The first step in trying to increase the Click Through Rate (CTR) of your emails is to properly segment your list(s). As mentioned in my previous blog post, on how to increase your expected ROI for email marketing, sending to the right people can really help you solidify your numbers and gain more accurate stats on your subscribers. Once you know you’re sending to the interested crowd, here are six tips to help you get the highest Click Rate.
1. Straight To The Point – One Call To Action (CTA)
Be sure to be clear and to the point in your emails. When a subscriber opens your email, the faster they understand it, the more likely they will be to engage with it. This means, don’t try to write a 12-page email and be sure to focus on one product or at least lean on a specific theme. You will overload the subscriber if you try to sell multiple products at once in an email.
For example, if you have a shoe store, and you have different types of shoes to put on sale (eg. sport, dress, casual, etc.), you can create a focused email for each and send this to a segment of your list that would be more inclined to buy that type of shoe.
Offering fewer options allows your subscriber to easily make quick decisions. Marketers that have done this have seen their CTR double. Don’t be afraid to be specific. By doing this, you will learn much more about your subscribers. If they don’t click on a focused email, you will learn more than if they don’t click on an email that offers all of your products. If you offer all of your products, they may not click simply because the email was too busy.
2. Visible CTA
As soon as I open your email I should see the offer and the CTA. This means, test your email on desktops and mobile devices to ensure these areas are above the fold. As your subscriber skims through their emails, they need to see something that will catch their eye.
I also recommend having multiple CTAs throughout your email, and again, make sure they are visible. Use our Button Feature to really make your CTA stand out! I highly recommend having at least one CTA above the fold and another one towards the bottom of your email. Imagine if you were selling backpacks and you had a special offer for one of your new models. This email could highlight the backpack at the top with a call to action. As you scroll down the email, you can point out specific features with a CTA right next to each feature. This will increase the chance of a click because as soon as a feature peeks your subscribers’ interest, they will have an easy button to click on to buy. Also, this will help you gain insights as to what your subscribers love most about your new product by seeing the feature that received the most clicks.
3. Make Your Emails Social
This is something I think we are all aware of, but just in case, make sure you have social sharing options in your emails! Your subscribers are on various social channels, let them share your content on them. Even if it’s just the “Like” button, if they click on that, their friends will see that then they get curious and start sharing and before you know it, you are out of stock! OK, that may be an exaggeration or edge case, but look at how well social sharing worked for companies like Dollar Shave Club or Poo-Pourri. You won’t know until you try.
4. Local Offers
Companies should keep in mind that, if given the choice, a customer is more likely to buy from a local store (even if it’s done online) because it gives the customer a sense of reach. If anything goes wrong, they feel as if a local store will be much more apt to correct it. If you have many stores, have them send to their subscribers locally and make sure they share that local pride! This will increase engagement and will also increase your brand loyalty.
5. Urgency
When it comes to clicks, urgency works great! If a subscriber has a full month to click on your special, they are likely to forget about it. Time sensitive emails really separate the shoppers from the buyers. As a side note for this one, I sometimes see companies that send time sensitive emails with discounts. If the first one fails, another email is sent with a more aggressive discount. Be careful doing this, since you don’t want to create a habit for your subscriber to always wait for the “next email” with the bigger discount.
6. For Bloggers, Don’t Give It All Up On The First Date
Email is very much like dating. You need to test the waters before you go all the way. And trust me, your subscriber feels the same way. For this case, be sure to set a clear path as to why you are sending emails to your subscribers. The main idea is to get them on your page, right? If you offer all of your blog content in your email, there will be no reason to go to your website. Create an email with briefings of your posts for the week/month and add calls to action to continue reading. Just like for selling products, this will also give you a better idea as to what are the most common blogs your subscribers are interested in. It will also keep your emails clean and easy to read.
I hope these 6 tips help you with your click through rate! Please feel free to post questions or comments below on experiences you have had in regards to your click rate.
