One of the most difficult aspects of email marketing is improving your open rate. After all, if your prospects don't open your email, they can't know what wonderful products and services you're promoting.
Here are 3 direct response copywriting secrets you can use to increase your open rate and your bottom line.
1. Your subject line must be a short, attention grabbing, sentence much like what you would find on the envelope of a piece of direct mail you receive in your mailbox at home. Consider, when writing it, if it answers one of these three questions:
* Who is the email from? "HGTV Top Decorating Dos and Don'ts" for example, tells the recipient who the email is from. It also offers a benefit.
* What does the recipient have to do and when do they have to do it. For example, "Enter Today to win the $5000 Thanksgiving Sweepstakes."
* What benefit do they receive by opening it? "Learn how to add $1000 to your bank account each month."
2. Your From Line is key. If you're a well known company, then putting your company name in the from line is the best bet. People aren't going to open an email from someone they don't know. There's too much risk with viruses and too much SPAM to bother. However, if they immediately know who the email is from, they're more likely to open it. But what if you're not a well known company? Then put your name in the "From" line.
3. Pay close attention to your first couple of sentences. Direct response copywriters call the first paragraph the "lead" and most email systems provide their users with a few words, if not the first few sentences of an email. These first few sentences are critical to your open rate. Use active and inspiring language to excite your reader, inspire curiosity, or create a sense of urgency. Once the email is open, then you can let your copy do its job.
Your open rate is one of the most important statistics to increase your email marketing success. Use what direct response copywriters have known for decades and apply it to your email marketing strategy for optimal results.