By Patrick Seidl, Strategic Communications Coordinator
New Year, New You? Who’s to say that same mantra can’t be applied to your organization’s email subject lines? With email marketing flooding inboxes day in, day out and at ALL times of the day (even at 11 p.m. – yes, that happened, and yes, I had to order that new kitchen gadget before it ran out of stock) it’s becoming increasingly important for your business to stand out. A great place to start is with your email subject line.
Here are a few tips to help ensure your email subject lines open doors, rather than close them:
- Be short and to the point. It’s important to consider that a large percentage of your constituents are opening their emails on their mobile devices, meaning that you have even less space to draw in your audience. The sweet spot among many of the leading email platforms today is about 40 characters, or five to seven words.
- Use those merge tags! Ever received an email that was personalized to you by including your first or last name? Have you wondered how it’s done? They’re called merge tags, and many email platforms have the capability of utilizing them. Simply, the email platform pulls data directly from your database and drops it into your subject line. If your contacts are entered correctly into your database, you’ll avoid any potential snafus. When an email subject line incorporates a personal touch, we’re all a little more inclined to click, right?
- Ask a question. When I was in school, I always had a hard time starting writing assignments. A trick I was taught is to begin your story or writing piece with a question. Why? Because it draws in your reader (thanks, Mrs. Kirschner!). Next time you’re planning a company email, try opening with a question and see how it affects your open rates.
- Establish a sense of urgency. We’ve all received email invites to upcoming events where you have weeks and sometimes months to purchase tickets. If your event has sold out in the past, be sure to let your audience know!
- Incorporate video. At Fallston Group, ever since we began incorporating videos into our email updates a few years ago we’ve experienced a dramatic increase in open and click through rates. If you have a video you’re looking to promote, let your audience know in the subject line! We all get a little tired of reading these days, so why not let your people watch a quick video and give their minds a break?
If you need help with your email marketing, give us a call at Fallston Group today at 410.420.2001. We look forward to hearing from you! To learn more about our Strategic Marketing & PR vertical, click here.
