Email has become one of the most used tools of communication. The Radacati Group estimates that about 1.9 billion non-spam emails are sent everyday. With so many messages coming your way everyday, the subject line message is a huge factor that determines whether or not you will open the email. You (and your clients) could be missing out on great information because the subject line isn’t catchy enough or contains words or phrases that automatically get triggered as spam. Follow our steps below to ensure your clients are getting the message you take so much time to draft up.
1. Check for deliverability
In order to have your message read, you must get through two filters; the spam filter and your reader’s filter. Avoid putting words in all capital letters in the subject line (no one likes being yelled at). It’s also a good idea to avoid words that set off the Spam alarms. These words include “act now” or “limited time” and will most likely push the email straight to the recipient’s junk folder. Also, be sure to avoid punctuation marks and dollar signs. You don’t want to look like a cheesy infomercial trying your hardest to get noticed.
2. Make it Actionable
It is always a good idea to tell your client what they will have the opportunity to do if they open up the email. Instead of just putting the name and location of an appearance (Kim Kardashian tonight at Nobu) let your readers know what they can do that night “Meet Kim Kardashian tonight at Nobu”. This will create excitement and the client will most likely want to click on the email to see how they can participate. Give them reason to read the email.
3. Make it personal
Instead of sending out a “one size fits all” email blast to all of your clients, section out your database into groups. This will allow you to send a more personalized email that will resonate with the client and make them feel like you spent time thinking of what they might need. Are you a loan officer that has a list of clients who bought their house before the bubble burst? Put them all in a group and send out an email saying that you want to help them refinance to a better rate. Make sure your subject line reflects how you are trying to help them “Read to see how I can lower your monthly mortgage payment!”
4. Scrub for Clarity
Instead of trying to be witty and coming up with a funny line that will get a reader’s attention, cut right to the chase and tell them what you are offering. After writing your subject line, it is always a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself “If I was seeing this for the first time, would I know what is being offered?” If the answer is no, you might want to think of ways to rewrite the message you are conveying. Try using keywords you would focus on in search engines. Make sure the message doesn’t have to be decoded, and spell out in plain English what a person will gain by opening that email.
5. Edit for Brevity
Keep your subject line to 50 characters or less. Not only will this help you practice spelling out your message as clearly as possible, but it will also help ensure that the majority of your message is displayed in the reader’s inbox. This is more important now, because most people check email on mobile devices and even less text is displayed. It is always best to think of the old cliché that still holds true—less is more.
6. Ensure Consistency
It is very important that the message within the email matches the subject line that drew the reader in. It’s a very bad idea to promote the lowest rate on a refinance in history, only for the reader to find out they must have pristine credit and 30% collateral to qualify. If you pull a bait and switch on clients, they will be less likely to read your emails in the future, and may even ask to be removed from your mailing lists. Only promise what you can deliver, and you will see better results than if you promised the moon.
Reaching out via email is very important because it provides an opportunity to reach out to hundreds of people with one click of the mouse. If you don’t draft out your message carefully, however, your message will never be seen, no matter how valuable it may be. Creating a brief, straight to the point subject line will help increase the number of people who read your message, and will result in better results for your bottom line.
220 Marketing specializes in Online Marketing and Management for industries such as Insurance Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, and Mortgage Marketing.
