For example, Quibb is a professional news site that allows readers to share what they’re reading for work. They help their subscribers catch up on what’s relevant in their industry by breaking down news for them. If reading your email can help your subscribers solve a problem, they will open it. Quibb’s daily digest emails have an open rate ranging from 50-70%. This is significantly higher than the North American average marketing email open rate of 25.6%, according to the Direct Marketing Association.
2. Save them money. Offer a deal, coupon, or contest as an incentive to open your emails.
3. Make them smarter. There are certain subscribers who will always want to learn. Don’t focus your emails only on selling; make sure you are informing your audience. Include quotes and statistics if possible to get your readers excited.
4. Entertain them. Try and include an entertainment component to your emails, as this can help increase both readership and sales.

Now go have a look at some of your recent email marketing messages. If you can’t identify which reason is getting subscribers to read your emails, it’s time to change your methodology. Email marketing isn’t all about your product or brand, it’s about the added value you’re giving to the customer. That’s how you get customers to open your emails.

Jaclyn Bickerton, Social Media, Raven5 Ltd, Oakville and Toronto, Ontario, April 2013