Read any good emails lately? It is a loaded question that companies ask in the hopes that you will answer “yes – I read your emails all the time!” Unfortunately, we don't always get the answer we want. In fact, it is not uncommon for a vast majority of emails to remain un-opened.
People like Jeanniey Mullen will tell you that “the average person spends three seconds looking at her inbox to decide what to open and only four seconds reading your e-mail”. That is why your subject line must be interesting, enticing and relevant. “If your subject line isn’t working right”, adds Ivan Levison, “your e-mail will never get opened and your campaign will be a failure.”
So why don’t companies spend more time focusing on this important aspect of web marketing? Certainly it’s not from a lack of awareness. No matter what marketing blogs you’re reading, eventually the importance of “Subject Line Testing” will come up. ( Not wanting to be left out, I offer this as my contribution to the discussion. )
Apparently we are not spending enough time focusing on the opening sales pitch to our customers. Even if we write a pithy intro, trying to entice customers to spend that four seconds with us, seldom have taken the time to lay the groundwork for success. How can we be certain that we are offering the best marketing copy? Ryan Buchanan believes that most of us can’t answer that question. “Only 25 percent of marketers are testing subject lines on a regular basis? If you’re not constantly testing, you’re missing opportunities to find our which ones maximize opens and conversions.” Buchanan’s encourages us to “test it and tune it”.
“Subject lines”, offers Loren McDonald, “are the easiest component of email marketing to test. Split your list in half, thirds or even quarters and test a different type of subject line in each split.” But that’s just the start. Once you have found a successful recipe for creating great subject lines, you have only enticed customers to open your email. Getting the order will require additional focus on your email’s content, your site’s landing page, your browse path, and your cart conversion. . . but we’ll save those for another blog post.
Until next time,
Dan
