How to Improve Open and Click Rates
Open and click rates are measures of the success and reach of your email campaigns. If your marketing approach is on the right track, then you will see decent open and click rates for your campaigns.
A good baseline for your open and click rates are about 15%. When rates fall below this level, then you may start to see your email deliverability dip. Here are a few pointers to help you take your open and click rates to the next level.
Use HTML-generated content
Before you can improve your open and click rates, it is important to get as much information as possible from your campaigns. It is impossible to track open or click rates in a text-only email, so we recommend that you only use HTML-generated email content so you can track the rates and find out what is and isn't working for you.
Here's how it works: every time an email campaign is sent, a hidden, one-pixel image is placed in the body of your email. This is known as web beacon or tracking pixel. Whenever a recipient opens your campaign email and click on any of the links in the email body, it is known as a click-through. The image pixel is embedded by default when the email content is framed using HTML.
Subject
Open rates depend mostly on how your subject line is framed. At first glance, the subject says more about your intent and organization than your email content. The best thing you can do for the success of an email campaign is to frame it with an irresistible subject line that can never be left unclicked.
We recommend you avoid the common mistakes made while crafting a subject line as given below
- Too much punctuation (for example, Welcome!!!!!)
- ALL CAPS subject line
- Usage of common spam words (for example, dating, absolutely free, singles, etc)
- Lengthy, misleading content
Call to action button
Set up your email content with a visible call to action button that correctly leads to your target webpage. Always use a button instead of a hyperlink, preferably one with a small click animation. Position your button where your recipient can see it without scrolling (above the fold) so that it's convenient for your recipients to click it. Use verbs that describe the action you want your recipients to take, such as 'Shop', 'Learn', 'Get', or 'Submit', instead of the same old 'click here' phrase to make your call to action button feel more engaging.
Consider recipient's time zone
It is essential that you know the geographic timezone of your contacts so that you can decide when users at that location are more likely to open your emails. Your open rates will be higher if you send your messages when your recipients are actually looking at their emails. Depending on where you're sending messages to, your recipients are more or less likely to open an email or check their inboxes. For example, in Asian countries, the usual time to check email is in the late evening. Consider your regional demographics before clicking the send button.
Demographic factors
Of course, demographic factors such as gender, occupation, age, and income level will dictate the content of your campaign. Analyzing the above factors and framing more specific content for corresponding target groups can yield higher response rates. For example, target your premium level customers when you're campaigning about highly-priced products.
Segmentation
Segmentation is where you break a mailing list up by various demographic factors. This ensures that your campaigns are sent out to the most relevant targets and helps increase your sales.
Language matters
If you have an international audience, it is very helpful to have your messages translated into the native language for each region. When you send language-specific email campaigns to your contacts, the recipient systems may your emails may end up in the spam folder.
Eliminate inactive contacts
Uninterested and inactive contacts are the biggest cause for low open/click rates. Identify them and either try to reengage with them or purge them from your mailing lists.
Sending frequency
The time between two consecutive email campaigns plays a huge role in your open and click rates. Too frequent can irritate your contacts. Meanwhile, they may forget who you are if you send them emails with long communication gap. It is essential to find out the best frequency for your messages according to your market and audience. A good baseline frequency is two emails per week.
Test before sending
Before you send a wide-reaching campaign, try to get some testing in so that you can get better insights into what works and what doesn't. A/B Testing is a great way to determine the success of your email content. Click here to explore more techniques to make the most out of your emails.
Personalization
Add a personal touch to your emails. When you address your contacts by their first names or send them offers on their birthday, you are more likely to grab their interest.
Mobile-friendly emails
Most people check their emails on their mobile phones. So, your email campaign should be compatible with all portable devices. Be succinct with your subject and preheader content, as space on a mobile device is at a premium. You can utilize some online services (as shown in image below) to see how it appears on your recipients' devices. To learn how to test emails for various devices using Litmus through Zoho Campaigns, click here.
Keep your layout consistent
Standardize your content layout to create a consistent and familiar feel for your readers. Try to make it resemble your homepage and include your logo.
Resend unopened emails
If your email goes unopened, you can change the subject and preheader text, then try sending it again. Just make sure not to resend it to a recipient who has already opened your message.
Eliminate broken links
Make sure that your CTA and any links in your email work perfectly and redirect your recipients to the intended page.
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