Busy, busy, busy… we hear it all day long. Everyone is busy. With work, family, friends, sports, housekeeping, shopping and updating and checking social media.
Many people take the time to read their e-mails every day, but first make a selection of which e-mails are read and which are not. Especially professionals with an overflowing inbox who prefer to spend as little time as possible sifting through the many unread e-mails.
The question is, how can you still reach this busy B2B audience? How do you get your email opened by CEOs, managers and influencers? In this article, Megan from Newsletter2Go shows you exactly how to make sure everyone reads your emails, busy or not.
A good email starts with a catchy subject…
Many studies have been done on the “best subject”. However, the success of the subject is very closely related to the target group.
An email to an influencer for a potential collaboration has a completely different subject than an email to the CEO within the company.
One thing that all target groups have in common is that the topic must be personal and relevant. Show that this is an e-mail that is specifically aimed at the recipient and that it is not a general newsletter template that has been sent to the complete address book. The subject should be relevant to the recipient and create a sense of urgency to open the email and read the entire content.
Indicate the benefit for the recipient directly in the subject. What is the Return On Investment for opening the email? What does the reader get in return for investing his or her valuable time?
In addition, keep the subject line as clear as possible so that the reader knows exactly what the email is about.
Some examples:
- Question about Facebook Live videos blog article
- Facebook sucks
- I hope they are not mad…
- 85% sales ends today
…and ends with relevant content
The subject is just one part of the cohesive elements that determine whether an email is relevant or not. Once the email is opened, the headline and text should do the rest of the work. Often you want the context to lead to taking an action, such as clicking on a button that leads to the website or replying to the e-mail.
It is therefore preferable to keep the content to the point and do not make the e-mail too long-winded. The shorter the better. Research has shown that the average reading speed is 200 words per minute. An email with a maximum of 200 words is therefore ideal if you don’t want to take up too much of the recipient’s time.
State the purpose of the email in a few short sentences. Remember that people are short on time and will appreciate clean emails with short sentences, numbers and bullet points.
A relevant email has the following format:
- Welcome greeting
- Reason for the email
- Details
- Call to action
- Parting
It also helps enormously in the body of the e-mail to show that you know who you are sending the e-mail to. Add a personal message to build a connection with the recipient. For example, check the recipient’s blog or social media channels and use this information strategically.
For example:
- PS I read that you are planning a trip to Prague, I highly recommend the restaurant Roots
- Your last blog article about email marketing strategies was very interesting, the second method has already resulted in 20 new registrations for us in 1 week
Finally, it is always advisable to close the e-mail with an offer. Offer the recipient your time and help in exchange for the favor you request in the email. In this way, both parties benefit from the cooperation.
Oh and, don’t forget to send a follow-up email. Just because your first email goes unopened doesn’t necessarily mean the recipient isn’t interested. A follow-up email after at least 72 hours whose subject line starts with “RE:” is guaranteed to generate more openings.
