Simple changes to creative elements of email messages can boost click rates by 50% or more
Making simple changes to creative
elements of email messages can boost click rates by 50% or more, according
to new research conducted by Silverpop. Email subject line, ratio of
images to text, and the email layout style are the key creative
elements evaluated in this study. - BtoB emails with the company or brand name in the subject line experienced an average open rate of 32%, compared to just 20% for messages without branded subject lines.
- While all-text BtoC messages generated a 4.7% click rate on average, those that were mostly image-oriented achieved a 7.1% average click rate.
Subject Line: When open rates were evaluated, Silverpop found that emails with branded subject lines generated significantly higher open rates:
- BtoC emails with the brand or company name in the subject line enjoyed open rates of 29% on average, compared to 22% without branding.
- BtoB emails with the company or brand name in the subject line experienced an average open rate of 32%, compared to just 20% for messages without branded subject lines.
However, only (55% of BtoB emails and 46% of BtoC messages evaluated included the brand and/or company name in the subject line, which presents a good opportunity for marketers.
Ratio of image to text: Silverpop also evaluated the ratio of images to text and found, not surprisingly, that image-rich emails sent to consumers generated higher click rates.
- While all-text BtoC messages generated a 4.7% click rate on average, those that were mostly image-oriented achieved a 7.1% average click rate.
- All-text BtoB messages received a 5.4% click rate, compared to only a 3.5% click rate for those that included an equal amount of text and images.
Layout: Silverpop’s “Email Creative That Works” study also found that layout style can have an impact on click rates.
- The results indicate that BtoB emails in a postcard-style format received average click rates of 7.9%, compared to popular one-column and newsletter formats, which received click rates of 3.4% and 5.4%, respectively.
- By comparison, BtoC marketers interested in boosting click rates should take a long look at newsletter-style layouts, which generated average click rates of 7.1%, compared to average click rates of 6.2% for single-image “postcard-style” messages.
Other elements evaluated in Silverpop’s “Email Creative That Works” include the “From” line, location of the logo, number and style of links, presence and location of a navigation bar, feature offers and location of the call-to-action.
Silverpop’s “Email Creative That Works” study was completed by a team of email marketing analysts that collected, compiled and analyzed data on 612 emails sent by 430 companies. Messages were sent between mid-April and mid-August, 2006. Reports of opens and click rates were evaluated to identify creative elements that work best. Free copies of the study are available on the Silverpop Web site at www.silverpop.com.
