Increase Your Email Marketing Campaign’s Open Rate

So you’ve gone through the time and trouble and perhaps money to build a list of potential customers, started an email campaign only to discover that most of your mails have not been opened. This is a problem common to a lot of Internet marketers and it can be very frustrating. Hold tight though. Here are seven tips to increase your email marketing campaign’s open rate that will help give your campaign the shot in the arm it needs and at the same time make your efforts in gathering the list pay off.

Make your email seem personal
Start your relationship off on the right foot and address the recipient by his or her first name. Your emails will be far more engaging and thus more likely to be opened, if the reader believes that you value the relationship with him/her that you are trying to build. This level of familiarity also builds a good impression on your company by letting your customers know you recognize their worth.

Format your emails for mobile devices
According to some studies, 74% of Smartphone owners use their phones to check their email. By making sure that your email displays well on mobile devices, you can make sure that you will be able to increase open rates.

Don’t overwhelm addressees with too many emails
No one likes a pest. Readers can quickly tire of and even become hostile to your brand when they are sent too many emails too soon. You should carefully select when and how often to send emails to potential customers/subscribers to increase the chances your mails we be opened. One solution is to use email marketing services. With email marketing you can schedule when and how often your mails go out.

Make Your Email Spam-proof
Most email programs have spam filters that are on the lookout for certain words and phrases that indicate a mail may be spam. Words and symbols to avoid in your emails whenever possible are $$$, free, ad, cheap, earn $, business, income, credit, fast cash, assets, make $, opportunity, order now, refinance and mortgage to name only a few.

Use Double-Opt-in
Readers who confirm twice that they wish to receive information from you are much more likely to perform the action you desire. Your double opt-in list may be small than your single opt-in list but it will far more profitable and your mails will be far more likely to be opened.

Use creative subject lines.
Start your subject line with a question or with a bold or controversial statement. Many marketers fail to craft their mails’ headlines to grab the reader’s attention. Remember: Your recipient gets tons of email daily. Yours has to stand out.

Weed out inactive accounts.
You can sell to someone if they are not at home. Go over your list and clean up inactive subscribers. You can do this by sending an email reconfirming that person wishes to stay on your list. You can also put readers who have not responded in a particular time on a separate list.

There you have it. These are just a few ways to increase your open rates, increase participation in your programs and to boost sales. It takes persistence and seeing things from the consumer’s point of view. Consumers are bombarded by mail every day and yours must stand out or it will go right into the trash bin or not be read at all. Unopened mails mean no sales. Be sure you tackle the problem of unopened email head on and increase the chances that your campaigns will succeed.