Stand Out from the Email Crowd

Is your email being lost among the masses? It’s a tough crowd out there, with everyone vying for attention. What can you do to catch the inbox spotlight?

In Three Ways to Make Your Email Stand Out from marketingprofs.com, Sean Gordon shares his suggestions on how to get your email opened, read, and acted upon. Here’s his take on the problem:

“Employees spend nearly one-fourth of their workday, on average, sorting through their email inbox, a study by McKinsey found. Email is the most used form of communication in the workplace, but it’s also easy for the emails you send to be quickly deleted or marked as irrelevant.”

First impressions matter

The old saying goes, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression,” and that couldn’t be truer for email marketing. Your subject line is your introduction to your receiver, so make sure it’s a good one. Grab their attention with a short, descriptive message that lets them know what to expect from you, but try to say it in a creative way. An intriguing subject line is sure to get you noticed.

Leave them wanting more

There’s a reason that you’re sending an email, but you don’t want to overwhelm your reader with information. Connect with the recipient within the first two sentences, and then use the rest of your (short) message as a teaser. You want to offer a glimpse into what your brand has to offer, and then guide them to more interaction with a Call To Action (CTA).

Time for action

Craft a CTA that can be understood, and be specific about what you want the reader to do. It’s best to start with a verb; use “Learn more,” instead of “Would you like more information?” You can try a few different options and test with your target audience to find the wording that results in the best response.

While they may seem like small changes, these ideas can make a big difference in your open rates, helping you go from a wallflower to the center of attention in your email marketing campaigns.