There’s a reason that email marketing is still the foremost form of digital marketing; getting access to someone’s email address and their inbox is like your customers and potential customers inviting you into their home for a coffee and a chance to talk to them directly about what your business has to offer. This trust needs to be respected. And to make it really work for your business one of the most important aspect to get right is the very first thing they’ll see; the email headline/subject line.
Personalisation of an email headline can improve click-through rates by an average of 14% and conversions by 10%, according to the Aberdeen Group so ensure that if you have their name, use it. Customers are craving personalised service from brands and an email headline can immediately begin to build your relationship. But you can go even further in an effort to increase your click-through and conversion rates.
- Use humour
Where possible, use humour to engage them. Everyone wants a break from the mundane. If you make them laugh you’re more than half way to getting that click-through.
Example from Bonds, advertising their new men’s underwear range:
Keep your boys comfy. Give them a good home.
- Be surprising
Don’t use the same format of email headlines over and over again – that’s boring and bound to lose subscribers and readers eventually. Mix it up, be surprising, be different and don’t be afraid to push the envelope a little.
Example from Typo in the lead up to Mother’s Day:
Don’t be a Mother F…orgetter! Get her a gift!
- Use interesting quirks
Create some intrigue about your business’ communications by using interesting and unique word combinations. Also consider the usage of puns, alliteration and/or non-sequiturs (where a conclusion or reply that doesn’t follow logically from the previous statement. For example – She drives a BMW. She must be rich. Or, he’s wearing red shoes. He must love the colour red).
- Ensure the first four words are powerful
If you don’t grab the reader’s attention within the first few words of the subject line then all can be lost. Make those first four words really count (and only use eight words in total if possible).
- Use who you know
Consider the tried and true method of name dropping. Has a big name/celebrity used your product, given a great review? Dropping their name into your email headline can pique interest and increase click-through rates. Just make sure that the names you drop will resonate with your target audience.
- Careful use superlatives
Don’t claim you are the best, the cheapest, the highest quality or anything along those lines unless you are absolutely sure that’s true and you can prove it. Superlatives are often overused, and while they work really well in email headlines, if they aren’t true they can do some serious damage to your business reputation.
Conduct A/B testing to ensure you have the most powerful email headline you can. For more information or help with your email campaigns just contact the team at Website Design Centre.
