Are you trying to increase your open rate in email marketing? Your open rate is important — after all, your customers have to open your email before they can click the CTA or make a purchase! Luckily, with a few key changes, improving your open rate isn’t that hard. Today we’re going to break down how to increase email open rate and make more sales. Read on to learn how to improve your open rate in email marketing.
Your open rate is important — after all, your customers have to open your email before they can click the CTA or make a purchase!
What’s a good email open rate?
A “good” email open rate will vary by niche. In general, though, the average open rate across all industries is 17.8%. If your email open rate is 15% or higher, that’s usually an average or good open rate. Of course, the goal is for your email open rate to be as high as it can be. Here’s how to increase email open rate through a few simple changes to your email marketing strategy.
Clean up your email list
Before you do anything else, try cleaning up your email list to help your open rate improve. Open rate (expressed as a percentage) is calculated by taking the number of emails read and dividing that by the total number of emails sent, then multiplying that by 100. So when you delete inactive email addresses from your email list, your open rate is automatically going to improve.You can clean up your email list by removing:
- Duplicate email addresses
- Spam email addresses
- Typo-ridden email addresses
- Email addresses that haven’t engaged with your messages in the past six months
- Email addresses that have asked to be unsubscribed (of course, you should be removing these anyway!)
Once your email list is trimmed down, your open rate is going to improve, even if the same number of people open your emails as before. Revisit your email list every few months to keep it cleaned up.
Focus on deliverability
The next step is to make sure your email deliverability is as good as it can be. After all, your customers can’t open your emails if they don’t receive them! Improve your IP address so your emails won’t go to spam. You should also send emails on a regular basis to improve your email deliverability score. And don't forget to make it easy to unsubscribe so people don’t mark your messages as spam — like this GoMacro email with a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the footer:Subject line: Alexa, order MacroBars!
Optimize your message for mobile
85% of users use smartphones to access their email, so it’s essential that you optimize your emails for mobile viewing. Keep your email short and concise with only the most relevant information. Also, make sure your CTA stands out and preview your message before sending to make sure it looks good. BEE’s email templates are responsive on any device, with the BEE editor’s preview tool allowing you to view your message before sending.
Be mindful of your subject line length
Your subject line acts as a preview of your email, teasing what’s inside and sparking your reader’s interest. So it’s important for the subject line to be as good as it can be. Keep your subject line to 50 characters or so with the most important words at the beginning so it can be read on any device. Don’t use spammy words, but do add numbers, percentages and emojis — all of which have been proven to increase email open rates. Here are a few subject lines we love:
- It’s here! ✨ Our annual holiday sale starts now
- Last call for an exclusive 15% off
- The world’s comfiest party dress ??
- Hot deals from $19.90 go cold tomorrow!
- Don’t miss out — up to 40% off home ends today!
Perform A/B testing
Run A/B tests to help improve open rate. With A/B testing, you send one version of a certain email to one set of subscribers and a slightly different version of the same email to another set. This allows you to test individual design pieces such as your subject line, CTA or email copy to see which ones perform best. Then you can compile the best-performing elements into one stellar email.
Personalize your sender name
68% of Americans base their decision on whether to open an email on the “from” name. For best results, make sure yours is personal. Here are a few examples of what this looks like:
This personal touch is more likely to make sure your email is opened.
Change your timing
What days of the week and times of day are you sending your emails? Revisiting your schedule might help improve your open rate in email marketing. The best time to send marketing emails will vary from brand to brand, so it will take some testing to see what boosts your open rate the most. In general, though, weekdays in the early afternoon are a good place to start.
Follow email design best practices
Our final tip to improve your open rate in email marketing is simple: Design good emails. Following basic email design best practices is one of the best ways to ensure your emails are consistently opened as your subscribers learn over time to expect high-quality content from you. A few key email design best practices include:
- Structure your email so it’s easy to read
- Be strategic with your use of color
- Provide valuable, relevant content
- Add dynamic content (GIFs or videos)
- Write high-quality copy
Here’s a good example from J. Crew. Colorful photos showcase the products that are on sale, and the email encourages shoppers to plan ahead before providing relevant website and social media links. This is a well-designed marketing email that’s a pleasure to read. And when you build a reputation for sending the same, your open rate will improve.Subject line: Cozy on cozy on cozy
Wrap-up: Increase your open rate in email marketing
Use the BEE email editor to help design emails that will boost your open rate. The BEE editor is a free marketing tool that makes it simple to create responsive, HTML emails by uploading images, adding text and typing directly onto CTA buttons. Use the BEE editor’s user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface to design beautiful marketing emails and increase your open rate!
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