Components of a Successful Marketing Email

The success of your email marketing campaign depends on a combination of aspects.  Subject lines, email content, formatting and timing are key factors contributing to open and conversion rates.

Subject lines:

• Subject lines should be relevant to the recipient and match the content of the email.
• Research shows that while shorter subjects optimize open rates, longer subject lines tend to optimize click and click-to open rates.
• The same research shows that the more words in a subject line, the more likely the email is to appeal to the “right” people.  Increased information allows people to better decide if an email is relevant to them.

Content:

• The first line should tell the recipient why they are receiving this email (i.e. “You are receiving this message because you have subscribed to list XYZ.”)
• Check that the content matches the subject line and is relevant to the recipient.
• Make sure the unsubscribe link is easy to find (this may mean shortening your message.)

Formatting:

• Don’t rely on people being able to see your images – image blocking is common on many email services.
• Add inline styles – again, many email services will not allow anything else to show up correctly.
• Use structural tables to create columns.
• Make sure that the plain text version of your email is reader-friendly.

Timing:

• Don’t send email too frequently.  This can cause recipients to tune out and ignore your email, or worse, annoy them to the point where they mark your emails as SPAM.
• Don’t send emails too infrequently, this can make your recipients forget you.
• Find the delicate balance between having your users forget you and having them annoyed by you.
• Send out your emails during regular intervals so the recipient comes to anticipate them, and is less likely to mark them as SPAM.