For years now, the subject line of an email has played a key role in any online marketing campaign. It’s been the first thing a recipient sees when opening up a message and we’ve all spent countless hours crafting that perfect, snappy phrase. However, email and messaging is changing constantly – users are expecting more from their inboxes and the content of these messages, meaning that the subject line could very well become redundant in online marketing campaigns.
So what elements are replacing the subject line? What is pulling recipients to open the message and read that email? We’ve made a top list of the most important parts of the modern email, and with the right combination of these three things, you’ll sometimes find that the subject line is the least important part of your marketing campaign.
1) Brand equity and reputation
This is the first important step in ensuring that your email campaign can encourage your customers to open your email, but it’s also a time to be honest with yourself. A company brand isn’t the most important contact on a person’s smartphone, but if your customers are loyal to your brand or what it stands for, this alone will increase the number of openings and clicks you’ll receive.
2) Consistency
Have your previous campaigns as a marketer been consistent? After all, in building up your brand equity and reputation, you’ll have built up campaigns that have won you your customers’ loyalty and more importantly their clicks. If your customers have had a previous great experience with your brand then they’ll open your message expecting more of the same thing. However, this can also work in reverse – a previously negative experience can have a huge impact on your opening figures, so perhaps it’s worth considering this when creating and designing a campaign.
3) Rich images
More and more providers are offering their users rich email content to their inbox, and as inboxes become more and more visual images are going to play an important role in the process. A bright and bold image, giving your consumer information on sight means that they’re more likely to open the email for further information – make that campaign appealing by including the key points and essential details in the image banner.
