E-Mail
The benefit of e-mail is that it is a ‘free’ service. This is also its main drawback. As everyone knows, anyone can send e-mail to anyone which makes it a breeding ground for ‘spam’!
Interestingly, we seem to be moving away from spam as the main issue. There are plenty of spam filters available and most people seem to be able to delete and move on.
However it is no longer enough to have permission through an opt-in. Everyone has given out a lot of permissions so now the challenge is, as with direct mail, to get your message delivered and read. Well planned and executed e-mail campaigns can achieve a delivery rate of 90 per cent, with around 40 per cent of delivered messages opened and ten per cent clicked through. Some commentators claim that most people regularly open and read 16 permission-based e-mails. To get yours read you have to displace one of these and enter that ‘inner-circle’ of trusted senders. You have to make your message seem interesting enough to open.
Personalise
One tactic is to put the prospect’s name in the subject field. This shows up as a potential personal message and seems to have an influence on the likelihood of the message being opened. If you are opening a new restaurant, then you could put the following as the subject: ‘David, here’s your free invitation.’ On the other hand do you ever receive personal mail with your name in the subject line? As with most aspects of the internet some things work for a time and then the opposite takes effect. Just try different tactics and see what works.
Entice
Personalising is important but you still need to let your prospects know exactly what is in it for them. You need the
reader to be curious and see quickly what benefits there are for them. By putting a clear benefit in the subject line you will be letting your customers know how your service will improve their lives.
But you need to be succinct. Your subject line can only be about 40 characters long both because of the limits of the subject line space and also because any longer and the e-mail stands less chance of being opened at all.
You need very quickly to convince your busy prospects that your message is worthy of attention. Subject lines should be one of the following:
- Urgent. This gives the reader a reason to act now instead of later. Include a time-limited offer such as ‘special offer if booked by tomorrow’.
- Unique. Even if readers have heard it before, say it in a unique way. ‘Why our Spa guests look radiant.’
- Ultra-specific. These can tease the reader into opening your e-mail. ‘What never to do at your wedding.’
- Useful. Needs to offer a benefit. ‘Now WiFi for your guests.’
When you have written your subject line, test how strong it is against all four ‘U’s above. Score it out of five and make sure that it rates at least a three or four in at least three ‘U’s.
Whatever you do, don’t write copy that is different to the subject line. It is probably illegal and certainly breaks trust with your customer.