Are your readers opening your emails?
It doesn’t matter how brilliant your copy is, or how astonishing your offer is. If your readers aren’t opening them, they’ll never see it.
If you Google: “How to write emails that get opened” most of what comes up is advice on how to write the Subject line. That’s vital, of course. But even before that, there’s one piece of the puzzle that, if in place, will help increase open rates even more.
What’s in the ‘From’ line?
Think about it. When you scan your inbox every day, don’t you gravitate to those that are either from personal friends or someone you know, like and trust? How often have you deleted an email without opening because it came from an unknown sender? Or from a company you know is just sending you another sales pitch?
Your reputation as a company is key…
…to your readers looking forward to opening your emails or e-newsletters.
Do they know, like and trust you?
If you already have a great reputation with your customers, you’re ahead of the game. You can work on building trust with prospects, too, so they’ll eventually become customers.
If you’re a new business it may take some time. Focus on the long-range goal of strengthening your reputation rather than the short-range goal of a quick sale. It’ll help you be seen as a trusted partner, not just a salesman.
The best way to become that trusted partner?
Include useful information in every email. Something your readers can take away because it’s helpful to them. Several content marketing experts suggest the 80/20 ratio: 80% useful content and 20% sales content.
Not only will this help you stand out from your competition, it’ll encourage your readers to share your news with others. There’s no better marketing method than referrals from satisfied customers.
(Of course it goes without saying that your company works hard to produce excellent products or services — the most important key to your reputation!)
So the next time you’re ready to launch an email campaign or write your newsletter, stop and ask yourself: “Will this content strengthen our reputation as a company?”
Make it your goal to be able to answer “yes” every time.
This article was previously published in my e-newsletter, “Bite-Size Marketing Digest.” If you’d like to receive easily digestible marketing tips in your inbox every month, it’s easy to sign up.
Need some ideas on how to be more likeable and trustworthy in the eyes of your prospects and clients? Read: