How can you break through the in-box clutter? (Photo by xJasonRogersx)
Everyone’s email in-box is crowded with messages from clients, prospects, colleagues, friends, marketers, newsletters, and the list goes on. With all of this in-box clutter it’s no wonder that it is becoming more difficult to get your emails opened and read.
So what can you do break through all the noise and stand out in the in-box? Here are five secrets to make sure your email is read:
1. Write a Killer Subject Line
To compete against the hundreds of other emails your clients and prospects get in a day, you have three seconds and 35 characters to grab their attention with your subject line. In my experience, a subject line can cause 5-50% more of your email subscribers to either gloss over your message and click the “delete” button or be hooked and open the message right then and there. Here are three subject line concepts to consider testing:
- Keep it short and punchy: Look at the first two or three words. Are they compelling? If not, move the attention-grabbing words to the front and cut as much of the rest as you can. For example: 9 Tips to Get Prospects to Call You Back
- Include your company or newsletter name: A plain Jane subject line that calls attention to your brand name can be extremely effective and in some cases even outperform a sexier subject line. For example: RainToday’s August Enewsletter
- Highlight several topics from the content of the newsletter: If your newsletter covers a broad range of topics, try highlighting a few of those topics in the subject line. The idea here is that you increase your odds of one of the topics catching the readers’ interest. For example: Tips for Filing Your Taxes, 6 Questions to ask Your Accountant, and much more
The key is to test a few different concepts to find what works best for you.
2. What’s in It for Me?
Do you send emails to clients and prospects only when you have a new service to announce, or a new consulting methodology, or a new vice president, or when other changes occur within your organization? If you do, my emphatic advice is: don’t do it. Instead, follow the what’s-in-it-for-me (WIIFM) rule and email prospects only when you have something interesting and relevant to them. (Save those other announcements for your internal email list.)
For example, your clients and prospects don’t really care that you have a new consulting methodology around increasing operational efficiency—unless they directly benefit from it. Instead of simply “announcing” this new methodology, create a white paper on the Seven Best Practices to Increase Operational Efficiency. Then send an email to your prospects with an offer to download this new white paper.
Not only does that approach increase your intellectual capital and thought leadership, it also gives the prospect a value-based offer they can respond to. Many more prospects will fill out a form to receive a white paper than will reply to an email with a press release about your new service.
3. Limit Yourself to One Message
If you are going to run an email campaign, why not include multiple offers in one email—a something-for-everyone approach? We see it all the time, but multiple messages can create confusion for your prospects. Focus your emails on one strong message rather than five weak messages. (Even if you have five strong messages and offers, they will dilute each other if they’re presented together.)
Remember, you have only a matter of seconds to grab your prospect’s attention. Use this time to get a strong message and offer across. A single offer stands out, is easy to digest, is easy to remember, and will generate the higher response you are looking for.
4. Simplify the HTML Code
Writing code for any newsletter and email is becoming particularly tricky these days. Not only do you have to deal with those folks who don’t “download images,” creating a pox of red Xs where any image of your email would normally appear, but you also have to deal with the many different types of email clients and various configurations that each cause your email to render differently. Lotus notes, Outlook ‘07 and ‘03, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo; Mac, PC; Windows, Windows XP; Firefox, Internet Explorer, and the rest, all make your emails appear differently on readers’ screens.
First, accept as a fact of life that it is impossible to design for every email platform out there. And then simplify your design and HTML code to give yourself the best shot of it being readable on the recipient’s screen.
And always include a link to view the email online. If all else fails and the user cannot get the email to render properly, they can still get to a viewable version of your message.
5. Design to Get the Click
Use the design and layout of your email to guide the prospect to where you want them to go (clicking a link).
It is a best practice to keep images to a minimum (unless, again, you want your prospects viewing a pox of red X’s). Only use images that will enhance your message, such as buttons, headshots, or thumbnail images—these images will help draw the eye. And be sure to hyperlink these images to your landing page.
Finally, test the placement of links. Try including links throughout the email, try putting the link near the top (viewable from the preview pane). Try only including the link at the end. Track not only the number of click-throughs, but the response rate when you put the links in different places.
Like anything you need to test to find what works for you. But by starting with these five secrets you’ll be well on your way to breaking through the clutter and engaging with your readers.
