When a significant number of emails sent go unopened in the recipients' inboxes, it can be quite daunting. Here we have discussed the 10 Effective Tipd to increase Email open rate.
Want to know how to increase the email open rates? Email marketing remains one of the most effective digital channels due to its affordability and proven marketing tactics. The average person receives dozens of marketing emails daily. Standing out in your users’ inboxes and grabbing their attention is the most challenging task that every email marketer faces today. The struggle is very real.
When a significant number of emails sent go unopened in the recipients' inboxes, it can be quite daunting. This problem could be triggered by different factors within an email marketing campaign, which can ultimately reduce the campaign's overall effectiveness.
You’ll need some strategies to increase your email open rates. In this article, we will present a comprehensive list of tips to increase the email open rate for your email marketing campaign.
Table of contents
- What is an email open rate?
- Why do email open rates matter?
- What is a good email open rate?
- How to increase email open rates?
What is an email open rate?
The email open rate is a metric used to measure the performance of an email campaign. It represents the percentage of recipients who opened the email versus those who didn’t.
To calculate the open rate, you need to divide the number of email opens by the number of emails delivered, then multiply that result by 100.
Here is the formula for calculating email open rates,
Open rate = [Number of emails opened / (Number of emails sent - Bounces)] x 100
Why do email open rates matter?
Whether you’re promoting a sale or sharing an important update, your email needs to grab your subscriber’s attention. If it doesn’t attract your subscribers at a glance, they won’t open your email. If your email audience isn't opening your messages, then they're missing out on your marketing efforts. This means that they're not engaging with your content, taking the desired action, or becoming customers. Despite all the time and effort you've put into creating beautiful email templates and crafting compelling copy, it all goes to waste if no one is reading it.
To measure the effectiveness of your email marketing, you need to track your email open rate. This metric tells you how many of your subscribers or customers are actually opening and viewing your emails. By analyzing your open rate, you can determine the effectiveness of your subject lines, the optimal time to send emails, and whether your email marketing strategies need changes or not.
What is a good email open rate?
According to recent studies, a good email open rate would be around 15-21%. However, the average email open rate varies, and it depends on some factors such as geographical location, industry, type of email campaign, and business type.
How to increase Email Open rates?
- Keep your email list fresh
- Segment your email list
- Avoid spam filters
- Sharpen your subject lines
- Personalize your emails
- Send your emails at the right time
- Provide valuable content
- Keep your email copy concise
- Use triggered emails
- Optimize for mobile
Keep your email list fresh
Keeping your email list clean and fresh should be your first step. Over time, the behaviour of your subscribers is likely to shift. They may switch to a new email address, lose interest in your emails, or expand new interests and preferences.
That's why it's a good practice to remove inactive subscribers periodically to keep your list fresh and full of engaged subscribers. An inactive subscriber is someone who hasn't engaged with any email in the past six months or more.
Having a large number of inactive subscribers can give you a false measurement of your actual audience. Removing these inactive subscribers can help you achieve an accurate representation of your true audience and improve your open rate metric.
Segment your email list
To ensure that your subscribers open your emails, the content must be relevant to their interests. One effective way to increase the relevancy of your email campaigns is segmenting the list, which can help you deliver more personalized and targeted content to your subscribers.
Some of the ways to segment your email subscribers are,
- Demographic - Age, gender, occupation, Income level
- Geography – Country, Time zone, Climate
- Psychographic - Lifestyle, Values, Interests
- Behavioral – Purchase history, Purchase value, Types of products that they viewed, Buying patterns
- Email engagement – Open rate, Click-through rate
- Lifecycle stage - New leads, First-time buyers, Existing customers, Loyal customers
- Sales funnel position – Awareness, Interest, Decision, Action
Avoid spam filters
Nowadays, email providers are more strict with their spam filters, and if your emails are flagged as spam, it will definitely impact your open rate. Once an email is marked as spam, it is likely to be directed to the recipient's spam folder, which has zero chance of being opened.
Follow the best practices below to avoid spam filters,
- Avoid using spam words like "cheap," "jackpot," “you’ve been selected,” and "free" in your email subject line and preheader as much as possible.
- Use lower-case letters in your subject line and avoid using all caps letters, which will cause the reason for your email to be tagged as spam.
- Use a clear and recognizable sender name
- Only send emails to those who have opted in to receive them.
- Make it easy for users to unsubscribe.
Sharpen your subject lines
Email subject lines play an important role in increasing email open rates because they can make your email stand out from the crowded inbox. Your subject line should create the best first impression, and it should compel your subscribers to open your email.
Here are a few tips to create compelling subject lines,
- Make your subject lines personal by using their names
- Be specific and clear. Give them a strong reason to open your emails
- Keep your subject lines short and snappy – 30-50 characters are optimal for it
- Use a fun and conversational tone to grab your subscriber’s attention
- Add numbers in your subject line that will give a clear picture to the reader of what is inside for them.
- Use emojis which is relevant to your message, but don’t overdo it.
