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How To Increase Email Response Rates

In this column, Contributing Editor Janet Roberts shares 11 tactics and tips on increasing response rates for your email messages. -Larry Chase

1. Make sure readers can see your message, no matter what email client they use, whether they see the message full size or in the smaller preview pane, or read it on a cell phone, laptop or desktop.

New studies show a third to a half of email readers either block images from downloading automatically, or read only a fraction of the message in their client's preview pane, or both. So, if you stuff your message into a single large image, your readers will see only a big blank space.

Design your message to get the most important information seen no matter how readers view it. Put your call to action, transaction confirmation or most important article title in a text line at the top of the message body.

2. Most mobile email readers will not see your HTML content, so add a text message option subscribers can choose at opt-in.

You should offer this anyway, because up to 10% of your readers don't want to receive graphics in their emails. However, with more people reading on their phones or PDAs, you will lose them if your message doesn't immediately attract their attention.

I use my phone to triage my inbox when I'm away from my desk. Too many HMTL emails show appear blank or truncated. They look unprofessional, and they add to my email-viewing time. More often than not, I delete them.

Text messages require stronger copy because the pictures aren't there to help sell the product. Use short paragraphs of one or two sentences each. Put key information in the top half of the message body and choose descriptive, image-building words.

3. Use a clearly stated call to action or value proposition to tell readers exactly what you want them to do or know.

Make the call to action a prominent feature: State it in the subject line and display it high up in the message body. Use text instead of or in addition to an HTML image. This way, your call will get seen even if the reader doesn't enable images.

Also, provide multiple links to your landing page throughout the message body. Links at the top and bottom of your message will get the most clicks, but our experience with WDFM shows links sprinkled throughout the copy also draw clicks. The more opportunities you give readers to act, the better your response.

4. Use alt tags in HTML messages to display text that will show up even if readers don't download images.

An "alt tag" is an HTML device that shows text in the place of a disabled image. Traditionally, it has been just a couple of words to describe the image associated with it, but many clever marketers use it now to deliver key information. A reader who disables images by default will see the words but not the picture.

Two examples where copy in an alt tag can further encourage response:

1. In a product image where you describe the item for sale, list the incentive and ask for the click;
2. On an action-button image. You should always label buttons with desired action anyway; instead of simply asking someone to click, specifically ask them to subscribe or buy... and better yet, if space permits include a pithy value proposition such as "Start my 7 day complimentary trial period now."

5. List all the ways readers can contact you or buy from you in addition to your email channel.

Your email message should always include real-world contact information, including postal/street address (required for US emailers) and telephone numbers, toll-free ideally. Include links to customer service and links to Web and live-help services.

Monitor any email address associated with your email program to catch any stray requests or problems.

Also, list all of your sales or information channels, should readers need a different outlet, including direct mail, store locators, RSS feeds, blogs or podcasts. In online marketing, this cross-pollenization helps build all of your channels into an integrated, seamless program.

As an aside, this helps you combat siloing of marketing channels for accounting purposes. You need to persuade upper management that isolating one channel at the expense of others can end up with money left on the table.

6. Remember the long tail. Email messages have a long shelf life. Someone might not be ready to buy the instant she receives your message, but if the offer is good enough, she'll save it for another day.

Keep links to your Web offers up long after the campaign has ended. Even if the campaign was built around a limited-term offer, keep the landing page up with fresh copy that reroutes visitors to other offers or opportunities. Above all, avoid "Page Not Found Syndrome!"

Finally, make sure the landing page matches the email. The reader should find the information he wants immediately. Never make a prospect search for the right page.

7. Test your message before you send it to eliminate errors and find the optimal content.

You always proofread the copy before you send it (we hope!) but do you send yourself or an associate a test message to look it over before you send? This is a crucial step to make sure your content reads correctly, the links work and your HTML formatting is correct.

Also, test subject lines, body copy and offers to find which ones will most likely draw the most interest. Create a test subset of your database and do a simple A/B split test on a single variable. Multivariate testing works, but it takes more time, and the results can be misleading if you don't know what you're doing.

8. Send more targeted emails. Segment your database into relevant subsets based on data you collect from your subscribers at opt-in, or on buying behavior or other triggers, and tailor your message or offer accordingly.

Email research over the last two to three years shows that targeted emails have higher delivery rates and get better response than a single email message sent to a broad audience.

Most better-quality list-management software programs now allow segmenting. Build segments using demographics, interests, postal codes, past purchases, shopping-cart abandonment or any other behavior that your Web analytics program captures.

Even if you don't collect much information, you can segment your list to look for your most active responders versus inactives, or newcomers versus old-timers.

9. Increase your customer engagement by welcoming newcomers immediately and by reaching out to inactive customers with special offers.

New customers or subscribers usually are your most engaged buyers. If you wait too long to confirm opt-in requests or to start sending email, they might lose interest or wander over to a more active competitor.

Send a welcome message immediately after confirmation that lists contact information, sums up what the subscriber has opted in for and links to your website to get him to visit right away.

Use segmenting to find customers who have not purchased or acted on your emails in a set time period, say three or six months. Send a special offer, invitation to update their profiles or some other inducement to get them back into your program.

10. Use segmenting to ferret out inactives.

Your list most likely has a large niche of "emotionally unsubscribed" subscribers on it. That's a new term to describe subscribers who have lost interest without bothering to unsubscribe. They're dangerous because they provide no value to you and might be artificially suppressing response rates.

Subscriber interest can begin to wane just three weeks after opt-in. By six months out, anyone who hasn't opened or clicked on your emails is likely a lost cause.

However, don't toss out these addresses, because they should still be valid. Try re-engaging them with special offers. If they don't respond after two or three tries, move the addresses to an inactive file, but one that can still be accessed if the address owner does unsubscribe at some point.

11. Keep your mailing lists as fresh and up to date as possible. It's a good idea to "eyeball your list" physically inspect it with your own eyes on a very frequent basis.

"Dirty" lists have lower response rates and can make you look like a bad guy. ISPs then will block your messages or route them to the junk folder.

Use opt-in to build your own house list first. Never add email addresses unless you have clear permission or a solid business relationship with the owners. If you use co-registration or list rental, pick your partners carefully. Watch inbound links to see where prospects are coming from. If most are low-quality sites, get out immediately.

Also, patrol your database regularly. Drop any address that bounces repeatedly and watch out for "role" or spam trap addresses. Examples: "support@xyz.com," "webmaster@xyz.com," "info@xyz.com" or "abuse@xyz.com."

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