Improving the Open Rate of Your Emails

You probably know how to “test” a direct mailing piece. You have version A and version B which might have a different heading, cover letter, envelope, tagline, offer or element in it.

But, how do you test your email blasts to see which ones might be more effective, more interesting to your home buyer and seller audience? If you aren’t sure how to improve the “open rate” of the emails you send out to your distribution list, there are a number of things you can try to see if you can change how many recipients read your emails.

Subject Lines
Consider changing the subject line to contain specific information relevant to the intended audience. Instead of “Home Buyer Newsletter 2/24/10 Edition” try “10 Tips Home Buyers Need to Know to Qualify for Tax Credits.”

Timing
Depending upon your audience, consider emailing on a different day than you normally do. If you’ve noticed an uptick of activity from home sellers early in the week (after they discuss their situation with friends and family over the weekend), you might consider an early in the week mailing to hit their inbox when they’re typically ready to list.

Content
Many email previewers and smart phones show just the first line of text from an email which can encourage (or discourage) recipients from reading it right now…or not at all. Craft each email thoughtfully to include valuable content in the first line. Think of Twitter’s 140 character limit and make your opener fit that model.

Sender
Be sure that the sender of the email is recognizable. That is, test and make sure emails that you send out aren’t coming from simply “John,” but your complete name and even include your title such as “John Donovan, Your Anytown Real Estate Professional.”

Frequency
Be sure you aren’t inundating your list with a constant barrage of emails. Alternatively, don’t let lots of time lapse between emails either. The recipients will forget who you are or their contact info (email address) will be stale and undeliverable.

Remember, most importantly that open rates are dependent upon recipients wanting to read your emails. Be sure you are following opt-in and opt-out subscription requests and targeting the correct consumers with the right message. For example, it’s obvious to send buyers buyer topics and sellers seller topics, but be sure to move clients along the pipeline to long-term contact (asking for referrals) and general homeowning advice and information after they’ve made their home purchase or sold their home.

Additionally, make sure your emails are deliverable. Keep your database (and email lists) up-to-date.

Share your thoughts on open rates of your email marketing campaigns.