We get dozens of e-mails each day and many times we just don’t even want to look at it. So how do we prevent our [potential] customers from deleting our e-mails? We have complied some tips to help you catch their attention and get them interested.

1. Specific subject line
When you check your e-mail the first thing you see is usually the subject line. The subject is what tells you what the e-mail is about and whether or not you will open it, save it or delete it. Creating a subject line that will grab your viewers attention is critical. You want it to be direct while encouraging people to click to read more. For example, if you are sending a newsletter the subject may have the name of your company along with the words newsletter. It sounds simple, but it tells the reader exactly what it is. You can try different techniques to see which subject lines reap the best results.

2. Great design
Once someone opens your e-mail they are looking for something worth reading. Here are the elements your e-mail needs to include.

•  Banner:

Your e-mails should be both visually pleasing and informative. The top should have a banner of some sort with your company name, logo and link to your website. The banner will stand out right away so make sure it is appropriate.

• Main Content:

Keep it direct and use only a summary. You may want to add a link to read more.

• Side Content:

Add other information on the side such as blog articles, featured products, new additions, etc. People may not be interested in the main content, but they may see a blog article they are interested in instead.

• E-mail signature:

When you send an e-mail it is important to have a signature at the bottom with your name and contact information. That way if people want more information they can contact you in more ways than just replying to the e-mail. Your signature should include the company, your name, title, phone number, e-mail, fax number, social media or any other type of contact information you have. If you need help, we create customized e-mail signatures that are professional and effective. Read more about it here.

3. Keep it simple
Don’t write an entire story in your e-mails. Get straight to the point and state your purpose. People don’t want to spend too much time reading e-mail so don’t make them sift through endless paragraphs of information just to get to the point.

4. Be consistent
Decide when you want to send e-mails and stick to it. If people are signing up for your newsletter they want to know when to expect it. Sending e-mail every week is better than once a month, but don’t send e-mail too frequently or it will start to become annoying. You may want to send a monthly newsletter, but then you could also send a weekly promotional e-mail. It will depend on what your business is selling and what you are trying to market. If you are having an event, special sale, or want to announce company news, an e-mail blast is a great way to get the word out. Remember that many people check their e-mail before work and at lunchtime. Doing a little research for the best time to send e-mail can help you decide your schedule.

5. Call to action
Every e-mail you send should have a call to action. It can be a request to buy a particular product, attend an event, visit the store for a sale, or any one of the multiple actions you may want your reader to take. Sending e-mail without seeking an action to follow is simply a waste of time. E-mail Marketing needs to be targeted and strategically planned out in order to reap results.

6. Resend e-mails
If people do not open your e-mail try resending it with a different subject line. This doesn’t require too much time and it could be an easy fix with big results.

7. Check compatibility
Test your e-mails to make sure they are easily read no matter what device is used. Can it be seen the same on a PC, Mac, iPad, Cell phone, etc.? What about different e-mail providers? If you include images in your e-mails be sure that it can stand on its own without images in case they don’t load for some people.

8. Double check
Proofread the e-mail before you send it. If someone opens your e-mail only to find incomplete sentences and misspelled words, they aren’t going to take you seriously. After you have used spell check and have read it over a couple times, have someone else look it over. Sometimes you need an outsider to look it over and see errors you missed. Before you send it, make sure you have all the correct e-mail addresses and are sending it to the right ones. An e-mail won’t be effective if it is not seen by the group you are targeting.

There are so many ways to market your company and e-mail marketing is yet another way to gain customers. Formulate an e-mail marking plan and stay consistent with your efforts in order to see results. It can be an overwhelming task, so if you are unsure where to start or what to do, we can help you. We can create an e-mail signature for you or help come up with an effective e-mail marketing strategy. For all your graphic design needs contact us today.

image source: smallbiztrends.com