Stalkers and businesses have the same problem- their emails are being ignored. While one might avoid a stalker’s email for obvious reasons, it’s sometimes hard for businesses to figure out why less than 10% of their mailings are being opened. And it’s not because they don’t like your business, or they probably would not have signed up on your mailing list in the first place. Often times the problem lies in these three factors that would seem insignificant but play a big role in whether or not your newsletter or promotional email gets opened. 

1. Subject Line
   
   Aside from the sender, the first thing your customers will notice in their inbox is the subject of the email. This is your first and sometimes only opportunity to make a good impression and capture their attention. A good subject line must be compelling enough to communicate a direct message and at the same time lure them into the body of the email. A great subject line promises some kind of benefit or reward to the reader to compensate for the valuable time they gave up to read the email.
    
2. Time and Day
   
   Timing is everything especially when it comes to email marketing. Admittedly, finding a best day and time to send out emails will not be the same for everyone. Each day has its pros and cons, and the audience you’re sending it to makes a difference as well. Here is where email tracking becomes important. Look at your analytics for past emails to determine when is the best day and time to send mailings based on the number of opens you received on particular dates. This would be the best indicator as to when your customers are more likely to open your email.
   
   But this is not the answer you were looking for was it?
   
   Many surveys have been done to suggest an opportune time and date for sending emails. Based on my research I have found these to be most consistent “best” times and days:
   
   Best Day: Tuesdays – Thursdays
   Why? Because on Mondays most people are so focused on tasks for the week, they ignore non-work related things and on Fridays they are in a hurry to leave the office early and probably won’t check their personal emails at all. 
   
   Best Time: Mid morning between 9AM and 10:30AM and Early Afternoon between 1PM and 2:30PM
   Why? Because people most likely check their mail at the start of the day and sometime after lunch. Sending mail out at these times increases the chance of them seeing it right away and it does not get pushed down by other incoming mail.
    
3. Frequency
   
   There’s nothing more off putting than receiving tons of emails from someone. It is important to not saturate your customer’s inbox with mailings because you risk the chance that they will miss something important, or worse unsubscribe from your mailing list. Unless your subscribers specifically agree to frequent mailings, anything more often than twice a month is too often. Once or twice a month is frequent enough to keep your business familiar without your customers feeling like they’re being spammed. 

Focusing on improving these three factors can help to reduce the likelihood of your emails being ignored or marked as spam by your customers. Remaining consistent and paying attention to analytics will also be an aid in developing successful email marketing campaigns.