How to Increase Email Subscriber Engagement

You're sending out emails every week to subscribers who should be interested in your brand (they did subscribe after all), yet, you’re seeing open rates dwindle, conversion rates slowing down, and overall, your subscribers just don’t seem as enthusiastic as they once did.

But you’re not sure exactly what the issue is. Of course, there may be a number of reasons for lower subscriber engagement, but the fix to winning the hearts of your customers back may be simpler than you think.

Here are five key methods you can implement today to help keep your email subscribers engaged. 

5 Ways To Increase Email Subscriber Engagement

1. Welcome your subscribers 

The first thing you need to do is send a welcome email to anyone who subscribes to your mailing list. This welcome email should be warm, enthusiastic, and personalized to help you make the reader feel a sense of connection. 

In addition, this email will be the building block of your relationship with your subscribers, so you need to make sure that it speaks to them. Studies show that 50% of people open welcome emails, but your welcome email should give people a reason to open the rest of your emails as well. 

You can start with a simple thank you for subscribing, then continue by letting them know what to expect next. For example, if you’re onboarding a customer for a service, you could let them know that you’ll be sending a follow-up email with more in-depth info. On the other hand, you can also use the welcome email to encourage your subscriber to take action. For instance, by recommending a product or asking them to book a call with your sales rep. 

Leading your subscribers through the customer journey is key in keeping their engagement. You want to communicate enough to answer any lingering questions while keeping them eager for more.

PRO-TIP: Add a little extra incentive with a welcome discount code. Since your new subscriber already took the first step by joining your email list, reward them. Doing so may help you convert them sooner than later.

2. Work on your subject lines

Most people decide whether they want to open an email or not based on the subject line of the email. So, for better subscriber engagement, you need to work on making your subject lines attention-grabbing and relatable. 

Do this by using words that would appeal to your average subscriber. People tend to respond to verbiage that triggers their curiosity, FOMO, and sense of humor. 

For example, “Price drop”, “Get $15 off”, “A couple of questions for you...”, “We heard you're a cat person”, etc. Just something strong enough to make sure your subscribers open your emails, but also be wary of subject lines that can come across as cheesy or too pushy. 

PRO-TIP: Change up your subject lines to reflect the type of email you’re sending, whether it’s a welcome, referral, survey, or winback email. If you need help, we have an entire blog post dedicated to the subject of email subject lines. 

3. Look out for your CTAs

The way you write and design your CTAs (calls to action) significantly affects email engagement and click-through rates. Since readers are so used to being told what to do, being creative is essential to avoid being ignored. Don’t dictate your readers into performing an action. Make sure they want to do it themselves. 

Experiment with everything from language to design to placement to frequency to see what types of CTAs and buttons work best for your specific target demographic. Add buttons that will stand out amongst the rest of your email graphics. You still want to stay within the parameters of your brand design code, but your use of color can be the difference between a click and a CTA that gets ignored.

PRO-TIP: Add your CTA towards the top of your email. This boosts the chances of subscribers seeing the CTA and, as a result, clicking on it. You can also add one towards the top and another at the bottom.

4. Mind your tone

Be careful not to burden your readers with heavy chunks of text or stories they may not be interested in. The type of language you use in your marketing communication may depend on a few different factors, such as your industry, your type of customer, or even your product/service. This may sound like a no-brainer, but speaking to your subscribers on a human-to-human level can do wonders for your engagement. 

Keep your email copy targeted, concise, and creative. If it fits your brand, try adding humor when appropriate and be sure to address the needs and wants of your audience.

For example, a restaurant reservation business might open an email like this:

“Tired of waiting in lines at your local restaurant? So, were we—which is why we created [BUSINESS]” 

In our example, we’re addressing a problem and sentiment that people relate to, which piques interest and allows us to pitch our offer. Plus, the language is conversational enough to put our subscribers at ease.

PRO-TIP: In addition to using relatable language, appeal to your audience by selling benefits and solutions over hard facts and features. Let them know exactly how you intend on helping them instead of simply spilling out the details of your product or service.

5. Segmenting Your Email Subscribers 

You can send personalized emails to the right buyers at the right time by segmenting your email list. Integrate your email marketing software with your CRM and other sources of customer data to send segmented emails that are more likely to convert. You can segment based on a number of attributes, including your subscribers’ interests, purchase history, location, and so much more.

For example, you can boost email conversions by 10% when you send abandoned cart emails. Typically when people visit a website and look for products and services, they’ll add items to their carts and leave without checking out for various reasons. But, on the bright side, when a potential customer leaves their email, you can track their almost-purchase and create customized emails encouraging them to buy. You can even add a special offer for them on these products to turn them into customers. 

PRO-TIP: Try A/B testing. This involves sending one version of your email campaign to a subset of your subscribers while sending another version to another group. You can A/B test subject lines, CTAs, offers, or even different emails altogether. For more guidance, check out a previous blog post all about A/B testing.

Conclusion

Emails are one of the most effective ways to communicate with your customers and prospects. The more you engage with them, the more they will have a sense of recognition and loyalty to your brand. However, it is essential to keep your email marketing flow organized and to strategize to ensure your emails stay interesting and convey the right message. We know this can be hard at times, which is why we’re here to help. 

Scalero’s team of email marketing experts can work with you to develop a custom email marketing strategy to increase your subscriber engagement, keep your email list growing, and win you more conversions in the long run. To learn more, reach out to us here!