Six Tips to Improve Your Email Open Rates (According to Data)
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 5:18 am
Have you ever wondered how many people in the world, across different countries and state borders, own a smartphone?
Approximately 6.29 billion! ( Statista )
Compared to the 8 billion people in the world ( United Nations ) that's a lot of people. This equates to around 6.29 billion people using smartphones to do a variety of tasks: online shopping, browsing social media, sending pictures to loved ones and of course checking their emails.
Of that number, around 1.7 million users check their email on their mobile phones, as opposed to other devices.
If you break that number down by characteristics and behaviors of different generations, Gen X consumers make up 92% of all email users. Millennials are right behind Gen X, with 89% of them sending emails, while Gen Z makes up the third-largest group, with 85% using the service. (Source – MarketingProfs)
Not only do people use email to build personal connections, phone number list but a substantial 61% of consumers also favor brand communication via email. This is certainly positive news for your business.
So if these numbers seem so good for an email marketing move, why are email opens failing? What’s stopping your customers from reading your amazing marketing and product emails, if they regularly spend time on their devices?
What Really Causes Email Bounces?
Email marketing remains an essential part of any successful business strategy. However, it is not enough to simply send an email to your entire email subscriber list and hope for the best.
And you know what they say, False hope is a terrible thing, if it's the only thing keeping you alive, you'll be dead by dawn.
Statista data shows US consumers' preference for email as a means of contact from brands
You need to create emails that grab your audience's attention from the subject line to the call to action.
When you consider this, there are many factors at play that can affect email rates. In terms of bounce rates, here are some of the most common causes of email bounce rates:
Invalid email addresses – This is the most common cause of hard bounces. It can happen if you have typos in your email list or if you collect email addresses from untrusted sources.
Full inboxes: This is a common cause of soft bounces. If a recipient's inbox is full, any new email sent to them will bounce back.
Spam filters: Spam filters can sometimes block legitimate emails, especially if they contain certain keywords or phrases.
Server Issues – If the recipient's email server is down or unavailable, your emails will be retrieved.
Blacklisted Domains: If your email domain is blacklisted, most email servers will reject your emails.
In addition to these common issues, there are other factors that can affect your email open rates, such as the hygiene of your email list, your sender reputation, and the type of content you send.
All of these problems can ruin your hard work and keep your marketing and sales efforts in the trash.
Luckily, we're here to help you fix this problem with these six tips that will help you improve your email open rates.
Why Should You Care About Email Open Rates?
Why are email open rates important? Well, simply put, if your subscribers aren’t opening your emails, all of your hard work crafting those clever subject lines and great content is wasted.
Email open rates are a reflection of your subscribers’ interest and engagement with your brand. Higher open rates mean more eyes on your content, which increases the chances of conversions and ultimately revenue. On the other hand, low open rates indicate disinterest or that your emails are getting lost in the digital abyss.
It will be extremely difficult to generate leads and conversions with email marketing when your emails don't generate enough interest.
6 Tips to Improve Your Email Open Rates
Catchy subject lines. Relevant content
Your Email Subject Line System It may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in whether or not your email is opened.
On average, shoppers spend 138% more when marketed to via email, compared to those who don’t receive email offers. A key factor in getting them to take action starts with your subject line.
Emails displayed on a desk on a table
Personalizing your subject line can make your email seem more relevant and interesting to your subscribers.
Addressing your subscribers as “ Adelaide, here’s a special offer just for you! ” in your subject line is a great way to get their attention.
Who doesn't love a special offer made just for them?
Keep it short and sweet, as longer subject lines tend to get cut off on mobile devices. Asking a question can spark curiosity and encourage engagement.
Also, keep in mind that the language you use in your emails will affect your subscribers' perception of your business. How do you want your subscribers to feel when they read your emails? Do you want to sound corporate or friendly?
Using action-oriented language in the subject line and body of the email urges and compels your subscribers to act on the email. It is crucial to avoid spammy words and phrases, such as “buy now” and “limited time offer.” Not only will this increase the open rates of your emails, but it will also help you avoid having your emails flagged as spam.
