You know that saying: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”?
Well, it doesn’t get truer than that.
The statement’s valid for every situation in real life. AND in the digital space.
Today, we will be talking about making a good first impression on your prospects and leads through crafting powerful, compelling email subject lines.
So far, we have provided you with detailed guidelines on how to build autoresponders and build sales funnels that convert.
However, those articles were mostly about the “why” and the “how” and not about the “what.”
In other words, you know why you need to incorporate email marketing into your online marketing strategy, what sales funnels are and how you can build them. You also know the type of content that works best for every stage of the customer journey. What we didn’t tell you, however, is the specifics on content.
Now that you have the basics down, we’ll be doing precisely that, a little by little.
We decided to start with one of the most overlooked parts of emails: their subject lines.
There are some people that advocate not judging a book by its covers, but let’s be real: we all do it. We get our first opinion about the world that surrounds us in a split second (Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink” studies this into more detail), and many times we make decisions fueled by that opinion.
This is normal. Judging things based on our first impression and making snap decisions saves us a lot of time. If you think deeply about every small decision you make, you won’t have enough time to assess the really important crossways in life.
So, yeah, the world would be great if first impressions would not matter as much, but dreaming about such a world is for idealists. If you are a realist wanting to prosper both in life and in business, the sooner you accept the reality – the better. Once you do, you will be able to direct your focus on the exact things that you can improve to get better results.
The subject line is your email marketing’s “cover.” It is the first thing that your prospects see when you send them an email. You can craft your content to perfection, but if you don’t “sell” it using a compelling subject line – it will be all in vain.
Just open your inbox. How many emails you have? Chances are, more than 2 or 3. If you’re like me, you have even more than 10. Do you open every one of them? Probably not. You open those that seem interesting or those that promise to deliver you some value. The others go from inbox to trash. Forever gone. Unopened.
So, what can you do to increase your email open rates?
Let’s take a look.
Creating a sense of urgency around your products can be a great tactic that makes readers click and read your email. However, note that the more you use this tactic the more it loses its power. So do it sparingly – only when the offering is genuine. Many companies find this tactic particularly effective when they use it to contact people that have already shown interest in their products and services.
People are wired to be curious and to naturally gravitate towards things that are mysterious. Playing on this trait can help you get your emails to read. We’re not saying that you should be vague – the subject line still needs to be detailed enough to relate to your brand.
Remember that the line between mystery and spam is very thin.
Here’s a quiz question for you:
What is the thing that people love the most?
You know it.
Freebies.
When you give away some freebies in your email, make sure to include it in your subject line as well – just this simple change will have a great impact.
Keep up to date with the trending topics in your industry. Usually, people subscribe to newsletters because they want to be informed. So, being among the first that informs people of some industry-related developments will help you establish authority in the eyes of your prospects.
Use the data the internet gifts to you, segment your lists and make your emails as personalized as you can. Remember that no two clients are the same, so learning your prospects’ needs and wishes can help you play on those desires and get yourself some reads (and sales).
Also, consider inserting the recipient’s name in the subject line. That way it feels like you’re talking only to them like they’re special. And everyone wants to feel special.
… but again, make sure that those names are relevant to your industry. Find a name that your readers will get related to and use it to pique their interest. That doesn’t mean that you have to use just famous names – the key here is familiarity. So, if your readers know you, as a person, use your name in the subject line.
Remember what we said earlier: time is precious, and people do not have a lot of it, which is why they just scan through their inbox looking for something that looks promising. Keep your subject line short and intriguing, so your readers can quickly take it in and make the decision to open it in a blink.
Tell your people what they can find inside the email. But keep the promises you make. Do not use any tactics just to manipulate people into opening the email. You’ll get one email opened, but you’ll lose them on all the rest. Play fair.
The worst mistake you can make is to include the @noreply.com sender’s name in your email address.
Do. Not. Ever.
Please. Make yourself a favor and avoid being seen as a robot that just sends a general email to anyone and everyone.
Moreover, consider getting a legitimate @yourbusinessname.com email address, as it will give off a more professional vibe as opposed to using @gmail or @yahoo in your address.
What do you offer? Recommendations for best bars? Well, how about sending the list on Friday during dinner time?
Picking the right time to send your email is everything.
Don’t try to be smart. You know that saying by Einstein: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”? Well, that sums up what I’m trying to say. You want to be an authority? Talk in a way that everyone understands. Make things clearer, not more confusing.
The first line is not a part of your subject line, but it does appear next to it and can be previewed. Write a compelling preview to reinforce your subject line.
Think of a couple of subject lines and test them to see which one of them works the best for you. Success is a matter of trial and error.
Okay, now you know what you need to do in order to craft a compelling subject line that will boost your open rates.
Next, let’s take a look at a couple of examples and how they relate to the elements above.
Use words like “alert,” “new,” “limited,” “breaking,” “Important” and similar words that create the sense of urgency and scarcity, and thus make people feel like they would miss a chance to get an awesome offer.
Use the storyteller’s technique: end your subject line with a cliffhanger. Or, be completely unexpected. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve this.
Also, if you’re adding media to your email, make sure you mention it in the subject line as well.
Unlike what many people think, simple and straightforward subject lines are not boring – on the contrary, they work quite well, which is why most of the emails in your inbox are of this type.
Here are some examples:
Crafting compelling emails is not as hard as you think. The only thing you need to do is to put yourself in your readers’ shoes.
Open up your inbox and take a look at the emails you have received. Write down the ones that resonate with you, and try to customize them to your offerings.
Then, analyze the results. Optimize. Send new emails. Analyze again. Optimize again. In no time you will what works best for your audience.
Finally, don’t get too comfortable once you succeed to reach your target open rate. Continually mix things up. Create a schedule on the type of emails you send to your customers, and find a way to say the same things (sales, promotions, weekly updates) differently.
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