Email open rates is the measure that is used to figure out whether the mails that you send out as part of a bulk email marketing campaign are effectively being read by your customers. The measure works by embedding an image tag in a bulk email mailer. When this image is opened the server that contains this image registers a hit, indicating that the user did open this mail. Whether this is really a good measure to analyze effectiveness is a matter of some debate in the online world. The reason for dissonance is that some email clients block out images and this means that the mailer doesn't receive a fair chance in front of the customer. On the other hand, some email clients do not block images and this means that the customer could just be scanning through his or her mailbox and not really reading a mail. Nevertheless, most email marketers suffer from low rates and it is their continuous endeavor to improve email open rates.
Newsletters are already a first step to ensuring that your emails are read. People usually subscribe to newsletters so the most important factor that separates you from a spammer is already established - trust. This is assuming, however, that you have been sensible enough to send a confirmation link email to the customer and the customer has accepted you as a regular member of his or her inbox.
Even this is only half the battle won when it comes to email open rates. There is the age old issue to contend with which is, when to send the newsletter? This may seem like a rather innocuous problem but it is quite the opposite. A newsletter sent during the middle of the day like after lunch hour is a much more sensible proposition than sending one to greet the users as they start a busy day or race to the finish line at the end of the day. So, timing is an important component to also consider when you are aiming to improve email open rates.
The kind of content that goes into a newsletter also has a long term effect on whether people want to receive a newsletter in the future. Frivolous news and tabloid style reporting may seem like a good way to catch attention but if yours is not a tabloid news service then this kind of content style is of no use to you. Unless the entire point is a news parody service and you are aiming to be avant garde on purpose.
Email open rates are a contentious issue despite bearing in mind all these points. One thing can be said for certain though; if you are sending a newsletter instead of a bulk email marketing mailer, a lot of the hurdles are already out of the way for you. Beyond that, the question of how to improve email open rates is still a creative and a hit and miss exercise that you must monitor closely.
How to Boost Your Newsletter or Email Open Rates
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About the Author:
Henry Cass is a best practices activist and advocate for Benchmark Email ( http://www.benchmarkemail.com/resources/OtherResource/Email-Newsletter ) a leading Web and permission-based service for sending newsletters
Author: Henry Cass
