5 Tips to Make Sure They Open (and Read) Your Small Business E-mails

Deciding to incorporate e-mail marketing into your small business marketing plan is a big (albeit smart) step. By using e-mail as another means to contact your audience, you've created another effective way to connect and nurture a positive and lasting relationship with them.

However, e-mail marketing also comes with its challenges. In addition to building a solid e-mail list and incorporating regular e-mails into your already busy schedule, you now also have to come up with the content for those e-mails-- and that can be a challenge if not done right.

In 2022, there were approximately 333.2 billion e-mails sent and received per day worldwide (Oberlo.com, 2022). This number is expected to increase to 347.3 billion in 2023. In other words, if you expect your e-mail to stand out amongst the many others showing up in their inbox, it must be relevant, engaging, and impactful.

In the following, I share five tips to make sure your target audience opens (and actually reads) your small business e-mails:

In 2022, there were approximately 333.2 billion e-mails sent and received per day worldwide (Oberlo.com, 2022)

Have a plan.

As exciting as it is to have another way to communicate with your target audience, before you start writing, you're going to need a plan for that e-mail. That plan should include the topic of that e-mail, what emotions you want to evoke (e.g., will it be funny, encouraging, heartfelt, etc.), and what follow-up e-mails or sequences they will receive after that e-mail is sent. Ideally, the plan for that individual e-mail should fit into your overall content marketing plan, making it easier for you to repurpose that content across other platforms.

In addition to having a plan for the specific content itself, you will also want to have an idea of what you plan to get out of that e-mail. Think about the open rate you expect. If selling a product or service within the e-mail, have an idea of how many sales you wish to get from it.

By having a well-thought-out plan and end goal before writing your e-mail, you will know precisely how to position your writing and send timing to entice both views and clicks.

Write a catchy subject line.

Did you know that 69% of e-mail recipients will report an e-mail as spam after reading the subject line alone (Zippia.com, 2023)? That's right-- before they've even given you a chance to hear what you need to say, you've been sent to the trash, unable ever to send them an e-mail again.

The subject line is the first thing that your e-mail reader will see. Therefore it needs to be something that will stand out from the other hundreds of e-mails and grab their attention enough to make them want to learn more.

A good subject line should be short and sweet (no more than 160 characters), but also tell them what to expect when they open your e-mail. Too many emojis or punctuation marks may automatically get your e-mail sent to spam, so try to keep those to a minimum. Also, use merge tags to add personalization to your subject line when possible. Your readers are much more likely to open your e-mail if they see their name in it!

Always have a clear call to action.

As mentioned in my e-marketing 101 blog, every e-mail you send needs a call-to-action (CTA). As a reminder, a CTA is a link or button that drives your readers to engage and take action. For example, it can be a link to view a video or external website, make a purchase, or directly reply to your e-mail.

A strong CTA is obvious, persuasive, and low-risk, creating a sense of urgency for the reader to click. The key is to build up interest and emotion before dropping the CTA, so they are ready to click on it before they even reach the bottom of your e-mail!

However, avoid making more than one CTA as it may be counterproductive, pulling your reader away from the most important action you want them to take.

Personalize the e-mails.

Just as personalizing the subject line of the e-mail pulls the reader in and makes them click a personalized e-mail will also encourage them to keep reading. Personalization makes a reader feel like you are talking directly to them and addressing their specific needs versus talking to a room of people. 

Use merge tags to include their name in the salutation of the e-mail as well as throughout the e-mail. Use recipient groups within your e-mail marketing platform to send personalized content to specific groups of individuals. Doing so will help build, nurture, and strengthen the relationship between you and your customer, leaving them looking forward to the next e-mail that you've created "just for them."

Trial and error.

One of the best ways to improve your e-mail marketing success is through trial and error. Don't be afraid to try new things! Trial and error allow you to learn from your mistakes and successes and use your learning to improve your following e-mails.

Utilize A/B testing (a/k/a split testing) to test different subject lines, CTAs, and writing styles to different groups to see which content is the most effective and encourages the most opens and clicks. Then, use the results to tweak the following subject lines, CTAs, and writing style.

Don't overdo it.

I'm going to keep it 100% honest with you. Sometimes it's about more than just the content. Sometimes, your target audience won't want to open your e-mails because they're tired of seeing your name pop up in their inbox! Sending multiple e-mails daily is a sure way to turn your readers off from wanting to read your content unless there's significant time sensitivity (such as a flash sale, deadline, or online event approaching).

While establishing a steady schedule is important when sending out marketing e-mails, there's a big difference between consistency and constant. You want to send e-mails just often enough that they look forward to receiving the next one but not so much that they feel like they're being spammed! 

Do you need help creating a catchy yet effective e-mail to send to your small business customers? We should chat! Click here to schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation call with me today.