Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • Newsletter
    • The marketing tips you need in 2023!
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Disclosure
  • Hire me
    • Marketing service
    • Pick my brain

10 Ways to increase your email marketing open rates in 2023

By Jim Connolly - Published: January 1, 2023

email open rates, email marketing

One area I often get asked about, is how to improve email marketing open rates. So, I thought I’d share 10 of the most common reasons why emails remain unopened.

In no particular order:

1. The recipient of your email uses Gmail

Gmail automatically dumps valid emails into the recipient’s promotions folder. This means they get no notification when your emails arrive. As such, open rates plummet. I know from personal experience that my Gmail newsletter subscribers miss over 90% of my emails, unless they’ve added my email address to their contacts list. This happens, even though they used Gmail to double opt-in to receive my stuff.

2. Your email subject line didn’t motivate the recipient to open it

Obviously, people only discover how valuable or interesting your email is, after they’ve read it. To read it they need to open it and to open it, the email subject line needs to motivate them. It needs to compel them to want to find out. Getting this right is trickier than it sounds. That’s because many of the words used to inspire people to open an email, are also triggers for junk mail filters.

3. You sent the email at the wrong time of day or on the wrong day

This can have a massive impact. Despite what some people say, there’s no universally ideal day or perfect time to optimize email open rates. For example, different timing is required for when you target consumers, compared to when you target businesses. Different times also work better for different industries. For example, hotels work completely different hours than accountants. They also have totally different peak times, when they’re unavailable to check email and are least likely to see your message. One time doesn’t work for all. Test and measure until you find your email open rate sweet-spot.

4. The recipient’s email address is on a list you bought

If you’re using a list you bought, rather than one you grew yourself, you’re emailing strangers. And to make things worse, the strangers on these ‘sold lists’ get bombarded with tons of marketing emails, from all the others who bought their email address. This means they’re far more likely to have very, very aggressive email filters.

5. Your list is out of date

Some people work so hard to build their list, that they very seldom remove inactive contacts from it. As a result their lists contain lots of addresses that no longer exist or are no longer monitored. Non-existent email addresses will register as ‘bounces’, and are easily cleaned with email marketing software. Unmonitored addresses [for example, when someone’s left a company, but their email hasn’t been deleted from the system], can still receive emails, so they don’t bounce. Most email marketing software will let you automatically delete contacts after ‘X’ number go unopened. Use it.

6. The content of a previous email didn’t engage the reader

Your next email campaign’s open rate will be impacted by how successful your last email campaign was. The people who failed to engage with your previous campaign, will be less motivated to open the next one. Remember: You never have ‘a list’. You need to earn and re-earn their permission. So stay useful.

7. You send marketing emails direct from your desktop email software

This is a universally terrible idea. Always use a trusted, commercial email marketing provider. These providers can deliver over 99% of your emails every time. By sending your marketing emails via your computer’s regular email program, even to a relatively small list, your IP address can get blacklisted for sending too many identical emails. Once blacklisted, your emails won’t even reach the recipient’s junk folder. Tip: You can check if your IP address is blocked, using Spamhaus.

8. The email content triggered email filters

One of the ways your email junk filter protects you from spam, is by checking the content of incoming emails. If an email contains certain words, this increases the likelihood of that email being junked. These words range from swear words, to words and phrases often used by spammers. Tip: Think hard about the wording you use in your calls-to-action.

9. The email contained too many links or images.

This is closely connected to the previous point. One of the tricks spammers use to bypass junk filters, is to hide their spammy words in images, rather than write the words in regular text. Another common factor in spam is the use of lots of links; certainly more than a regular email might have. So, go easy on the number of images and links.

10. You built your list by offering a freebie

Something internet marketing gurus often fail to mention, is that people seldom use their primary email addresses for give-aways. If your list was built on the back of offering lead magnets, be aware that a subset of the contacts on your list may not be regularly monitored.

Email is a spectacularly powerful marketing tool. And sometimes just a few improvements can lead to dramatically better results. So, take a look at the above points. See if you can identify anything you’re missing, which will improve your 2023 email marketing open rates.

