Some people may view email as the least creative form of marketing, but the fact is, it rules as one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to get your message out. You may spend hours or days crafting the core content of your message, with the subject line left as an afterthought. However, many people determine whether or not they’re going to open a message based on the subject line alone, making it imperative that you give the subject line dedicated time and attention.
A recent report released by eConsultancy looked at email subject lines to see which words got more activity and which fell by the wayside. While most of the emails tested were business-to-business or business-to-consumer messages, there’s still crossover for government marketers. And there’s still useful information to be gleaned from the report.
Frequency Matters
Email success is not only measured by open rates and click-throughs. You also need to take a look at the reality of having many other organizations sending emails to your subscribers at the same time as you. And while each recipient may not pounce on your message immediately, even having the message in an email inbox helps boost your organization’s recognition and serves as a reminder that you’re out there sending messages and that what you have to say is important.
Additionally, increased frequency of message delivery, meaning daily or weekly emails, tends to get better open rates and more click-throughs. While newsletters are starting to slide, email continues to gain attention, mainly because people tend to think they can find what they need more quickly through news feeds. If you have a general newsletter, consider breaking out recurring subjects of interest into separate topics that stakeholders can subscribe to, and send more frequent messages on those topics.
Word Choice Wins the Day
Using words like alert, new, news, bulletin and video in your subject line typically draw a bigger audience of readers, since those words suggest that an action needs to be taken or that information is new and they need to know the most up-to-date information. In contrast, words like report, learn and book are trending down in terms of open and click-through rates. If you’re trying to engage your subscribers, which many of you are, using words like different or update generally solicit a better response.
Another good tactic, even if your message doesn’t get opened right away – or ever – is to include something about results in your subject lines. If you have fixed a problem or have a response to a citizen complaint, putting that information in the subject line will prompt people to see what you’ve done to serve their needs.
Keep the Subject Line Brief
A final best practice is to keep your subject lines to 50 characters or less, with the only exception being messages sent to highly targeted audiences who appreciate more information. Also, don’t forget to make sure the “From” portion of the email indicates the name of your organization or the division you represent, so subscribers know it’s from a trusted source.
What are your thoughts on subject line importance? Do you test various subject lines? How frequently do you send information to your subscribers? Please share your feedback!
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