9 Easy Ways to Make Your Emails Sing!

Social networks and blogs are great marketing tools. But an email program is still a very effective way to tell your target about important information, interesting news and enticing offers.

To be effective with emails, simply follow the golden rule. Send out the kinds of emails you'd like to receive. What gets you to open an email? Most people say it's a compelling subject line. That only gives you around 50 characters to create a big impact, so here's where to focus your effort.

Steps to Writing a Great Email Subject Line

1. Take your time. Don't just throw some words into the email template. Take the time to play with a few approaches and see which are the most compelling.

2. Make it personal. Subject lines with the subscriber's first name always work better. Referring to their tastes, preferences or purchase history can also work well. If you can, use the name of your company. Experts say these personalized subject lines can increase open rates up to 64%.

3. Study the newspaper. News headlines use just a few words to highlight the most important part of a story in a compelling way.

4. Include as much relevant info as you can. Adding offer details, product names and other info will increase open rates, as long as you keep it short.

5. Give them a deadline. Adding urgency to your subject line boosts open rates. If you have a short-term offer, do a series of emails. Announce the deadline and then follow up with "just 24 hours left."

6. Be brief. Cut out words you don't need. Try eliminating greetings, articles, adjectives and adverbs. Just clearly say what action to take. Try to raise curiosity while promising a benefit.

7. Be alert for spam filters. It's key to be urgent and compelling, but avoid expressions like: FREE!!!, URGENT!, Best Deal$, Save $$$ or any other spam type terms. Such crass appeals rarely work anyway.

8. Do A/B testing if you can. Some email service providers offer A/B testing to see which subject line works best. A couple of days before a big send take a portion of your list and test subject line options. Then use the winner for your major send. A line with as little as 8 or 9% better open or conversion rate can have a huge impact on long-term ROI!

9. Some final questions. Before you hit "send," ask yourself:

• If a benefit is implied in the subject line, does the email follow through on that?
• If the email is about saving the reader money, is that reflected in the subject line?
• If the email is about improving the reader's life, is that reflected in the subject line?

Of course, the best email content inspires the best subject lines. So work hard to come up with great Webinar invitations, useful downloads and valuable offers and your open and conversion rates can improve dramatically.... Enjoy a great month!  

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