Let’s talk email marketing in this our year of 2023. We all know the beast that is Email. We all make healthy use of our ‘SPAM’ and ‘trashcan’ buttons in our inboxes. Because of this, and a whole lot of bad-faith actors, people seem to have a bit of a ‘poo poo’ attitude when it comes to Email Marketing nowadays, and it tends to get written off.
BUT, we say: The average email open rate (according to MailChimp analytics) is 29%, with the highest going as high as 40%! So it looks like email marketing is still robust, dependent on the industry or the list or what have you — but how do we determine that? And how do we shoot for that 40% or higher?
The answer, shortly, is that people will open content that they’re interested in. People are more likely to open an email that offers them something for free (a coupon, a giveaway) or something that they are expecting. Feeding into that second point a little here: people also like to open and read emails from friends. They like hearing from family or friends, or acquaintances.
So let’s couple those last two points together: anticipated and expected email, plus email coming from a trusted person, source, or friend. This is part of where the secret sauce can come from, especially for businesses and clients who aren’t retail services (who can offer a free pizza or something).
You will want to set up a newsletter or an ongoing email campaign that offers just those things: consistency and expectation. Set up that expectation that every Tuesday (or whatever date works best), they will receive an email update from you. Now we have both routine, expectation, and hearing from someone they hopefully want to hear from: YOU!
Building on that, you also want to ensure the content you’re providing in the email applies to whatever group you’re emailing and that the content is something they want. No one looks forward to a scheduled tooth pulling from a Dentist they’re friends with (bad analogy?). It can take a little longer to really land on content that resonates with your clients or potential clients, but as long as you keep those two pillars in mind, you will start seeing results.
Or you could always offer a pizza.
