If your inbox is full of email marketing that you never open, take heed of the following tips to boost your open rates.

Subject lines  

It’s very important that the subject line of your email contains keywords that entice recipients to open up the email.  

The email may contain the best content in the world, but if the subject line doesn’t compel your audience to open up the email, your time and energy has been wasted.   

This is no truer for commercial emails dedicated to informing customers of special deals. 

You really need to think how the subject line of your email can stand out from the rest.  

Using regular advertising jargon needs to be avoided in favour of a more creative approach that considers the interests of your readers.  

E-newsletters  

Communicating with your market via e-newsletter is all about authenticity, says David Byatt, marketing director with Moshi Moshi Marketing.  

This involves providing valuable editorial content to your potential customers rather than selling to them: “You educate, you make aware. But it's not primarily about selling.   

“If you install fences, then talk about how to maintain your fence. If you specialise in selling homes to young families, then send an e-newsletter that includes content about young family living. Don’t just talk about buying a home.  

“You can make them aware that you have a new product – but it’s not a sale. At the very bottom of the e-newsletter is the subtle sale.”  

Byatt says e-newsletters can also be used to celebrate the milestones of your business: “Let your audience be part of your journey”.   

To ensure authenticity and accuracy, it’s best if the base content is written by an in-house content expert rather than an external writer.  

The content can be tweaked by an external writer or editor to improve readability.