For years, marketers have argued the value of email marketing, even deeming it “dying” at one point in time, but here are the facts: 91% of consumers check their emails daily, and 66% of online consumers have made a purchase as the result of an email. Additionally, 42% of businesses say email is one of their most effective lead generation channels; and for B2B marketers, 88% cite email as the most effective lead generation tactic. Alas, email marketing is not dead, nor is it something to push to the bottom of your 2015 marketing priority list.
Open Rates – Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, Oh My!
Research from MailerMailer finds that emails arriving to inboxes on Monday had the highest open rate (12% average) in the first half of the year, and the average rose slightly in the second half of the year to 12.9%. Furthermore, emails arriving on Tuesday had the second highest open rate in the first half of the year, while Friday won the second highest open rate award for the second half of the year.
Subject Lines – The Shorter, The Better
The MailerMailer study also finds that emails with short subject lines (between four and 15 characters) had the highest open rate at 16.8%. Emails with longer subject lines had lower rates on average. Additionally, subject lines that pose an important question, provide critical information, or offer an incentive, are all subject lines that are proven successful.
Click-Through Rates (CTR), they are your friends
While open rates were low on Sundays, CTRs were high particularly in the first half of the year (2.2%). In the second half of the year, CTRs were highest on Tuesday (2.1%). As an important metric for measuring interest and leads, it’s crucial to find ways to raise this rate continually. Writing concise informative copy, segmenting lists and offering targeted content are three surefire ways to increase your click-through rates.
Also, emails are most likely to be opened earlier in the day between 8am and 12pm. Open rates started to escalate around 3am, peaking at 10am (6.5%) and decline slowly from there.
A/B Testing -Testing Makes Perfect!
Simply defined, A/B testing is releasing two different versions of content to see which set performs better. This can be done with anything from the subject line to CTA’s to specific images or colors. Obviously, testing is where the real elbow grease comes in, but don’t get too carried away. Many marketers suggest testing only two variables at a time. The good news? If you A/B test, your hard work is proven to pay off. 74% of companies who regularly test email strategies report positive ROI. Testing is a sure way to increase the likelihood of your campaign success and turn leads into customers and brand advocates.
As an Atlanta and New Orleans based integrated communications and PR agency, we see the power in sharing content through all channels, and email marketing is certainly a piece of that puzzle. With a strategic email marketing plan, companies will see heightened brand awareness, increased lead generation and ultimately an increased bottom line. For more information on how email marketing can elevate your brand, check out our Traditional Services.