Will Your Email Go Straight Into the Trash?

Delete…delete…delete…delete… it’s the same thing every day. Your email in-box fills up with spam and advertisements you have absolutely no interest in. Insurance, cosmetics, diet pills, cat toys, diapers- You wonder, “How did I even get on this mailing list? I don’t have a baby or a cat. And I am not fat… am I?” And as you sit there deleting all those emails you start to wonder how many people out there, right now, are deleting the emails your dealership sent out yesterday. According to recent studies, people delete about 48% of the emails they receive so the possibility is pretty high. But don’t worry, there are ways to avoid being on of the 48.

Here’s what you need to know:

•  People are more likely to read email ads before work. In fact, the optimal time is between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. Scheduling your email blasts to go out early may very well increase your open rate.
  
• Your subject line is key. It is the first thing the prospect sees so It needs to be engaging enough to grab attention, but not so pushy it turns people off. The following are lists of words that can pique their interest or make them roll their eyes and hit “delete”:
  

• Do use words like:
• Demo
• Connect
• Cancellation
• Apply
• Opportunity
• Payments
• Do NOT use words like:
• Assistance
• Press
• Social
• Invite
• Join
• Confirm
• NO YELLING! An all-caps subject line increases the chance it will be rejected by 30%.
  
• Subject lines with three to four words have a better chance of being opened than shorter or longer ones, so don’t be too wordy.
  
• That goes for the body of the email as well. If you try to cram too much into it, people will stop reading. Between 50 and 125 words is best.
  
• Also, don’t talk over people’s heads. According to a Boomerang email marketing study, the most effective email copy for garnering response is at a 3rd grade level. So it’s probably best to avoid words like “garnering”.
  
• Be positive. Be thoughtful, excited, bold. Don’t be afraid to get emotional or boastful. You want the reader to feel a tug of excitement in your email because, even if they don’t engage right then, that same tug will flow into other avenues of your marketing as they see your social media ads, your mailers, and your TV spots.
  
• Know your prospects. This one can’t be stressed enough. Mailing to the right audience assures you aren’t just throwing your emails into the wind. Internet giants like Facebook and Google have real-time data to help you target specific demographics at exactly the time when they are in the market for a new vehicle. If you don’t know how to access this technology, find a marketing company that can. Only then will your mass emails reach exactly the right prospect at the right time and really make your email marketing strategy fool proof.