- Use a sense of urgency in your subject lines. This could be something like “Limited time offer”, or “Last chance to sign up for free webinar”.
- Use power words like “Amazing” or “Best” to evoke emotional response.
Personalize your emails
Implementing email personalization strategies can have a significant impact on your open rates. Personalization can also help you to create a stronger connection with your subscribers. By adding your personality to your content, you can make it more interesting and help to stand out from others. The success of your email marketing largely depends on the level of engagement your content can generate.
Personalizing customer communication is not only about using their first names and adapting the language to suit the reader. It also requires an understanding of your buyer persona, including their problems, desires, values, likes, dislikes, and understanding which stage they are in their customer journey.
Send your emails at the right time
Finding and sending the right time to send your emails can significantly impact your open rates and overall engagement. To achieve this, it's important to consider the time zones of your subscribers and their daily habits. There is no universal day and time to send emails because each brand has a unique audience with specific needs and behaviors. So you have to identify which is the best day and time to send your emails according to your industry and subscribers.
For example, if your subscribers are working professionals, it is recommended to send emails during weekdays, preferably in the morning or early afternoon.
Divide your email list into two or three equal groups and send the same email copy on different days and at different times of the day. After a few test runs, you can track which version generates the most engagement and use metrics to identify the most effective times for your specific audience. This may require some additional effort, but by sending emails at the right time, you can increase your email open rates and achieve optimal results from your email campaigns.
Provide Valuable Content
To keep your subscribers interested and engaged, it’s important to offer high-quality, informative, valuable, and relevant content. This could include helpful information, entertainment, special promotions, or exclusive discounts.
Identify your audience’s pain points and try to address them with useful tips and solutions. Using optimized, catchy, and relevant images in your emails can help users understand the content more easily. Including images and videos also boosts engagement and makes your emails more effective.
To create a more personal connection, add a friendly tone to your emails. One simple way to do this is by using a human sender name instead of a generic or company name. This makes your emails feel more approachable and trustworthy to subscribers.
Additionally, you can ask your subscribers for feedback to better understand their interests and try to create your content accordingly. This approach can lead to increased engagement, higher open and click-through rates, and ultimately, more conversions.
Keep Your Email Copy Concise
Keeping your email copy concise is crucial for increasing open rates. When crafting your message, remember that no one enjoys long, dull emails. Your target audience receives many emails each day, so it’s important to communicate your message clearly and efficiently.
Get straight to the point, use short paragraphs, bullet points, and make sure your content is easy to read.
A personalized greeting can capture the reader's attention and encourage them to continue reading. Don’t use complex language or industry jargon in your email copies that may confuse your readers. Don’t use unnecessary graphics that may distract your readers from your main message.
Finally, wrap up your email with a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) that encourages the reader to take the next step. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up, or clicking a link, a strong CTA helps guide your audience toward action.
Use triggered emails
Triggered emails are automated, personalized responses to your subscribers based on subscribers’ actions or behaviour.
Examples of triggered emails,
Welcome Emails – These emails are sent to new subscribers when they sign up for your email list. A welcome email is a great opportunity to introduce your business and make a strong first impression on your subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Emails – These emails are sent to subscribers who have left items in their cart without completing the purchase. Abandoned cart emails are an effective way to re-engage potential customers and encourage them to complete their purchase.
Reminder Emails – These emails are sent to subscribers on special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries, often including a special offer or discount. Birthday emails make your subscribers feel valued and help build a stronger connection with them.
Post-Purchase Emails – These emails are sent to customers after they complete a purchase. These types of emails help improve customer retention by keeping your brand engaged with the customer even after the sale.
Transactional Emails – These emails are meant to confirm actions such as purchases, orders, shipments, payments, bookings, returns, and refunds. Their main purpose is to reassure the customer that their payment has been received and that the product is on its way.
Optimize for Mobile
According to a recent study, 75% of Gmail users access their email accounts on mobile devices. Failing to optimize emails for mobile devices may result in incorrect display of content, causing confusion for the reader and decreasing their engagement with it. This, in turn, leads to low open, conversion, and click-through rates, and ignoring your mobile users is simply not an option. It is really important to optimize your emails for mobile.
Here are a few ways to optimize emails for mobile devices,
Make sure your emails are easy to view on any device, whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet. Responsiveness is key. Keep the formatting simple and use larger fonts for better readability. Avoid long subject lines, or at least place the most important information within the first few words.
Also, keep in mind that large image files can take longer to load, which may test your audience’s patience, so it’s better to use smaller images. Use call-to-action buttons that are finger-friendly, and avoid placing links too close together.
Conclusion
Achieving higher open rates in email marketing can be challenging, but it’s definitely possible by following the best practices and tactics mentioned above. Keep in mind that email marketing is a long-term effort that requires patience. Trying out different strategies can lead to better results over time.
Also, remember that every business is unique and valuable. That’s why it’s important to develop your own tactics to find what works best for your goals. I hope the detailed information we’ve shared about email open rates proves helpful to you.
