Increase your e-mail open and click-through rates

In the world of digital marketing, sending prospecting or marketing e-mails is essential to keep your customers informed of new offers and news. To maximize the impact of your campaigns, it's crucial to optimize the percentage of opens and clicks on your e-mails. When your recipients open your e-mails, this indicates real interest and a perceived usefulness of your message. Discover below some tips for improving the open and click rates of your business e-mails.

What is the open and click rate on your e-mails?

Before diving into optimization techniques, let's take a look at what these percentages represent and how to calculate them to measure your impact..

Open rate

The open rate represents the percentage of recipients who have opened your e-mail. According to a 2022 study, a good open rate is around 20%. However, achieving this figure can sometimes be a challenge.

To calculate your open rate, divide the number of e-mails opened by the number of e-mails sent, then multiply the result by 100.

Click-through rate

The click-through rate, or CTR, measures the attractiveness of the links presented in your e-mail. It's the percentage of readers who click on a link. A high click-through rate indicates that your customers are being redirected to your website, showing an interest in your content.

To calculate the click-through rate, divide the number of readers who clicked on the link by the total number of e-mails sent, then multiply the result by 100. Our OxiMailing tool has its own e-mail tracking solution.

Sending frequency and ideal timing

To ensure that your e-mails are opened, it's crucial to choose the right time to send them, and to define an appropriate sending frequency.

Sending frequency

Sending too many e-mails can quickly tire your recipients, leading to a drop in engagement and an increase in unsubscribes. Indeed, when subscribers feel overwhelmed by a constant stream of messages, they're more likely to stop opening your e-mails or, worse, mark you as spam. This can have a significant negative impact on your open rate and, by extension, on the overall performance of your campaigns.

To avoid saturating your recipients and maintain a good level of engagement, it's crucial to strike a balance in the frequency of your mailings. As a general rule, it's recommended not to send more than one email per week. This frequency allows you to remain present in your subscribers' minds without inundating them with information.

However, this rule may vary depending on your specific audience and the nature of your communications. For example, some industries, such as retail, may benefit from slightly higher sending frequencies, especially during sales periods or special events. Conversely, sectors such as B2B may require a more spaced-out approach to avoid reader fatigue.

It's also useful to segment your contact list according to subscribers' preferences and past behavior. For example, subscribers who regularly interact with your e-mails may be more receptive to more frequent mailings, while those who rarely open your messages might prefer a lower frequency.

To fine-tune your strategy, consider soliciting your subscribers' opinions directly. You can include a survey in your e-mails asking how often they would like to receive your messages. Not only does this further personalize your approach, it also shows your subscribers that you value their opinion, thereby boosting their engagement.

Finally, constantly monitor your campaign metrics, such as open, click and unsubscribe rates, to adjust your sending frequency accordingly. Careful monitoring and proactive adjustments can help maintain the effectiveness of your email campaigns, while ensuring that your messages remain well received by your recipients. We invite you to test our Oximailing emailing solution.

The right time

Recipients have their own e-mail consultation habits. They often consult their e-mails at the same times, and on certain days more regularly. Mondays and Tuesdays are particularly effective days to send e-mails, as recipients are more connected at the beginning of the week. The time of day depends on your audience's habits, but in general, sending e-mails around 7 a.m. or between noon and 2 p.m. can be optimal.

The subject of your e-mails, a decisive element

The subject of your e-mail is the first thing your recipients see. A good subject line should be consistent, personalized, impactful and clear.

A coherent, personalized subject line

The subject of your e-mail is the first thing your recipient will see in their inbox. So it needs to speak directly to them in a personalized way and address their specific needs. Effective personalization can include using the recipient's first name or mentioning details relevant to their interests or past behavior. For example, “Marie, discover our new collection especially for you” is more engaging than a simple “Discover our new collection”. The more the subject line is consistent with your audience's expectations and interests, the more the reader will want to open the e-mail. It shows that you understand your customers, and that your communication is specially designed for them.

