5 Tips To Improve Open Rate On Emails
Why is email marketing important?
Email marketing is an incredibly important part of digital marketing in the hospitality industry.
Effective email marketing will allow you to curate a subscriber list of individuals interested in what you offer but also allow you to segment your audiences and deliver unique targeted messaging to different groups to yield improved results. You’ll also be able to collect valuable data and learn more about what your audiences want from you.
It’s because of this, and email marketing's direct reach and adaptability, that it remains a relevant and effective strategy to use in your digital marketing. What’s more, with over two decades of experience in hospitality marketing, Cab Hospitality are the perfect agency partner to help you achieve incredible email marketing results.
What is an email open rate?
The email open rate is the percentage of recipients on your email list who open a specific email you send to their inbox. It's a key metric in email marketing, indicating how well your messages capture attention and entice people to click through.
Why is email open rate important?
Open rate offers valuable insights into your audience engagement. A high open rate suggests your emails are relevant and interesting, while a low open rate indicates areas for improvement, making it a valuable metric when considering how to improve your email marketing strategies.
Additionally, without subscribers opening your emails, your audiences are less likely to convert, missing out on vital information about your campaigns or activations. This also emphasises the importance of a strong subject line.
The average email open rate
The average email open rate across all industries is around 34-36%, but this can vary significantly depending on your specific industry. For example, for restaurants and hotels, a more accurate average email open rate is 36.4%.
5 tips to improve open rate on emails
Crafting compelling emails that actually get opened by your audience is crucial for email marketing success. Here are 5 data-driven tips to help boost your email open rates:
Master the subject line
The subject line is your email's first impression. Make it clear, concise and intriguing. On average, the best performing emails contain 44 characters in an email subject line. In your subject line, use strong verbs, personalise when possible, and consider A/B testing different options to see what resonates best with your audience.
Utilise preheader text
The preheader text is the short snippet displayed next to the subject line in many inboxes. It's a mini-preview of your email content. Use it to its fullest potential and elaborate on the subject line, pique curiosity, and incentivise opens with clever language and creative copy. The recommended character number for your email preheader is 30 - 80 characters, to ensure the text is suitable for all devices.
Segmentation is key
Don't send the same message to every person on your subscriber list. Segment your email list based on demographics, interests, or purchase history. This allows you to send targeted emails with content that is most relevant to each subscriber, increasing the chance they'll open it. An example of this is sending couples offers to subscribers who have booked tables of two. Comparatively, sending a similar email focussed on group bookings or private dining to subscribers who have booked a table of more than 6 more people.
Timing is everything
There's no magic number for the perfect send time, but research suggests weekdays and mornings tend to perform better. According to Moosend, the perfect time to send an email is a Thursday between 8-8:59 am. However, it’s important to analyse your email analytics to see when your audience is most engaged and schedule sends accordingly. Doing trials of this is a great way to get more detailed information about your unique audiences.
Mobile optimisation is crucial
Like most digital marketing strategies, your approach needs to be mobile optimised. Your audience will largely view their emails on mobile, with mobile users accounting for 41.6% of email opens.
What are the benefits of an improved open rate?
Having a strong email open rate is critical for maximising the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts. Here's a breakdown of the key benefits:
Greater reach and engagement
A higher open rate translates directly to a larger audience actively seeing your message. This increased exposure fosters brand awareness, strengthens customer relationships, and ultimately drives more conversions.
Validation of targeting
High open rates indicate that your audience segmentation and targeting strategies are well structured and effective. Consistent opens demonstrate subscriber interest, allowing you to refine your messaging for even better results.
Direct Impact on click through rates (CTRs)
Open rates are the gateway to clicks. If recipients aren't opening your emails, they can't click on your CTAs. Higher open rates translate to more opportunities to drive website traffic, downloads, or purchases through your emails.
Improve ROI
Email marketing has the opportunity to yield a fantastic ROI, but open rates directly impact its effectiveness. By improving open rates, you ensure you're getting the most out of your efforts and fewer undelivered or unopened emails mean a more cost-effective marketing strategy.
Data driven optimisation
Rising open rates signify a more engaged audience. This provides valuable data through email analytics. You can identify content that resonates best with your subscribers, which in turn allows you to tailor future campaigns for even greater success.
We can help
While email open rates can be a sticking point, our team at Cab Hospitality can assist. With 20 years of experience dedicated to the hospitality industry, our team of digital marketing experts crafts data-driven email campaigns that get noticed, opened and read!
We understand what it takes to craft a compelling email, as well as using real data to help inform us on when’s best to reach your audience and why. We'll segment your audience, personalise the content with cleverly crafted copy, optimise subject lines and send times to maximise open rates. Work with us and let Cab Hospitality turn your email marketing into a powerful tool for guest acquisition and retention.
To learn more about our services, enquire about your unique email marketing concerns, or chat with a member of the team, please get in touch. We’d love to help.