- Contest Factory
- January 7, 2019
E-mail Subject Line Swipe File
Many people just don’t realize how important subject lines are within the context of your email marketing efforts until it’s far too late. According to one recent study, a massive 35% of email recipients say that they choose whether to even open an email based on the subject line alone. When you consider the fact that another study revealed that customers who purchase products through email tend to spend about 138% more money than those purchasing through other means, it’s easy to see why this is such an important element you should be focusing on.
Part of your success in terms of crafting the best email subject lines involves knowing as much about your audience as possible. But once you really get to know these people, you still need to segment them as much as possible so that you can get as specific and as personal as you can. This will give you a rare opportunity to both A) make an impact on larger segments of your consumers on a B) much deeper and more intimate level, both of which will ultimately directly affect your ability to convert.
It’s About Specificity Above All Else
Changing a subject line from “Local Area Marketers” to “Local Dental Marketing Experts” may seem like a small adjustment and, in a lot of ways, it is. But never underestimate the level of specificity and personalization that the later brings with it that the former doesn’t.
“Local Dental Marketing Experts” describes a much smaller group of people, yes – but those people immediately know that you’re talking to them. “Local Area Marketers” doesn’t give the impression that you’re interested in making that intimate connection – it tells your audience that you’re blanketing as many people as possible as quickly as you can. People are more likely to trust you (and open your email as a result) if they feel like they’re a part of a small, rare and unique group of people who received it to begin with.
Supporting this level of personalization is a technique called A/B testing, which involves making small-but-meaningful changes to deepen the way a subject line resonates with its recipient. It gives you a chance to test things like word choice, length and even punctuation and syntax on a smaller group of people to see what is effective and what isn’t – all before rolling out those changes to a wider audience.
To get a better idea of what A/B testing for email subject lines looks like in action, consider the following examples:
- “Download Your Complementary eBook Today” vs. “Get Your FREE eBook Right Away!”
- “Get [PRODUCT] for 50% off!” vs. “Get [PRODUCT] at Half Price!”
- “Does Your Business Have a Problem? We’re the Solution” vs. “Does Your Dental Practice Have a Problem? We’re the Solution”
In all these cases, the former subject line examples aren’t necessarily “bad,” but they are far more general than the latter. The second options are more immediate, more emotional and in the case of the final example, far more specific – meaning that people feel like you’re talking to them as opposed to anyone and everyone, thus improving your chances at really resonating with those particular readers.
If you’d like to find out more information about how understanding email marketing subject lines can totally change your game, download our comprehensive list of 25 Subject Line Swipe Files.
