Here’s a breakdown of the latest findings regarding the best time to send an email and what we recommend for getting the most of out of your email marketing efforts.
We are all inundated with daily emails. Whether it’s work emails, special offers from brands you love, or straight-up spam email, we all have inboxes full of emails – most of which will never be opened.
But, on the flip side, “email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, behind colleague recommendations and industry thought leaders,” reports WordStream.
So how do you get your emails to stand out in cluttered inboxes? How do you get readers to actually open — and scroll through — your thoughtfully crafted content?
At Fronetics, we believe there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to what works best for email marketing. In order to be successful, you need to take into consideration:
Who is your target audience?
What job titles do they hold?
What kind of devices do they use?
When are they commuting to work?
Taking a look at the schedules and habits of your target audience will give you insight into the optimal times for readers to engage with your emails. Here’s Jennifer Hart Yim, director of strategy at Fronetics, with a look at what we recommend when trying to find your optimal time to send marketing emails.
[bctt tweet=”Taking a look at the schedules and habits of your target audience will give you insight into the optimal times for readers to engage with your emails. ” username=”Fronetics”]
Video: When is the best time to send an email?
Takeaway: Trial and error
As with most aspects of content marketing, there’s no universal answer to the best time to send marketing emails. The only way to truly know what works best for your company is trail and error. You’ll have to test dates and times to find the best time to send an email your target audience.
But keep in mind that there are other factors, aside from date and time, that affect open and click-through rates. You’ll also have to play around with frequency, subject lines, length of emails, and the overall look and feel of your email.
Have you tested your best time to send an email? What worked for your company?
This video will teach you how to increase your open rate by discussing email subject line mistakes you should avoid.
Email marketers, this video is for you! On average, office workers receive 121 emails a day. That is a huge amount of emails to scroll through every day. So how do you make your emails stand out from the crowd? Are you making critical email subject line mistakes?
The subject line is the best chance you’ll have to entice readers to open your email. As matter of fact, 47% of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on subject line alone. And 69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line.
Get to the point.
Let’s not forget that users read 66% of all emails on a smart phone or tablet. That means that your subject lines shouldn’t be more than 35-39 characters (because mobile platforms show fewer subject-line characters than desktops). Sticking to such a short subject can be challenging, so marketers need to make sure they get to the point — and quickly.
What does this mean for all the email marketers out there? Clever and informative subject lines can make an email really stand out in a crowded inbox. But the opposite also holds true; mundane or lack-luster subject lines can send your email straight to the trash file.
Your email subject line can make or break your open rate, so don’t commit these email subject line mistakes.
Video: 5 email subject line mistakes you should avoid
It doesn’t matter what your email says if no one opens it. If your subject line doesn’t persuade recipients to open and engage, the message is lost and so is your opportunity to make a sale. Make sure you are avoiding these common email subject line mistakes and focus on keeping your subject lines short and to the point. Remember, your subject lines are your first impression. Make it a good one.
What other email subject line mistakes have you encountered? What tips do you have for subject lines that work with your readers?
Don’t risk ruining your open rates by committing these 5 email subject line crimes.
Email marketers, beware: If you’re tasked with writing compelling emails to capture online customers, the subject line — the headline of your message — is the first and main spot to grab the viewer’s attention. But, while a cleverly written subject can boost open rates and click-throughs, a poorly written one can have the opposite effect.
With this in mind, Grammarly and Movable Ink polled 1,100 readers to find out what inspired them to click open, and what they considered their biggest pet peeves when it comes to email subject lines. The results of the latter might surprise you.
Your email subject line can make or break your open rate, so don’t commit these subject line crimes.
5 common email subject line crimes
1) Spelling and grammatical errors
Proofread, proofread and proofread even more. The top reason 35% of people don’t open email is because of errors in the subject line.
Viewers who see an error in the headline assume that the rest of the email has misinformation, and they immediately disengage with its content. So whether you read the email subject line out loud (and even the rest of the email), ask someone else to read it before you hit send. Or use an online spelling/grammar program to check it for you. Just make sure you don’t have errors in the subject line.
2) Using all capital letters
It’s commonly cyber-accepted that anything typed in all capitals translates into being yelled at, and no one likes that. In fact, 24% of survey respondents said this was their biggest pet peeve when it comes to an email subject line.
Don’t mistakenly assume that hitting caps-lock for your email subject line will demand your reader’s attention — it actually does the opposite, and sends your email straight to the trash folder.
3) Excessive use of punctuation
When the email subject line is filled with exclamation points marks or other unnecessary punctuation, such as ellipses or too many commas, 17% of readers are most annoyed and deterred from looking at the message. You don’t want to be perceived as a spammer, by either the receiver’s filtering program or by the reader, so keep the extraneous punctuation to minimum.
4) Misused or broken personalization
Too often emails go out without proper formatting, or with generic placeholder fields left blank. For example, a reader who opens his or her inbox to a message with the subject line, “Hi, [name],” is sure to ditch the message — and lose any respect for the company who sent it. Make sure your email client and any dynamic content within is firing up correctly by sending a test message to yourself and a colleague.
5) Language that is too promotional
Some email subject lines use language that is over-the-top promotional, and readers don’t like it. Temper your language and don’t write subject lines that are too colloquial or filled with jargon.
What about using emojis in subject lines?
Increasingly, marketers are using emojis in subject lines. If used correctly, they may boost your open rate.
Some 56% of brands using emojis in their email subject lines report a higher unique open rate, according to data from Experian. Use of emojis can shorten your subject line, allowing an easy read on a mobile device. But, beware: Not all emojis are readable to every user, so choose wisely and always send a test first.
What bothers you most when it comes to an email subject line? Are there certain subject crimes that will prevent you from opening a marketing email?
Use this checklist to make sure your marketing emails don’t end up in your customers and prospects’ spam folders.
When celebrities make the headlines, it’s normally for far more salacious reasons than a patent award. But for Kevin Spacey and his longtime producing partner Dana Brunetti, that’s exactly what’s got people talking.
The pair was awarded a patent on April 5 for “systems and methods for implementing email delivery,” which Brunetti unveiled on his Instagram account. Essentially, the invention is aimed at providing a way to screen and manage non-authorized emails.
“It allows in only the ones it knows or whoever is on the list,” Brunetti explains. The idea stemmed from Spacey’s frustrations at receiving countless unwanted emails, and being unable to do anything but change his email address.
Spacey’s impulse points to a pervasive issue: We’re all bombarded with marketing emails. But, as a business, it’s one of the most effective ways to reach customers and prospects. How do we make sure our emails are relevant and aren’t just ending up in spam filters?
Do I have a mobile-friendly landing page experience?
Do I have an easy opt-out/unsubscribe process to avoid frustrated subscribers?
Does the unsubscribe link work properly?
Am I emailing a subscriber who has just had a poor customer experience? (Don’t!)
Is easy to quickly identify me as the sender?
Did I include a valid postal address and reply-to email address?
Are my emails honest? (Am I hiding the commercial character of my email or using false or misleading subject lines or content?)
Am I emailing people who have opted in to receive my emails only?
Have I removed all email addresses that have unsubscribed from previous emails?
Follow these best practices — which are, in some cases, international law — and be confident your marketing emails won’t end up in your recipients’ spam folders.
