It’s no surprise that companies are looking for a better means to an end when it comes to e-mail marketing.  While e-mail is one of the fastest and cost-effective marketing methods to reach your target audience, it is (sometimes) the most frowned upon.  In other words, businesses do not want to be portrayed as spam marketers and rightfully so!  To help you overcome the obstacle of distinction between spam marketers and to increase your open rate you can improve your e-mail subject lines with two specific and necessary characteristics.

Does It Answer The Key Questions?

When it comes to e-mail subject lines, there are a few questions that need to be answered in a limited number of characters – as an aside, this is why Twitter makes you a better writer: quality content in a tight space.

First and foremost, does your subject line provide a sense of urgency?  When your audience pulls open their e-mail inbox and reads through their received messages, do they feel the need to immediately open the message to see the content or are they OK with letting the e-mail go unread for a while.  Obviously, you would rather them open the e-mail as soon as possible (and then forward your message to people within their network), but that starts and ends with a sense of urgency within your subject line.  As a forewarning, though, make sure that you refrain from labeling all of your e-mails as urgent – sort of like the boy who cried wolf where none of them will be considered urgent if you claim all of them to be.

Second, you need to answer the question if your content is useful to the audience.  What are the benefits of opening this e-mail?  As usual, there is a common theme with opening an e-mail that revolves around the “what’s in it for me” attitude.  Research shows that people are more likely to open e-mails with subject lines that provide a direct benefit to them.

Lastly, the uniqueness of your message needs to be defined.  What are the compelling factors associated with your e-mail message?  Is there something within the content of the e-mail that the audience cannot get from anyone else?  The general idea behind this rests primarily with the notion that a majority of audiences want information (or something) that is not common information.

The Focal Points of the Subject Line

While answering the questions above is a significant success in and of itself, you also have to consider the focal points of the subject line.  First, you want to make sure that your subject lines are short and sweet; nobody wants to read through a long subject line if they also have to read through a long e-mail as well.

Second, brand your e-mail with an identifiable person or company.  In other words, your e-mail marketing campaign will essentially  be branded by either your subject line or your from line; I suggest that you rely on the from line to brand your messages.  So, make outstanding use of the from line, and utilize either your name, your company name, or (if you are running a specific e-mail campaign with an intensive niche) the product/service name with your company name.

In summary, your subject line is (initially) the most important facet of an e-mail marketing campaign and can significantly effect the open rate of your messages.  If you need assistance or tips for your e-mail marketing campaign please feel free to contact IMPACT today for more information.

Need Help?

If e-mail marketing is something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.

Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com