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10 Tips To Massively Increase Email Open Rate

3 mins read

Email marketing is a key part of any inbound marketing strategy. An engaging email is capable of nurturing your ideal customer and moving them further along the buyer's journey. However, if barely anyone is opening your emails then all your hard work won't be achieving its best potential. So, here's some actionable tips you can use to increase your email open rate.

 

working on a tablet 

 

1. Create an interesting subject line 

I know this is an obvious one but many people forget it. When I check my inbox in the morning, the marketing emails I open tend to depend on what the subject line is. And that's the same with other people too. 33% of recipients opened emails depending on the subject line.

Understanding your ideal buyer persona will help you craft an enticing subject line that engages!

You can use our free buyer persona template to create a detailed profile of your ideal customer.

 

 

2. Make your emails personal

Personalised emails are more engaging. FACT. 

Having personalisation tokens on your emails are great because they grab your contacts' names. So instead of saying "Hi", your email will say "Hi Jane."

On HubSpot, personalisation tokens are easy to add.

 

edited_email.pngThis is a HubSpot email personalisation token

 

digital 22 email personalisation token

This is what a personalised email looks like!

 

The body of your email has to be personal too. You have to show that you understand the pain points and ambitions of your contacts. It makes your emails more engaging and your contacts will feel like you actually understand them. 

 

3. Segment your contact lists

In order to make your emails as personal as possible, you should segment your contact lists. 

Segmenting your contacts means you can send emails that will directly engage with their interests. In HubSpot you can segment your contacts depending on different properties. 

You can segment your properties on:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Job Title
  • Industry
  • Location
  • Interests
  • And many more.

Along with personal properties, you can also segment them on how they engage with your company. For example, you can create a list of contacts who regularly open your emails. 

One of the best ways to increase email open rate is by segmenting your list. You can send emails your contacts are actually interested in without sending them to your other contacts who can get irritated by emails that aren't relevant to them. 

 

4. Find the right tone of voice

Once you understand your ideal customers, you'll be able to write emails using a tone of voice they find relatable.

If you're a law company, your contacts will expect you to have a professional tone of voice. But if you're a quirky media company, your contacts will appreciate humour. 

When you've decided the tone of voice for your emails, it's important it matches your brand and all your emails follow the same tone, otherwise it can confuse your contacts. 

 

5. Send from a person

Sending from a person rather than a company is a lot more personal. Don't you agree?

Emails from a company come across a lot more salesy compared to receiving an email from laura@madeupcompany.com

 

6. Don't be too salesy

I understand you want results. I understand you want your emails to bring in sales but you have to be patient when it comes to email marketing. 

For an inbound marketing strategy to be successful, your emails have to nurture your contacts into long-term customers and promotors of your brand. 

Avoid having too much salesy language in your emails and especially in your subject lines. Some spam filters will pick up on your salesy subject lines like "free gift" and "how to make more money", etc and stop your contact from receiving your email. 

 

7. Find the best email format

The appearance of your emails can greatly increase email open rate or negatively affect it. 

Digital 22 email

One of our emails.

 

By A/B testing your emails, you can discover which format your contacts prefer and engage with better. If some formats take longer to load or look awkward on mobile, some contacts will naturally avoid your emails. 

 

8. Mobile-friendly emails

girl on mobile

 

As mobile is the most common way of using the internet, your emails have to be mobile-friendly. Nobody has the patience to revisit your email on a desktop later. 

Send a test email to yourself and see what it looks like on a mobile. Make edits or create a mobile-friendly template to avoid causing display issues.

 

9. Find the best time to send

If you've created a detailed buyer persona profile, you'll know the buying habits of your ideal customers and what time of day they will likely be on their emails. 

Finding the best time increases the chance of your contact opening their email rather than ignoring it because they have more important things to do. 

 

10. Every email should meet a high standard

All the emails you send out should meet a high standard. This relates to content (is it interesting? How's the spelling and grammar?) and format (what does the email look like? Does it load correctly?).

One bad email can significantly reduce trust in your company and dissuade some people from opening your future emails. 

Before you send out emails to your database, make sure they are proofread by a reliable member of your team and send a test email to yourself. 

 

Want other marketing tips to massively benefit your strategy? Check out our free guide which has 30+ tips!

Many marketers follow the same strategies, that means it's very likely your competitors are using the same methods as you. To help you outsmart the competition, our team at Digital 22 have shared insider tips on how to benefit your inbound plan which will increase traffic, increase leads and increase customers. Download your copy: