Mailchimp reports email open rates are down

Mailchimp, a leading email service provider, reports email open rates for “email newsletters” and the such are down.  This means less people opening your newsletter that you spent so much time to craft.  This is because the new Gmail is filtering is helping people (like me) overcome an overstuffed Inbox.  Less inbox clutter means better communication and less anxiety.

Why Is the New Gmail an Advantage to Your Marketing?

Less “opens” of your email newsletters means less people reading your newsletter and less business, right?  True.  However, most likely you are treating your newsletter like big companies treat newsletters. You are competing with their newsletters.  Even if you are a personal injury attorney or a dentist, You are competing with Amazon, Target, Gilt and everyone else in your (potential) client’s email box when you send out an email. The good part is they are reading other newsletters less too, maybe your direct competition.

Three Step Process To Overcoming The New Gmail Filters and Increasing Email Open Rates

If you are a small business, increasing the open rates for your business is easy.  Well, it is simple, not easy. First, remember your ideal clients.  You don’t have to talk to everyone as a whole.  Amazon tries to automate being personal.  You don’t have to.  Amazon has to get 100s of new sales every day.  If you are a small, value based, service business, 1 new  ideal client a day is amazing.

Second step in increasing  the open rates in Gmail is to Listen to those ideal clients.  Pay close attention to everything they really want to hear.  Listen in your meetings and take notes.  Don’t just listen to things with which you can directly help them.  A perfect example is this:  I get questions about email marketing all of the time.  Do we do it at authenticWEB?  No.  I hate email marketing for others.  It’s not what we do.  I will help people and guide them in the right direction, hence this blog post.

Third Step in getting a better email open rate is to Create Short highly valuable, personalized content.  People don’t have time to read everything in their email box.  How are you going to overcome the Ferrari newsletter?  Make sure you are answering one of those questions you heard in less than one paragraph (or a 1 minute video). Make it as personal and focused as possible.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be directly about your services. Have separate email lists for different types of clients.

Stop broadcasting and start conversing.