Whether you’re a baker, hairdresser, plumber or interior decorator, sending regular newsletters to your customers is a great way to keep them engaged. But before you read them, your subscribers need to open them! Here are 6 ways to get them there.

1. Segment your audience

Create sub-groups amongst your subscribers so you can tailor your newsletters based on your recipients’ profiles.  To help you customize your emails, you can ask your readers for specific information when they sign up for your mailing list.

2. Personalize your newsletters

Include the name of your subscribers in the subject of your emails to give the impression that you’re writing directly to them. If your newsletter is specifically addressed to them, your readers will be more inclined to open it.

3. Capture your readers’ attention

The subject line needs to make the recipient want to open your newsletter. But be careful. Catchy does not mean salesy. Certain words are overly used by spammers and end up being counterproductive.  Eliminate words like

• urgent
• free
• promo
• offer, and this sort of thing.

Handy Tip

Spammers are also avid proponents of all caps, i.e. URGENT, PROMO with excessive punctuation (!!!) that they tend to abuse.

4. Opt for responsive design

More and more readers check their email from their Smartphones or tablets. If your newsletters are not optimized for their screens, there is very little chance that your recipients will take the time to open them.  Keep it short (especially the subject line), light (the longer the email takes to upload, the more likely the subscriber will be to bail), avoid Flash animation and line up your content in a single column.

Handy Tips

• These days Smartphones are selling faster than computers.
• 62% of traffic takes place on a computer, 28% on mobile phones and 10% on tablets.

5. Treat your newsletters like an appointment with your subscribers

No matter how frequently you send your newsletters (daily, weekly or monthly), commit to a specific time and stick to it.  The idea is to create an “appointment” with your subscribers.

6. Never cease to reinvent yourself

Try, try and try again! The best way to improve the power of your newsletters and boost their open rate is to constantly test out new strategies.  Try out different headings and subject lines.  Or play around with different times and days of the week.

Handy Tip

Test out your newsletter by sending it to yourself first. (This way you’ll avoid any unpleasant surprises!)

Key Points to Remember:

• Your newsletters need to adapt to all screen sizes.
• It’s important to be consistent. when it comes to the frequency of your emails.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment and continually optimize your newsletters.