Permission-based marketing is a critical part of your marketing mix — it’s one of the only channels where you still own your audience.
We’ve recently written about getting people to sign up and open the emails you send. But there’s one vital component without which none of the rest matters: will they do what you want?
I love fishing. I put effort into choosing the right bait, casting to the right location and getting the motion of the lure just right. None of that effort is worth anything if I can’t get the fish to bite. You don’t just want people opening and reading your emails — you need click-throughs.
Here are some tips to get more action from your emails.
Start Before The Inbox
The most important factor to a great click-through rate is the same as it is for anything else in marketing: audience.
If your email goes to the wrong person, you’re using the wrong lure. That fish ain’t gonna bite if he’s hunting bottom-feeding insects and you’re dragging a minnow-shaped popper across the surface. Segment your audience. Few audiences are too small for effective segmentation, and the tighter the connection between message and segment, the more likely you are to get a click-through.
Design for Understanding
One of the biggest things I’ve learned about fishing is how important it is to make the bait move realistically. The effectiveness of the lure is based on the presentation.
So it is with email.
Email design can either help or hinder your message. Research shows that click-through performance is all about the message; design elements should reinforce and support the message, not block comprehension. That’s why many marketers still use plain text, even though HTML emails have been standard for decades.
HTML-designed emails bring fonts, colors, images and emphases to the table which can help you get your message across. But they can also bring issues.
Fancy designs slow down load times and may not show your message until after your audience has clicked away. Design elements may show up badly in certain configurations like dark mode. Mobile email clients may break elements that work just fine on desktop.
Don’t assume that just because your email worked on one platform it works on all. Test it with a variety of platforms and clients. And when in doubt, plain text always works. The message is the key. Plain is better than broken.
Be Clear and Direct in Your Copy
Even after you’ve gotten a fish to bite, you’re not done. You have to set the hook and reel it in. And “setting the hook” for a click-through means being clear and direct.
There should be a singular purpose for every email you send; find it and articulate it. Not every email is a purchase or form submission. Tell the recipient what you want them to do and make it easy for them to do it.
Don’t beat around the bush. The average person receives over 100 emails per day; if you take too long to get to the point, the fish will shake the hook.
Finally, make sure the CTA stands out from the rest of the email. You can use a hyperlink or an HTML button — either one works. Just make sure it looks distinct. When in doubt, just add a hyperlink on its own line.
Land the Fish
You understand the importance of permission-based marketing. You’ve put all this effort into building your list and getting people to open your emails. Take the final step. Land the fish — drive click-throughs. Use these tips to turn fruitless fishing trips in the inbox into an abundant catch. And if you need a hand, don’t hesitate to reach out. Just drop us a line, anytime.
Best Regards,
David Brandon
Copywriter
Rainmaker Digital Services