Adam Lovelock, Thursday, January 19, 2012
Its not about your ‘open rate’, its all about the ‘read rate’
Firstly before looking at some tips and tricks to ensure your email campaigns are being read, it’s worth noting the 2 main considerations for successful email marketing.
A good contact list – contacts whom opt-in for your communications.
Great copy – communications that are about the reader, not just your business.
If you achieve these 2 main points above you are making progress, however let me share some more little tips with you.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays for B2B campaigns
Our research has demonstrated that you’ll get a higher response to your email marketing campaigns on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. When you think about this, it makes sense. On Mondays, people are trying to get back on track from the weekend, and on Fridays, people are trying to wrap things up before they take off for the weekend. However this is also dependent on your targets, so testing is the key to find the ideal time for your messages to be sent.
Mornings are best
Send your marketing emails in the morning, so that people have time to read them during their breaks or lunch hour. However don’t send to early! Mid-morning is best – first thing in the morning your prospects will be clearing out messages from the night before, and more importantly drinking coffee and talking about last night’s soaps!
Stop selling and start providing valuable information
Many companies don’t believe email marketing works. Why? Because all they do is send out sales messages. Provide your prospects with useful information they can actually use that is linked to your business and proves your expertise.
Short and sweet
These days, people have information overload. Keep your email short and to the point, and include well-marked, working hyperlinks so they can visit your web site to find out more.
Watch your frequency
You have to strike the balance between keeping your business in front of potential customers, and turning them off because they start thinking of your email as spam. Everyone’s list is different, and you need to find the perfect balance when considering frequency.
Do you have any tips on ensuring your email campaigns are being read? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Adam L