{"id":1088,"date":"2022-04-01T21:31:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T21:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heathertankersley.com\/emaildelivered\/?p=1088"},"modified":"2022-04-01T21:31:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T21:31:38","slug":"getting-your-emails-opened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heathertankersley.com\/emaildelivered\/2022\/04\/01\/getting-your-emails-opened\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Your Emails Opened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the primary email marketing metrics that business owners need to track is the open rate (getting your emails opened).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting your emails opened is the first indication as to whether or not prospects are engaged in your email marketing campaigns. It’s also impacting overall inbox deliverability as many email providers are looking at interaction with email to determine how relevant it is for the recipient’s inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the current marketing landscape, it\u2019s getting harder and harder to fight through the clutter. As a result, many marketers are resorting to unethical, and in some cases, blatant violations of Can-Spam, in order to try and get their messages opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, what they don\u2019t realize is that, not only is this is unnecessary, but it does more damage than good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the two main factors that affect the open rate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. From<\/li>
  2. Subject Line<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Why are these two factors so critical?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is what the prospect can see when they scroll through their inbox and determine whether or not to \u201cmass delete\u201d your email along with the dozens \u2013 even hundreds \u2013 of other messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s talk about each of these in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. “From” (Email Sender)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cfrom\u201d line should be determined carefully and it should be consistent across all communications with your subscribers. This is a form of branding for you and your business and establishes trust with your prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are different schools of though when it comes to your \u201cfrom\u201d line. Some experts recommend using a corporate name, while others recommend using the \u201clist name\u201d to which they subscribed. And still others will recommend that you use your own name to create a personal connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each of these is acceptable depending on what the intent of your email marketing campaigns are and\/or how you are communicating with your list. In other words, if you\u2019re using personality-based marketing, then it\u2019s perfectly logical to send it from yourself or a persona within your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re in a BtoB space, or want to brand a company and not a person, then it\u2019s a good idea to use the company name or the newsletter\/product to which the person subscribed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ultimately, the key is consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Current Trend: <\/strong>Recently, we\u2019ve seen people resorting to \u201csketchy\u201d tactics to try and get messages opened. They\u2019re misrepresenting who the message is actually from in hopes of extended trust and credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s An Example:<\/strong> Recently, I\u2019ve seen more and more people piggybacking off of 3rd party service (Gotowebinar.com for example). In the \u201cfrom\u201d field of the email, they\u2019ll enter in something like \u201cGotoWebinar Reminder\u201d or \u201cGotoWebinar Notification\u201d. Then, when you check the ACTUAL sender email address, it\u2019s something like \u201cBob@SomeWebsite.com\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s Be Clear Here\u2026 This is not only a blatant violation of Can-SPAM, but also unethical.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It hurts the GotoWebinar brand and makes people second guess REAL webinar reminders and notifications. It hurts the relationship with subscribers when they figure out that they\u2019ve been tricked (or simply that the marketer TRIED to trick them). It hurts the sender\u2019s reputation due to increased complaints and it\u2019s simply a bad marketing practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you can\u2019t get your messages opened, then you need to find out why. Change your offers. Change your model. Or change your list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Subject Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The second factor that determines whether or not your subscribers are going to open your message is the actual subject itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Creativity here is good. Deception is bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep in mind that the main intent of your subject line is to create curiosity so the prospect actually opens your message to see what\u2019s inside. There are a few things that you can do to increase open rates and improve subject lines across the board. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n