Why do you choose to open an e-mail?

Last week I wrote an e-mail promotion for a client who wanted to use the subject line: "Mother's Day Special." We did, and we got about a 15% open rate with a 6% conversion rate.

I'd like to increase her open rate on the next one and still maintain the good conversion rate. But how? I've thought about that a lot for the past several days.

What makes the difference between opening an email and deleting it without looking? The name of the sender, of course. And then the Subject line. We're all getting subject lines designed to trick us in to opening. Things like "Thanks for calling" and "Old friend found you." Those might get opened, but if you're like me, your annoyance at being tricked is enough to make you delete just as soon as you see it's bogus.

So what does work? I'd love to hear your opinions. What makes you delete without opening? What makes you open and at least give the message a glance? Was my client correct in stating that the email contained information about a special? Or should we have gone to a curiosity subject like "What does Mom want most this Mother's Day?"

What I do know for sure is that a steady program to build trust is vital. You absolutely must give your e-mail recipients something of value when you write. Not just a promotion, but information people can use. Then when they see your name in the send line, they'll open it to see what you have to say today.

After that, you have to be consistent. I've seen 3 or 4 internet marketers who started out well and have since fallen into the habit of "advertising only" in their emails. Now if they had something good to say I'd never know, because I delete automatically when I see their names.

So, do you have a rule of thumb? What makes you open or delete?

Looking forward to your answers,

Marte

Marte Cliff, Copywriter
www.marte-cliff.com