Most people who send out eBulletins or newsletters or updates, tend to focus on open rates. "If they don't open it, I'm wasting my time so I better check the stats."
It's natural enough. You want to know what's happening.
But there is a problem with this. Open rates are no longer accurate! The picture is horribly complicated by:
- Offline email reading
- ISPs disabling emails by default
- Mobile email reading
- Preview panes
- Inconsistency of reporting between different email service providers.
But even though you can't get accurate figures, it is still important to get opened (obviously). So here are a few hints that might help:
- Be sure to use a sender address that is recognisable and consistent
- Write a great subject line - make it engaging and people will open up
- Test for the best time of day and day of the week for your particular audience (you might be surprised how much difference it makes).
We all know there is a major problem today with clutter, so it's worth doing everything you can to make yourself stand out.