The subject line
The first thing the recipient of an e-mail sees is the subject line. For this reason, it is especially important to design it in such a way that the recipient is convinced to actually open the e-mail.
It is often assumed that the length of the subject line has a special influence on the opening rate. However, an investigation by the e-mail tool provider MailChimp has now shown that the length of a subject line has hardly any influence on the opening rate of e-mails. What matters is the content.
When opening e-mails on mobile devices such as smartphones, there is something else to consider. Due to the scaled-down display, the entire subject line is usually not displayed. Before sending e-mails to the distribution list, you should therefore test how the display behaves on mobile devices. However, it is also important here that the subject line in the smartphone inbox is displayed sensibly. Even if not all the text in the line can be displayed due to the size, this is not the end of the world. The meaningful beginning of the subject line is completely sufficient.
Of course, when designing the subject line, it goes far beyond the length of the subject line to get the recipient to open the e-mail and even to convert it. This is where personalization comes into play. Few specific subject lines such as “Product news in January 2017” or “New clothes arrived. Shop now” often arouse little interest among recipients. However, sensibly used personalization can emphasize the relevance or urgency of an e-mail and increase its importance. Even with direct addresses a higher relevance of the subject line can be achieved. This can be achieved without personalization, for example by saying “We miss you” or by personalization “[FIRST NAME], we haven’t seen you for a long time! However, in order to create a direct relationship with the customer, the best way is to include data that is available. Also here, the address can be made by personalization “[SURNAME], do you like your new [PRODUCT] from [DESIGNER]?” or without personalization by “Please rate your purchase in our online shop!
The subject line has the task to motivate the recipient of the e-mail and not just to inform. In order to increase the effect of a subject line on the recipient, it is particularly suitable to use certain terms that play with scarcity or exclusivity or even security or that contain a certain motivation. Examples of such terms for the representation of scarcity and exclusivity are for example: “limited edition, only for a short time, only today, almost sold out, only available here, exclusively for you, VIP club invitation, don’t miss it”. The security can be represented approximately by: “tested now, there’s the proof, bestseller, guaranteed, new study”. To motivate the e-mail recipient, words like “win, special, free, bonus, new, now, discover, help” can be used in particular.
Exemplary subject lines that can be effective are for example: “Only 24 hours left! [FIRSTNAME], redeem your voucher today and secure a quick CHF 25 discount on your next order”, “[FIRSTNAME], can you help me a little?” or “Fancy new products from your favourite designer [DESIGNER]? Discover now in the shop!”
Emojis, which are now frequently used by email marketers, are also a particularly effective tool. The range of existing emojis is almost unlimited and can therefore be used for almost any occasion. The big advantage of using emojis is the visualization for the recipient and the setting of a certain stimulus. It should be noted, however, that emojis are not simply used incoherently, but that there is a connection between the text of the subject line and the emojis used. Otherwise the emojis will miss their effect.
Rules for subject lines
For the design of effective subject lines there are a few “rules” that should be followed so that effectiveness is not compromised. For example, instead of a subject line with the content “Happy Birthday”, a content like “We have a present for you! [Gift Emoji] Happy Birthday, [FIRST NAME]!” can be used. This not only allows for personalization, but also includes an emoji for visualization purposes. An additional incentive to open the email is also given by the prospect of a gift.
Another example of an effective subject line of an e-mail is “[FIRST NAME], You asked for it! 30 % discount on your favorite [DESIGNER] items”. Especially the personalization and the products adapted to the previous behaviour make it especially relevant for the recipient. This is because no arbitrary products are offered, but products that are most likely relevant for the recipient of the e-mail. The chance that the recipient will convert is thus increased.
Subject lines in the A/B test
When designing a subject line, A/B testing can again be advantageous in order to find out how the subject line can be implemented most effectively in the individual context of your own mailing list. In the first step of A/B testing, two subject lines are created that are to be compared with each other. Subsequently, e-mails with the first and second subject lines are sent to ten percent of the distribution list. The subject line with the greatest success is then sent to the other 80 percent of the distribution list.
There are already e-mail marketing tools that offer an A/B testing function and provide information as to whether a different division makes sense for the selected distribution list size. In this way, good results can be achieved in the short term.
Pictures
In addition to the subject line, which immediately catches the eye of the recipient of an e-mail, images also play an important role in <a href=”https://sandbox.one-line.ch/en/services/email-marketing/email-marketing-agency/”>e-mail marketing</a>. The correct use of images can influence the reader’s line of sight and give the content an emotional component. The choice of images has an influence that should not be underestimated. Care should be taken to ensure that the selected images create a link to the brand being advertised.
