In today’s fast paced and hyper-connected society we are continually bombarded with emails. Emails from friends, colleagues, and solicitors, all with one goal in common; gather your momentary attention and get you to act.
Depending on the target audience, 25-70% of emails are read on a mobile device. Mobile devices with small screens, a bold subject lines, fewer than 10 words across a screen and more often than not, reviewed while the recipient is distracted.
Remember the goal of your email is 3-fold; getting opened, getting read, and getting action.
1) Getting Opened
Your email being opened is solely dependent on the subject line.
On a mobile device the email subject lines stands out more then the content so they need to stand out encouraging the recipient to open it. The hands down winner to the secret of the subject line was the 2012 Obama presidential campaign. Following the President’s election the Obama team’s secret were revealed, the best email subject lines were short, sweet and personal. Some example from the Obama campaign email were;
- “Hey!”
- “I will be outspent”
- “Do this for Michelle” or
- “Thankful for every day”
Can you think of email subject lines that will work for you and your prospects?
2) Getting Read
Beyond the subject line, most people forget that a single email is a monologue, a one way conversation. Remember, email is not a dialogue.
Personalization is key. Why are you selecting THIS person to receive THIS email at THIStime? What about them, their company, their current situation warrants this email? Answering these questions will make them care and perhaps start to see the value of your correspondence.
Maintaining the reader’s attention requires an email to be rich in content, compelling in nature, and enriching to the recipient. The longer the email the less chance of achieving any or all three. Experts recommend emails to be short, punchy and most importantly clearly and cleanly present the call to action.
3) Getting Action
Short emails can achieve this final call to action best. If this is a follow-up email, a single sentence question that requests a simple yes or no response will drive response rates right up. Some of my most successful responses have come from 1-liner action drivers such as;
- “Have you had time to review my last email?”,
- “coffee noon tomorrow?”, or even
- “ready to close?”
With a simple yes or no response requested, people do respond.
Remember, a negative response is as valuable as a positive one, you don’t want a lot of junk in your funnel do you?
I sometimes appended a 1-one liner action driver to the top of a previously sent content rich emails and it drive up response rates significantly. Responses, not unsubscribes.
Remembering that people view a majority of their emails on a mobile device, while on the move, and distracted will help you be judicious with your content and direct with your requested action.
Good luck and abide the CAN-SPAM Act!
Leave a Reply