Approximately 6.29 billion! ( Statista )
Compared to the 8 billion people in the world ( United Nations ) that's a lot of people. This equates to around 6.29 billion people using smartphones to do a variety of tasks: online shopping, browsing social media, sending pictures to loved ones and of course checking their emails.
Of that number, around 1.7 million users check their email on their mobile phones, as opposed to other devices.
If you break that number down by characteristics and behaviors of different generations, Gen X consumers make up 92% of all email users. Millennials are right behind Gen X, with 89% of them sending emails, while Gen Z makes up the third-largest group, with 85% using the service. (Source – MarketingProfs)
Not only do people use email to build personal connections, phone number list but a substantial 61% of consumers also favor brand communication via email. This is certainly positive news for your business.
So if these numbers seem so good for an email marketing move, why are email opens failing? What’s stopping your customers from reading your amazing marketing and product emails, if they regularly spend time on their devices?
What Really Causes Email Bounces?
Email marketing remains an essential part of any successful business strategy. However, it is not enough to simply send an email to your entire email subscriber list and hope for the best.
And you know what they say, False hope is a terrible thing, if it's the only thing keeping you alive, you'll be dead by dawn.
Statista data shows US consumers' preference for email as a means of contact from brands
You need to create emails that grab your audience's attention from the subject line to the call to action.
When you consider this, there are many factors at play that can affect email rates. In terms of bounce rates, here are some of the most common causes of email bounce rates:
Invalid email addresses – This is the most common cause of hard bounces. It can happen if you have typos in your email list or if you collect email addresses from untrusted sources.
Full inboxes: This is a common cause of soft bounces. If a recipient's inbox is full, any new email sent to them will bounce back.
Spam filters: Spam filters can sometimes block legitimate emails, especially if they contain certain keywords or phrases.
Server Issues – If the recipient's email server is down or unavailable, your emails will be retrieved.
Blacklisted Domains: If your email domain is blacklisted, most email servers will reject your emails.
In addition to these common issues, there are other factors that can affect your email open rates, such as the hygiene of your email list, your sender reputation, and the type of content you send.
All of these problems can ruin your hard work and keep your marketing and sales efforts in the trash.
Luckily, we're here to help you fix this problem with these six tips that will help you improve your email open rates.
Why Should You Care About Email Open Rates?
Why are email open rates important? Well, simply put, if your subscribers aren’t opening your emails, all of your hard work crafting those clever subject lines and great content is wasted.
Email open rates are a reflection of your subscribers’ interest and engagement with your brand. Higher open rates mean more eyes on your content, which increases the chances of conversions and ultimately revenue. On the other hand, low open rates indicate disinterest or that your emails are getting lost in the digital abyss.
It will be extremely difficult to generate leads and conversions with email marketing when your emails don't generate enough interest.
6 Tips to Improve Your Email Open Rates
Catchy subject lines. Relevant content
Your Email Subject Line System It may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in whether or not your email is opened.
On average, shoppers spend 138% more when marketed to via email, compared to those who don’t receive email offers. A key factor in getting them to take action starts with your subject line.
Emails displayed on a desk on a table
Personalizing your subject line can make your email seem more relevant and interesting to your subscribers.
Addressing your subscribers as “ Adelaide, here’s a special offer just for you! ” in your subject line is a great way to get their attention.
Who doesn't love a special offer made just for them?
Keep it short and sweet, as longer subject lines tend to get cut off on mobile devices. Asking a question can spark curiosity and encourage engagement.
Also, keep in mind that the language you use in your emails will affect your subscribers' perception of your business. How do you want your subscribers to feel when they read your emails? Do you want to sound corporate or friendly?
Using action-oriented language in the subject line and body of the email urges and compels your subscribers to act on the email. It is crucial to avoid spammy words and phrases, such as “buy now” and “limited time offer.” Not only will this increase the open rates of your emails, but it will also help you avoid having your emails flagged as spam.