One of the major challenges of email marketing is creating an email that people read and understand once they open it. A good way to get on the right path to engaging your reader is following a few simple steps as part of your email creation process.
Put your offer in the first paragraph. Whatever the goal of your email may be, for instance a purchase or a sign up state your offer prominently your starter paragraph. Along with the subject line, the first paragraph is the most read part of your email. Don\’t get flowery- this is not a novel. Tell your reader why they are reading your email, and you will increase your chances of them both reading the entire message, and also taking the action you desire.
Start subject lines with the main point. Subject lines usually get cut off, so make sure you lead your subject with active words and the main point of your email. If you spend to many words leading into the subject, chances are the reader will not know what the email is about and will skip reading. The fewer words you use to get across your point in a subject line, the higher the open rate!
Personalize your content. Whenever possible, utilize tokens like first name, company name etc. Because the nature of email communication is conversational, using a recipients name helps to establish this relationship. Be careful to not be too informal, however, as this may turn off the reader.
Use relevant images, not just any image. In the HTML version of your email, images can be a great way to catch the readers eye, and get them focused on reading your content. Choose images that are relevant to what your topic is. Well placed images can greatly increase readership and user participation.
You may think its funny, but will your reader? Often, using a comedic or funny tone can be misunderstood by your reader. While it is nice to have a strong hook, and attention grabber, more times than not, humor is not the way to go. If you have doubts about your tone, ask peers to read for clarity.
Keeping the basics in mind when writing and designing your emails will help you on your way to creating great email content that recipients will read and appreciate!
Shaneli Ramratan
Marketing Manager
mobileStorm, Inc.