The first image that the reader of an e-mail comes into contact with is the so-called header image. It is therefore particularly important that this image is selected in such a way that it reflects the content of the entire e-mail and is even supplemented by a CTA if necessary.
When using images in e-mail templates, it should be noted that neither the text-to-image ratio nor the file size is such that the spam filter of the recipient of the e-mail is triggered. The size of the e-mail can also lead to problems on mobile devices due to the images used. Every additional kilobyte increases the loading time. Longer loading times, in turn, lead to a higher rate of interruptions in the e-mail loading process and thus to a loss of revenue due to a lack of offers. But here, special programs as for example Adobe Photoshop or IrfanView can offer a remedy. By saving the images used, the size is reduced accordingly. The best possible resolution with the smallest possible file size is achieved with a pixel dimension and a pixel density of 72. There is also to consider that many e-mail tool providers do not even point out that the images are too big before sending them.
Another problem that can occur when using images despite reducing the file size is blocking. There are some e-mail clients (desktop, browser or mobile) that block images in e-mails due to their default setting. But also suspending the download of images for security reasons is very common. So that in such a case the complete e-mail is not immediately illegible or unusable for the recipient, so-called alt texts can be used. Alt-texts are there to ensure that in case of a blocked image, a caption is still available and thus the reader can get to know the content of the e-mail despite the missing images.
Fonts
When using fonts, it should be noted that not all e-mail clients support the fonts used. It is therefore possible that the e-mail sent may look different from what was actually intended. The fonts supported by e-mail clients are called Web Safe Fonts. These include Arial or Times New Roman, for example. If the specially selected font is not taken over by the e-mail client, but is overwritten by another one, this can have enormous effects on the design of the template or even lead to illegibility. To prevent this from happening, Web Safe Fonts can be used as a fallback variant. In this way, the sent e-mail remains readable even if the web font fails.
The best fallback font can be determined by analyzing the most frequently used e-mail clients and testing different fonts on them. Georgia and Times New Roman (serif fonts) as well as Arial and Calibri (sans serif) are particularly suitable as Web Safe Fonts. E-mail clients that support the display of Web fonts are AOL Mail, Native Android Mail, iOS Mail, Apple Mail, Outlook 2000, and the Outlook.com App.
Personalizations and Recommended Content
An Experian study has shown that personalised emails generate six times more transactions than non-personalised emails. This finding should therefore be taken into account in e-mail marketing and should result in the distribution list being divided into specific interest groups. Used correctly, this can result in a huge increase in sales.
The existing static data can be used for personalization. These are mainly the first and last name, the expiry date of a voucher, the reference to a purchase with purchase date, product manufacturer and product name as well as the participation in an event with name, date and place. This personal data is entered into each e-mail by using placeholders. Images can also be used for personalization, for example by integrating the recipient’s name directly into a graphic. Nifty Images is a well-known service here.
Also pictures are very important for recommended content and above all effective way of personalizing e-mails. Using an algorithm for analysing a user’s purchases and product views, products from the available product catalogue are suggested to the recipient of the e-mail which have a high matching rate. Such a matching rate is created based on user data (similar profile, similar order history). Some e-mail tools now also offer integrated recommenders, but these are very expensive.
Recommended content is playing an increasingly important role today, as this can lead to a significant increase in sales. A kind of “understanding” of the preferences is suggested to the customer, which leads to increased brand loyalty and thus increased sales. This is because products that are relevant to the customer, i.e. that suit his taste or even solve a problem, are more likely to be sold. For example, Audible uses particularly effective recommended content.
Furthermore, by Software-as-a-Service providers recommended content can also be used sensibly. For example, if a user searches for products of a certain topic in the search bar in the help area, he or she will receive an e-mail with suggestions or videos about further products and solutions to his or her question.
Into an e-mail recommended content can be integrated with a little effort. For example, static content can be generated through a watch list. Users can add products to this list that they are interested in but do not want to buy immediately. This information can then be used in later e-mails.
RSS campaigns
RSS campaigns are particularly suitable for automatically sending content via newsletter to a specific distribution list. RSS means “Real Simple Syndication”. This is a function that automatically sends a newsletter to the selected distribution list when there is new content on the website, such as new products. The transmission frequency can be defined precisely (daily, weekly, monthly). This option can save a great deal of time and money. Furthermore, these campaigns can be used for any type of distribution list.
