New Email Tips That Work

Impossible to ignore, Jay Schwedelson blew us away last month at the Sandler Summit, providing a comprehensive overview of innovative email marketing strategies designed to enhance email open and interaction rates. Schwedelson, the head of a demand generation agency called Outcome Media, shares insights based on the analysis of data derived from sending out 6 billion emails a year. His approach emphasizes small, cost-effective changes that can significantly improve email marketing performance.

Top Three Insights:

1. Avoid Sending Emails on the Hour: Schwedelson reveals that over 80% of emails are sent on the hour, leading to a crowded inbox where promotional emails drown out each other. By choosing off-hour times (e.g., 8:04 AM instead of 8:00 AM), marketers can increase their email's visibility and open rates.
2. Utilisation of Three Dots in Subject Lines: Adding three dots at the end of email subject lines can boost open rates by 19%. This technique exploits the reader's curiosity and anticipation, compelling them to uncover the content that follows these dots.
3. Misconceptions About Email Content and Deliverability: The speaker addresses common myths surrounding email marketing, such as the avoidance of certain words or characters to prevent being marked as spam. Schwedelson argues that deliverability issues are more about engagement (opens, clicks, replies) than content. He stresses the importance of getting emails opened, clicked on, and replied to, as this engagement is key to staying in the inbox.

Application to Sales:

• Strategic Timing for Email Dispatch: Sales teams can optimize email outreach by avoiding peak hours, thereby standing out in their prospects' inboxes. This tactic requires no additional resources yet offers a straightforward way to improve engagement rates.
• Enhancing Subject Line Effectiveness: Incorporating the technique of using three dots in subject lines can be a game-changer for sales emails. It's a simple method to increase curiosity and improve open rates, thereby boosting the chances of your message being read.
• Challenging Deliverability Myths: Understanding that engagement is the primary factor for email deliverability allows sales professionals to focus on crafting compelling content that prompts action. This insight empowers teams to use language and offers that resonate best with their audience, without being hindered by outdated rules about what words or symbols to avoid.

In summary, Schwedelson's talk offers actionable email marketing strategies that can be directly applied to improve sales email performance. By focusing on timing, curiosity-inducing subject lines, and debunking deliverability myths, sales teams can significantly enhance their email engagement rates, leading to better sales outcomes.