Encouraging Recipients to Read Your Emails

When we send an email from our business we often times assume that many more people read the email than the number that actually does. For example, if we have an email list of 1000 people and the open rate is around 20% that means that approximately 200 people out of the 1000 see your offer. Even less then click through to your site and even less actually buy from you because of that email.

When you send an email to your customers, you are among the scores of emails that these people may get that day. In my seminars I ask my audience, “How many of you don’t get enough emails every day?” No hands ever go up. Your customers are in the same position, too many emails and not enough time.

How do you increase the number of people who actually read your emails?

Most people don’t spend a lot of time deciding whether to open an email. In fact, the decision to open or not open an email takes about 2 seconds. So what they can see in the inbox display is very important.

Your customers are busy with their own lives and work. So send your emails at off times. Emails that come during the middle of the work day are not as likely to be opened and read as if they come earlier or later in the day. The decision is usually based on a few things they can see immediately.

• The date and time the email was sent, if it’s sent in the middle of the night it’s probably a large group email.
• Who sent it? Is it a business or person that the reader knows?
• What is the subject line? Does it sound interesting, important, or valuable?
• Is the salutation personalized?
• If you can see the teaser or first line of the email, does it engage you?

All these things play a part of whether or not your customers are going to open your emails. So you need to make these first impressions count. There will be more on emails next week.

As tip of the glass from me to you.