Is It Possible To Improve Email Open Rates?

Toiling over the perfect marketing email doesn’t mean much if that email never meets a pair of eyeballs. With inboxes becoming more and more inundated with emails each day, it is easier than ever for an email to be overlooked or filtered into the dreaded spam folder known as the virtual no-man’s land.

No one wants to embark on a marketing campaign only to find out that their emails aren’t actually being opened. Is it possible to improve email open rates or are you doomed to the unpredictability of the modern digital landscape?

There are many key factors in play when it comes to whether or not your emails get opened. It is important to know how each of these factors can be used to your advantage and improve your email open rate. All is not lost so long as you keep these tips in mind.

Avoid The Dreaded Spam Folder

Even the most well-thought-out email won’t get read if it never reaches the main inbox. Avoiding the spam folder is an asset to your entire campaign. How can you keep your emails from falling victim to the spam vortex?

Start with the basics, make sure every recipient on your list is actually opted-in to receiving your emails. Once that is established, send your email campaign from a solid IP address and through a verified domain. Focus on your email template. Many outlook templates utilize clean code, making them ideal for marketing campaigns.

Clean code makes it through spam filters and into primary inboxes. Finally, you want to make sure to keep your subject line free of anything too exclamatory. Don’t use full caps and keep the exclamation points to a minimum. Avoid any bait-and-switch subject lines that could be deceptive and always give readers the option to opt-out with a solid unsubscribe option.

Keep Your Subscriber List Fresh

One of the simplest ways to improve your email open rate is to keep your subscriber list fresh. Periodically go through your subscriber list and remove inactive users. An inactiveuser is anyone who has not engaged with an email in the past six months or more. Before you rid them from the list, send one more email campaign to attempt to re-engage.

For example, send a last-ditch effort that says, “Are you bored yet?” and ask if they would like to stay subscribed. Another easy way to keep your list up-to-date is to check-in with subscribers and ask if they would like to update their information or preferences. If they don’t respond, remove them from the list and keep your email open rates high.

Time Your Emails Just Right

In life, timing is everything. When it comes to improving email open rates, timing is just as important. Research suggests that timing has a massive effect on whether or not subscribers will open up an email and click. Think long and hard about the time and day that you send your emails out.

Studies show that emails sent out on a Tuesday tend to have the highest open and click-through rates, but Saturdays are the best day of the week for conversions. Picture  yourself in a day in the life of your audience on the average workday. When would they be most likely to open an email? Which day of the week do you tend to find yourself with the most time to do such things? Go from there and use timing to your advantage.