Last week, at the Inbound Marketing 2015 event in Boston, I had the chance to attend Tom Monaghan’s presentation: Seven Reasons Even Your Mom Won’t Open Your Email. I have to admit that many of the points raised by Tom, HubSpot’s email expert, are very relevant and reveal several things worth considering.
Here is my take on it.
You’re sending your email at the wrong time
There are many theories about the best time to send your emails: some say to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays, while others find those days work well. So what should you do, knowing that everyone has a big backlog of emails and it’s very hard to stand out from the pile?
Tom’s recommendations:
- Mix up days and times, test, and try to find your patterns. You’ll eventually figure out what works best for you.
- Don’t be afraid to be bold. Some very surprising results happen around 8:30 a.m. and in the early evening, as well as on weekends.
You’re using questionable addresses
Where did you collect your addresses? What are your sources? Did you buy a list? The quality of your list is directly proportional to your success.
Tom’s recommendations:
- Make sure you have an informative website that invites people to subscribe to your content through a simple form.
- Invest in the quality of your content; your subscribers will be all the more engaged and loyal.
Your emails are pale beige and look pre-iPhone
Yes, the web moves fast, so don’t hesitate to give your templates a makeover. Bring in an expert or ask your graphic designer for help. The design of your emails directly influences how readers perceive you.
Tom’s recommendations:
- Look at the newsletters you receive, see which ones you like and get inspired!
- Use the professional templates of email marketing solutions like Cyberimpact.* *OK, I admit it, this recommendation is mine.
Your emails are a little too personal
Talk too much about yourself and not enough about your readers’ interests, and you’re sure to lose them! Also, personalize your emails sparingly, or you risk scaring your readers.
Tom’s recommendations:
- It’s fine to start your email with a greeting like: Hi Tom, our blah blah,
- However, adding other variables can quickly become creepy: Hi Tom, from CyberCo, who visited my site on… Avoid this!
- NEVER PUT THE PERSON’S NAME IN THE SUBJECT LINE… subscribers find this practice scary.
Dot your i’s and cross your t’s: some words should be avoided
Subject lines like:
- Here’s the best (worst) subject line of all time
- Urgent, open this email now!
- Contest: win a – of your choice
- Free, Gratuit
- Enlargement…
Tom’s recommendations:
- Write your subject line and read it out loud. If it sounds too much like a tabloid headline, start over!
- Check your “speling and grammer”
- Get more tips for improving the subject lines of your mailings.
Your email is incomprehensible, too technical
Think of the TV show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Simplify and write in plain language. Your readers shouldn’t need a dictionary to understand you.
Tom’s recommendation:
- Make links bigger, and don’t hesitate to include more than one hyperlink leading to the same place. Your readers shouldn’t have to wonder where to >>click here for more details about your offer<<
The internet is broken again: help her out, one more time!
Your mom is still struggling with the internet. Don’t sigh: it’s time to call her and tell her you love her.
Finally, I’d be remiss not to say: two thumbs up to Tom Monaghan for inspiring this article.