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Why email marketing doesn’t work in 2023

By Jim Connolly - Published: January 1, 2023

email marketing doesn't work, email marketing does not work, why doesn't, newsletter marketing

A reader shared an interesting observation with me.

She told me she had “found out the hard way that email marketing doesn’t work“.

She asked me for my thoughts on why email is so ineffective. I said I’d share them here, as I’m sure some of you will find it useful.

Email marketing works

Email marketing works. In fact, email marketing works extremely well.

Just ask any business owner who’s using it correctly. Whether it’s used for newsletters or promotions, the return on investment is off the charts.

Email marketing also works more predictably than just about any other form of marketing. And the tiny financial investment required for email marketing makes it the most cost effective form of marketing out there.

why doesn't email marketing work, email marketing doesn't work, newsletter, email campaign

Email marketing doesn’t work when…

What doesn’t work is ineffective email marketing. Just ask anyone who’s doing it incorrectly. Here’s the thing: ineffective email marketing can’t work.

Here are just a few, very common examples of how small business owners get email marketing wrong.

  • A poorly written email won’t work. It will fail to motivate the reader to take action; to call you, email you, visit your website, make a purchase from you, whatever.
  • A professionally written email, sent to the wrong people, won’t work. It will fail to reach those with a want or need for your services.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a dull subject line, won’t work. That’s because no one will open it. The subject line has to be compelling or no matter what your message is, it will literally be ignored.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, offering a generic product or service, won’t work. No one wants to switch to a service that’s no better then their current service.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, but sent on the wrong day of the week, won’t work. At least, it won’t be anything like as effective as it would be, if you research the best time of day and best day of the week, to send it.
  • Oh, and if you send your emails frequently, or not frequently enough… that’s right, your email marketing won’t work.

You get the idea.

In short, before you reject any form of marketing as ineffective, make sure you’re using it correctly.

So, instead of telling yourself that email marketing doesn’t work, ask yourself why YOUR email marketing doesn’t work. Otherwise, you’ll needlessly miss out on one of the most powerful forms of marketing on the planet!

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

You’ve grabbed your reader’s attention. Now what?

By Jim Connolly - Published: December 20, 2022

Get attention, content,  marketing

You have grabbed the reader’s attention.

However, getting their attention is the easy part. You can do that with a clickbait headline or an outrageous statement.

Your message now needs to tell them something or sell them something. And it absolutely must be consistent with that headline or statement you used.

If not, you lose twice over.

  1. You’ll lose the sale.
  2. You’ll lose the reader and the chance to market to them again. They’ll remember that you used an inaccurate headline to trick them into opening that email or clicking that link. They’ll feel foolish. They’ll feel duped. They’ll remember for a long time.

It’s a terrible tactic with a limited lifespan. The longer you use it, the more prospective clients you will alienate. That means when you have something to share with them, which is well-written, which is worth their time, which is what they need, which is what they want… they won’t click on it or open it.

By all means, grab their attention. Just make damn sure that your message is of interest to them, that it’s consistent with your attention-grabbing headline or statement, and that it motivates them to take whatever action you require.

That way, you win twice over.

  1. You’ll win the sale.
  2. You’ll win the attention of the prospect, because you’ll have trained them that you’re worth taking notice of.

Now that’s a win-win situation worth striving for!

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Going narrow and deep

By Jim Connolly - Published: November 25, 2022

going narrow and deep, marketing, social media

If you find it hard, time-consuming or confusing, to be present on lots of different social media platforms, relax. You don’t need to! Today I’m going to show you a far better alternative. It’s based on the approach I use. I call it going narrow and deep. So, here’s how it works, and how you can benefit mightily from it.

This blog is in its 14th year. And I’ve been publishing a newsletter since the 1990’s! When I mention this to people they often ask how I have managed to update my blog and publish a newsletter, very regularly, for so long.

I really don’t do much

Sadly, I don’t have some kind of productivity super power. It’s a lot less impressive than that.

You see, my ‘secret’ is all about how little I do.

