How to Improve Email & SMS Click Rates

In the vast landscape of digital marketing, email remains a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. However, with inboxes flooded with messages, it's crucial to cut through the noise and engage your recipients effectively. One key metric to measure this engagement is the click rate (CR), which reflects the percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links contained in an email.

Achieving a high click rate requires a strategic approach that encompasses various aspects of email marketing. In this guide, we'll explore actionable tips and best practices to enhance your email click rates

Understanding the Importance of Segmentation

Segmentation is the cornerstone of effective email marketing. By dividing your audience into smaller, more targeted groups based on specific criteria, you can tailor your messages to better resonate with each segment. Practice healthy email list habits by segmenting based on product interest, engagement, or demographics.

When you send relevant content to a segmented audience, you increase the likelihood of recipients finding value in your emails. This not only boosts click rates but also fosters a sense of personalisation that can lead to stronger customer relationships.

Crafting Compelling Subject Lines

Your email's subject line is the first impression you make on recipients. Klaviyo says that "you can’t click if you don’t open," highlighting the pivotal role of subject lines in encouraging recipients to open your emails.

To enhance click rates, focus on creating subject lines that are concise, intriguing, and aligned with the content of your email. Avoid misleading language and aim for authenticity. Experiment with personalisation tokens or emojis to make your subject lines stand out in crowded inboxes.

Best practices for writing subject lines that drive opens:

• Personalise your subject lines using the reader’s first name and other zero- and first-party data, like recently viewed products, items ordered, abandoned products, or most-viewed products
• If you’re including a discount, make sure it’s in the subject line
• Use the preview text to communicate additional value or tease more of the content inside
• When in doubt, run a subject line A/B test
• Keep it short

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Optimising Email Design for Mobile Devices

In an era where people often check their emails on smartphones, ensuring your emails are mobile-friendly is non-negotiable. Klaviyo's advice to "make your content easy to consume on any device" is spot on.

Responsive design, legible fonts, and appropriately sized buttons contribute to a seamless mobile experience. Test your emails across various devices and clients to guarantee that your recipients can effortlessly navigate and click through, regardless of the platform they use.

Read more about email design in our blog.

Creating Clear and Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons

The call-to-action (CTA) is the catalyst for clicks. Make sure your CTA stands out. This involves using contrasting colors, compelling copy, and a design that guides the reader's attention.

Opt for action-oriented language that conveys a sense of urgency or exclusivity. Experiment with different CTA placements and styles to find what resonates best with your audience. A/B testing can be a valuable tool in refining your CTAs for optimal click rates.

Personalising Content Based on User Behaviour

Personalisation goes beyond addressing recipients by their first name. Use customer data to personalise your content, leverage behavioral data to understand your audience's preferences, purchase history, and engagement patterns.

Tailor your emails to showcase products or content that align with the recipient's interests. Implementing dynamic content blocks that automatically adjust based on user behavior can significantly enhance the relevance of your emails, leading to increased click rates.

Optimising Send Times for Maximum Impact

Timing plays a crucial role in the success of your email campaigns. Klaviyo advises that you "send emails when your audience is most active." Analyze your audience's behavior and time zone preferences to schedule emails when they are most likely to be engaged.

Experiment with different send times and track the performance metrics to identify the optimal timing for your specific audience. Keep in mind that the ideal send time may vary based on factors such as industry, target demographic, and geographic location.

Implementing A/B Testing to Refine Strategies

A/B testing is a powerful tool for fine-tuning your email marketing strategies. Klaviyo suggests that you "use A/B testing to refine your strategies continuously." Experiment with different elements, such as subject lines, content, images, and CTAs, to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Regularly analyse the results of your A/B tests and apply the insights gained to optimise future campaigns. This iterative approach ensures that your email marketing efforts are always evolving to meet the changing preferences of your audience.

Conclusion

Elevating your email click rates requires a holistic approach that considers every aspect of your email marketing strategy. By implementing segmentation, crafting compelling subject lines, optimising for mobile devices, creating clear CTAs, personalising content, optimising send times, and utilising A/B testing, you can significantly enhance the engagement levels of your email campaigns.

Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Continuously analyse your metrics, stay attuned to your audience's preferences, and adapt your strategies accordingly. With a commitment to refinement and a focus on delivering value, you'll be well on your way to mastering the art of email engagement and boosting click rates.

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Click Rate FAQs

How do you calculate click rate?

Click rate of an email equals the total number of unique clicks divided by total deliveries. Use total unique clicks (which doesn’t count the number of times a subscriber clicks the same link in your email) rather than total cumulative clicks (which does count repeated clicks)—it’s a more accurate measure of true audience engagement.

What affects your email click rates?

The 3 main factors that can cause low click rates are:

• Poor deliverability
• Subject lines that don’t spark enough interest for the reader to open the email
• Email content that doesn’t resonate with recipients

Why aren’t click-through rates a reliable metric anymore?

Click-through rate is the number of recipients who clicked on a link divided by the total number of recipients. Because this percentage takes open rates into account, which are often unreliable since iOS 15—it’s rarely considered a reliable metric.

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