Ohhhh, you want your emails opened, huh?  
 

Your potential customers spend their days being HAMMERED by marketing messages.

 Many of these are emails.

 And their daily mission is to read as few of them as possible!

I know...frustrating right? 

Well, it CAN BE unless you set yourself up to be one of the chosen few.

Here's how you can stack the odds in your favour. 

DON'T. BE. BORING.

Email marketing can be an valuable (read PROFITABLE) marketing tool. Compared to other marketing channels, it's cost effective and personal.

BUT...

...to actually convert prospects into paying customers, your emails MUST adhere to certain best practices or you haven't got a chance.

 For most of us, the #1 determining factor as to whether or not we open an email will be who it's from.

Certain emailers fall into the MUST OPEN category. Those usually include family, friends, clients, potential clients and the tax department.  

 The rest? They fall into the WHY OPEN? category.

 And THAT is where we marketers sink or swim.

 Here are the key factors that will increase or decrease the chances of your email being opened:

THE BIG KAHUNA>>> Your Subject Line.

Consider it a mini-headline. If the subject line doesn't SELL the user on opening your email, your content is irrelevant. You need to cut through all the clutter that invades your prospects' email inboxes and find a way to stand out!

Your subject line's mission is to...raise your recipient's curiosity.

If he or she is intrigued by your subject line either by an implied promise or an outright offer, you have a chance of getting them to open.

(Unopened emails tend to underperform.)

 A few tips...

• Don't be cheesy, cute or funny.
• Avoid spam words like 'free' and 'discount'.
• DON'T USE ALL CAPITALS. It's like you're shouting.
• Timing: Timing is often an important factor in email marketing success. Remember, your readers will be on different devices at different times of the day, they may have gone dark, could be relaxing or busy as hell.

The best timing for your emails will vary depending on your industry, but generally:

> Avoid Mondays and Fridays.
> Avoid first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
> Best to test different times to send your marketing emails and to see which works best.
> Mid-morning, mid-week are considered optimal times.
> Frequency: Your industry, and your reason for emailing, will dictate how often you need to be emailing your readers, but here are some key thoughts on best practices:

If you don't send often enough, you run the risk of being forgotten.
 

If you send too many boring emails, you will likely see an increase in "unsubscribes".
 

If you have nothing to say, duhhhhhh, don't send one!
 

Content: If your subject line got your recipient to open your email, don't start patting yourself on the back. 

Great that you got attention. Now comes the second hardest part: KEEPING IT!

Your content tie back to the subject line. Let your reader down and you better hope you can find a way to become part of the family or, at least, a tax department employee cause it's unlikely they'll open your next one.

Following the best practices above won't guarantee your emails will get open (industry "open rate" average these days is anywhere from 15% - 25%) but they will put you way ahead of most email marketers who continue to bore and generally, condemn themselves to the Planet Delete for the brief seconds they get the recipient's attention.