Writing emails can feel like the biggest chore in the world. And with the oversaturated email world we live in, how do you know you’re sending emails that people want to read? Businesses can do a few things to help ensure their emails are the best they can possibly be and avoid annoying their clients. Following these tips will help your emails stay out of the spam folder and top of mind.
1. Utilize personalization.
Who wants an email from a robot? Utilizing personalization means using recipients’ names when addressing them in your emails – but it goes beyond just that. It also means sending emails that are relevant to each person. You know how patients flow through your practice. You know which procedures are seasonal and which are relevant based on their history and how long it has been since they’ve last seen you. Make use of this knowledge by creating email campaigns based on this information. More relevant, personalized emails mean more engagement, higher open rates, and better connection with your clients.
2. Don’t hit send too often.
Do you like being spammed by tons of emails? Probably not, and neither do your clients. There’s a balance to be struck when creating an email strategy: too often, you risk annoying people and losing them when they unsubscribe. However, research shows that people don’t mind being emailed; in fact, many prefer it! There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to how often you should be sending emails: you simply have to figure out what works for your practice. One easy way to lessen your risk of annoying people is letting them self-select what they’re interested in hearing about and how often they want to hear from you through a preference center.
3. Make your emails worth reading.
If you’re asking someone to open your email, you had better make it worth their time. And you can, with good content! It starts with the subject line, which needs to grab their attention and be short. Avoid using spam filter trigger words like “free” and “money.” Since most people skim emails, make sure your subject line sets up the rest of what you’re trying to convey in your email. Your emails should be informative, useful, entertaining, or a combination of the three. Use your patient knowledge here as well: what do people need to know after they get certain procedures done? When would they be the most likely to book a procedure? What questions might they have? Use this power strategically and wisely.
4. Include a call to action.
What’s the point? Your emails should serve a purpose, and that purpose should have a call to action, whether you’re trying to get people to book an appointment, go to your website, sign up for an event, or like your Facebook page. The purpose should be clear and the action should be easy to do.
5. Optimize for mobile.
Chances are, lots of your clients are opening your emails on their mobile devices: some estimates put the number at a whopping 85%! If you aren’t optimizing your emails for mobile, they might be seeing a jumbled mess at best, and nothing at worst. Utilizing the same responsive design practices that make your website display correctly on different browsers and devices will make your emails display correctly on different email clients such as Apple’s Mail app, Gmail, and any other app.
6. Clean your lists regularly.
It’s considered standard practice to audit your email lists yearly. The purpose is to identify contacts that are inactive and therefore bring down your open and engagement rates – and either put them into campaigns that will re-engage them, or remove them from your database. Reengagement campaigns can be as simple as an email that asks people if they still want to hear from you. Those who open or engage with the email can stay, but people who don’t should be removed. Regularly auditing your lists will keep your rates high.
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Need to make your marketing strategy more powerful? MyAdvice has been creating digital marketing plans for healthcare practices like yours for more than 20 years. Contact one of our marketing experts for a complimentary consultation today!
