You spend time and energy building great email campaigns to connect with current and prospective renters. But when you run the numbers, you're disappointed with the results. Can’t figure out why no one is reading your emails? One of these reasons could be to blame.
Reason 1: You don’t know your audience.
According to Vertical Response, one of the top reasons people unsubscribe from emails is because the content isn’t relevant to them. I’m not terribly surprised. Let’s say the average person’s name is Sally. Sally’s inbox is flooded with dozens of emails each day competing for her attention. Why would Sally waste time reading an email that is completely irrelevant to her?
What can you do about it? Understand your audience and provide content that is useful for them. Remember: you don’t have to send the same content to everyone. In fact, you shouldn’t. Instead, segment your list and provide each group with relevant content. For example, it makes sense to send an email to prospective renters with tips for a stress-free move. Your current residents, on the other hand, would probably be more interested in a list of free summer street festivals near your apartment community.
Reason 2: Your emails aren’t mobile friendly.
According to 2013 Litmus data, 51% of emails are opened on a mobile device. I’m willing to bet that number has increased even more in the last year. Let’s just put it this way: A LOT of people are reading your emails on their mobile devices. There are many things you can do to make your emails more mobile friendly, but here are a few of the biggies:
- Stick to single column layouts
- Keep the width of your email layouts to 320-600 pixels wide
- Keep key information to the left
- Use a legible font size
- Keep text short and sweet
Reason 3: Your subject line stinks.
A subject line helps a consumer decide whether to open and email right now, keep it for later, or trash it. You could have the best email in the world, but if your subject line is terrible, nobody will ever open it to find out. No pressure, right? Don't be discouraged! Here are a few things you can do to build better subject lines:
- Keep key words to the front
- Avoid subject lines that intrigue the recipient to open your email, but then don’t deliver
- Don’t use words like free, buy, cost, and urgent that can cause your email to end up in your recipients’ junk mail folders
- Get creative
Reason 4: You’re sending emails at the wrong time.
Email marketing isn’t one size fits all. The best time for one company to email may be the worst time for another company. Try sending your emails on different days of the week and at different times of the day to see when you get the best open and click-through rate.
What are your tips for creating emails that your audience wants to read? Please share in the comments below!