An impactful subject line

Using powerful words in the subject line of your email can greatly increase its open rate. Phrases such as “Last opportunity” or “Take advantage now” incite action by creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity. These keywords are essential because they pique the reader's curiosity and encourage them to want to know more. An impactful subject line should capture attention within seconds and give a compelling reason to click to open the email. Experiment with different words and phrases to find what resonates best with your audience.

A clear subject line

Clarity is crucial for an effective email subject line. Your subject should be concise, ideally in 4 or 5 words, while conveying clear and attractive information. For example, “20% off today only” is succinct, to the point, and immediately gives the reader a reason to open the email. A subject line that's too long or vague risks being ignored or lost in the multitude of other e-mails the recipient receives every day. Make sure your main message is immediately understandable and attention-grabbing at a glance.

By combining these three elements - consistency and personalization, impact and clarity - you can create e-mail subject lines that captivate your audience and dramatically increase open rates. Take the time to test different approaches and analyze the results to refine your strategy and ensure that every email you send has maximum impact.

Link placement and visibility

To increase the click-through rate and encourage readers to click on the links available in your email, it's crucial to place the links correctly in your email.

Make sure the links are visible in the first part of your e-mail to maximize the chances of them being clicked.

The importance of the sender's name and address

An e-mail is much more likely to be opened if it comes from someone identifiable and trusted. Recipients are more likely to open a message when they immediately recognize the sender. That's why it's crucial to personalize your e-mails by using an employee's first name in the sender's name. For example, an email from “Julie from Oxemis” sounds more personal and engaging than one simply sent by “Oxemis”.

Personalization for recognition and trust

Including the company name in the email address reinforces this personalization while maintaining brand recognition. Using an address such as julie@oxemis.com combines proximity and professionalism. This combination creates a warmer, more human interaction, increasing the likelihood that the recipient will open and engage with the email.

Avoid generic addresses

Avoid using generic email addresses such as info@, contact@, or noreply@. These addresses can seem impersonal and are often ignored by recipients. By using specific, recognizable addresses, you show that each email is intentional and carefully prepared, which can greatly improve your open rates.

Enhancing credibility

A professional, identifiable e-mail address also contributes to the credibility of your communications. Recipients are increasingly wary of e-mails from unknown or unidentifiable sources, which are often regarded as spam. By using a clear, professional address, you reassure your readers that your message is legitimate, increasing the chances that they will open it and interact with it.

Personalizing the sender's name and address is a simple but effective strategy for improving e-mail engagement. By combining personalization, professionalism and brand recognition, you create an environment of trust that encourages your recipients to open and respond favorably to your messages.

Put the odds on your side to get the email delivered!

For your e-mails to be read, they must first be delivered correctly. The first step is to make sure your messages don't end up in your recipients' spam folders. To do this, avoid using words often associated with spam, such as “PROMO” in capital letters, or other overly commercial terms like “Free”, “Make money”, or “Click here”. These keywords trigger the spam filters of e-mail services, reducing the likelihood of your e-mails reaching the main inbox.

In addition to choosing your vocabulary carefully, the use of dedicated IP addresses is highly recommended. Shared IP addresses are shared by several senders, which means that if a single user behaves abusively, this can damage the reputation of the entire IP address. A poor IP reputation can lead to your e-mails being systematically classified as spam. By opting for a dedicated IP address, you have total control over your own reputation and can ensure better deliverability of your e-mails.

It's also crucial to follow email marketing best practices, such as authenticating your e-mails with protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). These measures reinforce the legitimacy of your e-mails and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.

In addition, it's essential to keep your contact list clean and up-to-date. Regularly delete invalid e-mail addresses and promptly unsubscribe recipients who no longer wish to receive your messages. This not only helps to improve your deliverability rate, but also to maintain a good reputation with e-mail service providers.

Finally, to ensure your emails are well received, make sure you obtain explicit consent from your recipients before sending them emails. Complying with data protection regulations, such as the RGPD (General Data Protection Regulation), is not only a legal obligation, but it also boosts the trust of your subscribers and improves the overall performance of your email campaigns.

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