The main motivating factor for someone to open an email is going to be either the sender or the subject line. Both are critical when it comes to using email lists for marketing purposes. If the sender does not appear to be a stranger, then the recipient will pay a little attention to it. If the subject is enticing, then you may actually be able to generate an email sales lead from your message.
Tips and Tricks
When sending out messages to your email lists for marketing, you want to make sure that the “sender” information is accurate. You want it to be a name, either your name or your company name. Avoid having your message come from a random email address, or an “info” account. You can make up a name if you’d prefer to not use your own, just make it seem that the email is coming from an actual person. Emails that are obviously bulk or obviously spam are just going to be deleted. Why go through the trouble of developing a database mailing list and using your email lists for marketing when the actual email is unlikely to be even opened?
Most people have email inboxes that are flooded with “special” offers. Making yours stand out is a challenge. Having an email come from an apparent stranger—even when they have used a bulk email opt in selection to get to and remain on your list—means that it is probably not going to be opened. Send the email from a familiar address, using your name or the company name, for best results. When the recipient recognizes where it comes from, they will be far more interested.
Developing an enticing subject line is a bit more tricky. Sending out a mass email to your email lists for marketing means that you are trying to entice the recipient into opening and clicking through to your offer. You have approximately 40 characters available to do this, far shorter than the average tweet! Use every character wisely, and focus on the benefits of your offer and what it will do for the recipient. Everybody on your database mailing list wants to know, “What’s in it for me?” Don’t try to be tricky, be honest and let the reader know that there is definitely a benefit for them for trying your offer. Sometimes a well thought out question will entice readers to open. Just make sure when they open it, they either get what you are claiming or they get an answer to the question, or it will look like spam.