  • I don’t have a Linkedin account.
  • I don’t have a Youtube channel.
  • I don’t have a podcast.
  • I don’t have a Facebook Page
  • I don’t have a Facebook Group.
  • I don’t have a TikTok account
  • I don’t write books.
  • I don’t give many interviews.
  • I don’t have a business account on Instagram or Snapchat, either.

Lots of business owners do most of the things on that list. And I bet they produce at least as much information across those platforms as I produce for my blog / newsletter.

The difference is in what we choose to do with the content we produce.

They go wide. I go narrow

Let me flesh that out a little.

Having been involved in social media marketing since its inception, I’ve seen how easy it is to lose your account, and audience, on any platform you don’t own. And if a platform ceases to be popular, you can also lose your audience, or most of it, when they move to the next new, shiny thing.

Plus, it’s extremely hard to create a significant marketing impact, or foster deep engagement across multiple platforms. So, you end up with a wide spread of shallow encounters. That’s why I chose to go narrow and deep.

  • I own my blog.
  • I choose where it’s hosted.
  • And I can use any commercial email provider to mail my newsletter to subscribers.

The benefits of building your own platform are many and varied.

The best-known benefit of going narrow and deep

Maybe the best-known benefit is that you’re building your very own publishing business, which grows in value literally every day.

For example. Jim’s Marketing Blog has thousands of pages of marketing and business development information and a 14 year pedigree. It has built trust and a deep connection with thousands of people worldwide who read it regularly.

So today.

If I wanted to.

  • I could form partnerships with online training providers, promoting their courses here, for a commission on each place sold.
  • I could create a dedicated store here, providing products that appeal to my reader demographic.
  • I could cash-in. The last offer I received for Jim’s Marketing Blog was huge.

There are multiple revenue generating opportunities open to me, because I built everything here. Combined, they would easily create a significant enough income to become a stand-alone business. Imagine if I’d spread my ideas and work across social media platforms / social networks. None of the opportunities I just mentioned would exist.

So, consider the commercial value of creating your own platform. Your own publishing business. And I mean, seriously consider it. Because it could be worth a fortune to you.

The least-known benefit of going narrow and deep

I think the most overlooked benefit, is the incredible focus, clarity and freedom it gives you.

With the multi-platform approach, different types of ‘content’ work better on one platform and less well on another. All of a sudden, you need to add lots of tasks to your daily workload. So, you’re no longer ‘just’ running your business. You need to find time to be a photographer, broadcaster, video producer, audio creator, short-form writer and networker. Plus, there’s the time required to monitor all those different places every day for replies or responses.

You also need to be careful how often you publish. Most platforms will make your content less visible to your audience, if you publish what they deem to be too often. Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram are notorious for this. Blogs do the opposite, because fresh content is rewarded by search engines. It’s a sign that your blog is being supplied with new and updated material. A sign that your blog is worth recommending to those searching for up-to-date information.

With your own platform, you publish when you have something useful or interesting to share. That’s it. It’s extremely liberating.

In short, I probably don’t produce content more often than you or anyone else involved in marketing their business. I certainly spend a lot less time creating it.

I just put it in the same place and let it build steadily over time. Eventually, all those little molehills become a mountain.

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Content marketing topics to grab your prospect’s attention

By Jim Connolly - Published: November 9, 2022

content marketing topics

I write a lot about the importance of being useful with your marketing. A number of you have asked me if I can give you some specific examples, which you can apply to your content marketing.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done in this post.

Their needs and your products or services

Start off by thinking about the services you provide or your product range. Then, consider the following topics (or theme ideas) and how you can incorporate them into your content marketing messages.

People have an inbuilt need to feel connected: Share ideas to help your prospects connect with useful contacts. The Wall Street Journal wrote about how I achieved this for one of my clients – 4 Marketing Strategies That Paid Off For Small Companies.

We also share a common need for a sense of belonging: Share ideas to help your prospects feel like an integral part of your business. I do this with my newsletter. From day one, I focused on building a reader community of prospective clients. And every day, readers contact me with questions, ideas, updates and concerns… knowing they will always receive a reply from me.

