June 03, 2010
Author: Meredith Welch
Create subject lines that encourage recipients to open, read and respond to marketing emails.
Here's a perfectly reasonable subject line:
(Gardening News) Ten tips for a better fuchsia display
Now cut it off after 42 characters, like some email software likely does and see how it reads. Ouch!
The subject line is the one chance that marketers have to entice customers to open and read through marketing emails. Once a client opts to receive email messages, there is no way to guarantee that he or she will actually view the message—the inbox is an entirely personal sphere, and recipients regularly exercise the freedom to simply and easily delete messages they find unappealing. Constructing appealing subject lines is essential to effectively increasing open-rates.
Subject lines must be related to the message’s content and should also include keys words that pique the recipient’s interest. The main problem in producing attractive subject lines lies in the tendency of email platforms to limit the length of subject lines. Every platform and individual user specifies a different length, thus it is crucial to put the most important words in the beginning of the subject. Length may anywhere from 25 to 160 characters; there is no hard and fast rule dictating what must be displayed; all sorts of actions influence the size of the subject line.
Senders should take into account what the subject line will look like when it goes through the limitations enforced by the email platform. The shrunken subject line needs to get the point across without losing its integrity. Testing various truncated subject lines before committing to a full-fledged send is always a good idea.
Hooking clients isn’t only a matter of adding an address to the mailing list, but also a matter of stimulating a recipient’s curiosity by composing brilliant, alluring subject lines (that may also be shortened) that will incite further action.
NB: Tired of counting characters in a subject line? Download this free truncation tool:http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/copywriting/subject-lines/subjectlinetool1.zip
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Quattro Internet Solutions (Ltd) t/a GraphicMail’s hosted email marketing solution is used by customers such as Motorola, SA Airlink, Europcar and Harvard University since 2002. It is available in eight languages and is represented by over 16 offices globally. Follow GraphicMail on Twitter, Facebook and their email marketing blog. Contact: Barbara Ulmi, GraphicMail Marketing Manager, barbara@graphicmail.com
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