Everyone is trying to succeed at something: Share ideas to help your prospects achieve their targets, goals or dreams. Obviously, as with pretty-much every topic here, if you offer a specific product or service that can help them in this area, incorporate that into the content.

We all need to feel safe and secure: Share ideas to help your prospects reduce risk or feel safer.

Everyone wants to avoid wasting time: Share ideas to help your prospects maximize their time, or help them complete certain tasks faster, etc. I’m not a time management expert, but I’ve shared tons of ideas in this area, based on decades of running a successful business, without working crazy hours. The response is always excellent. So don’t be put off sharing from your experience.

People want to improve and expand their knowledge: Share your industry knowledge, sure. But ALSO share your experience with them. For example, if you’re an accountant, don’t just focus on tax, profit and loss or the latest business news. They can get that anywhere. Tell them the common factors you’ve identified in successful businesses. And the ones you’ve identified in those that flounder or fail. Your experience is extremely valuable.

We also want to avoid unnecessary stress, especially now: Share ideas to help your prospects feel more relaxed and assured. If there’s a specific product or service you offer, which can assist them with this, incorporate that into the message or idea.

Aim for unmissable

Are any of those topics missing from your content marketing? If they are, look for ways to incorporate them. Because this kind of useful, relevant information is the cornerstone of successful marketing. You’ll know you have the balance right, when your content marketing is SO USEFUL that people would miss it if you stopped.

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Unleash the power of vigorous, written marketing

By Jim Connolly - Published: October 29, 2022

vigorous written marketing

Most of the written marketing I see is at least 75% too long. Overlong marketing lacks impact. It also lacks clarity and totally fails to motivate prospective customers or clients.

I want to help you avoid this expensive mistake.

And it starts with one of the best-known quotes on the subject.

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that he make every word tell.

Professor William Strunk Jr. – The Elements of Style.

The vigorous writing referred to here, is writing that is strong and full of energy. That’s the kind of writing that moves people to take action; to contact you, buy from you or hire you. It’s the kind of writing that gets the results you need.

How can you and your business benefit from the power of vigorous, written marketing?

The answer comes from understanding why the problem exists.

Google usually gets the blame

That’s because Google’s search algorithm needs overlong, written content. It prefers 2500 words to 250. So, for over 20 years, online marketing writers have been rewarded for high word counts. That’s certainly not what’s needed for vigorous, written marketing.

But Google isn’t responsible for the wider problem.

Email marketing and off-line media is just as ruined by overlong content. Neither of those formats have ever required the writer to dance the Google dance.

The problem exists because most written marketing is created by people who lack sufficient training. It’s either written by business owners who ‘dabble’ or by below-par marketing writers.

The solution?

The business owner wishing to switch to the vigorous, written marketing they need has two options.

  1. Learn how to do it effectively.
  2. Pay someone who already knows.

How to decide?

  • The cost (in time) of learning is considerable. It takes years of practice. However, you’ll start seeing improvements relatively quickly.
  • The cost of hiring an expert is lower. And it’s a lot faster.

The price you pay for starving your business of vigorous, written marketing is far higher than either of those options. So pick one of them and run with it.

Share this ❤️

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 31
  • Next Page »

FREE marketing tips!

Get my best marketing tips, advice and ideas delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.
You can unsubscribe at any time. I respect your privacy.

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Categories

  • Blogging (405)
  • Business development (458)
  • Copywriting (298)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (182)
  • General marketing (1,655)
  • Professional development (522)
  • Social media marketing (353)

Search

Recent posts

  • Start with the end in mind January 28, 2023
  • What’s really stopping you? January 26, 2023
  • Want better advertising results? Read this January 24, 2023
  • The big strategy behind every successful business. Here’s how it works! January 19, 2023
  • Get your prospects’ urgent attention and immediate action January 18, 2023
  • It costs $26,000 a gallon and it’s less useful than water! January 15, 2023
  • Almost everyone will ignore you January 14, 2023
  • Moving your business forward January 11, 2023
  • How to access proven marketing ideas January 8, 2023
  • You control all the important stuff January 7, 2023
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
  • Hire me

Copyright © 2023 Jim Connolly