Hey Private Practice Heroes It’s Kathy Colaiacovo and thanks for tuning in today because I want to share some marketing strategies that can help you reach more people – and bring in more clients for your private practice or business…
And it starts by talking about email marketing and newsletters!
This topic is one we cover a lot within the Thrive Marketing Academy – members in the program are always looking to improve their results, and we cover ways they can get more people to read and act on the information in the emails they send out.
Email marketing is one of those marketing activities that many business and practice owners always want to avoid…until they start seeing the results.
Just recently we’ve had three members in my programs share some wins and they were elated to share the results they got from sending emails and newsletters. The results were people booking discovery calls and paid sessions and booking appointments! Signing up to work with them. So when I say results that is what I mean.
The trick is having effective emails and newsletters that people open and read to have that info to act on. And today I want to cover a strategy to help get more people doing just that. Opening your emails. Because oftentimes folks bring their ideas to our coaching sessions and when I review their emails and newsletters… more often than not, when I check what they have prepared to send… There is one glaring issue that will cause folks to NOT open the email.
The #1 mistake I referred to in the title of this podcast.
Subject lines.
Subject lines are the heavy lifters when it comes to email marketing! They carry the weight of the results that happen with those emails.
And they are something folks overlook as important, but once they see how optimizing them can boost open rates and get more people reading the content… they are always looking to get a second opinion on how to improve them to get more people to open their emails.
Email Subject lines are what entice people to open your emails so they can read the info and then take action from the information you have sent.
Opening the emails and consuming the info – that is the most crucial part in all of this is getting the emails opened. Especially for those emails where you aren’t just educating but trying to convert folks into clients, to get them to click a link and register for something to buy something.
Marketing emails where you have info to share and a call to action for them to take.
But no one will take action if they don’t open them… and that is why we often focus on the subject lines in the strategic review and coaching sessions. Because the practice and business owners in the groups are all looking to boost their open rates, just like all of you who do email marketing try to do as well.
When we review their subject lines that is where I see the mistake most people make with subject lines for marketing emails – something that is easy to overlook.
This is why I want to share with you that mistake so that you know exactly what it is and how you can avoid doing this.
If you can change this habit and put this tactic into play, you will see higher open rates with your marketing emails and newsletters.
Let’s dive into the #1 Mistake made with Email Subject Lines
So the biggest mistake people make is:
GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
Now let me explain this… I don’t mean the length or how many words you use – I mean the words you use in the subject line. The content and the Context.
The error is simply having Too Much Information – TMI!
When you put in too much information, you risk the people on your email list pre-judging whether or not this information is relevant to them and they will decide to open or not based on this. It’s human nature.
For most people, emails are an intrusion in our day, and because of this many people are wary of time spent reading emails, which is why you don’t want to make this mistake of too much info! Because I know what follows… You then think they aren’t working and you stop focusing your time on them. And you stop sending them!
And then what happens is your mind starts trying to rationalize, if it’s not working stop doing it. And most practice owners are always ready to stop sending emails. This is so common because the biggest block business owners have with email marketing is that they do not like getting newsletters, so they do not want to be sending them.And when you get any idea that they aren’t working you jump at the chance to stop.
But email marketing does work.
According to a variety of online studies, Email can generate anywhere from $38 to $44 for every $1 spent, which is an astounding ROI, and it’s why email marketing is one of the most effective options available.
Especially for solopreneurs, people who wear all the hats and do all the work in their private practice or business. I’ve said it before: if you only had an hour a week for marketing – I would tell you to write an article and send it as a newsletter and post it on your blog – long before spending any time on social media.
What this means is that as business owners we need to embrace the fact that this marketing tool works and get rid of our limiting beliefs that people do not open or read them and that no one gets results. This is so far from the truth.
So … repeat after me: Email Marketing Works.
The thing you need to realize is why it’s not working. Figure this out and find ways to improve those results before quitting. Focus on improving what you are doing and optimizing it all to make it work better and reach more people. To get more people to open it up and then consume the info you so painstakingly – or easily if you follow my processes – put together.
So, let’s look at why putting too much info in that subject line is a problem.
Picture your inbox and new emails sitting there… The first thing people see is that subject line – well right after your “Send from” name… and that is why it is so important.
It’s often the deciding factor on whether or not your people open those emails from you – it’s why anyone opens any email!
This is why you have to plan your email subject lines. Be strategic with them.
You want to create subject lines that people open, versus ones where you give them a chance to decide the email is not for them and they simply delete it.
And that’s what happens with this mistake of having Too Much Information.
Sometimes, sharing too much gives people a reason to prejudge that this email is not for them and BAM!!! Into the trash folder, it goes.
The best way to avoid this is to:
Create a subject line that invokes curiosity versus sharing all the details of what is in the email.
And to be very clear, I don’t mean by tricking people, by using clickbait techniques…it’s important to keep the content of the email consistent with the promise and information made in the subject line.
Misleading subject lines only lead to mistrust and will increase your unsubscribe rates. And no one wants that!
What I mean is to create a subject line that makes people think … “Hmmmm, I want to check this out.”
Let’s use an example so you can see what I mean.…
Suppose you received an email with the subject line that reads:
- Do you make this mistake in your kitchen?
Versus one that says:
- 3 ways to make meal planning easy at dinnertime.
What one would see you open the email quicker?
The one where you are going to find out if you made this mistake too or one that states clearly what is in the email.
Most people will say #1 because it makes them wonder. “Hmmm… Do I do this – what is this thing she’s even talking about?” and so you open it to find out.
The other one, well if you’re busy and rushing your day as always and see that clear subject line… and you decide your meal planning is fine and you don’t need help – well you will be quicker to say no thanks I don’t have time now.
And leave it be, unopened and unread until a later time when you’re cleaning out your inbox and see it again. Then you will probably rethink that first thought and hit delete versus clicking to open it.
That is more often than not the behaviour that happens.
Now, raving fans on your list will probably always open the email, but the other folks…they will be more inclined to click delete. It’s these folks we want to reach.
The fix to this is changing your marketing strategy when it comes to email subject lines and stop giving away too much info in every email and subject line.
Now, I am not saying this happens for every single email you send, but it needs to be part of that overall email marketing content and strategy.
You will want to have a mix of types of subject lines and types of emails too… it is always best to mix up your content. I always talk of my content formula for success – 30% business 30% sales and 40% persona – well the same goes for emails. Mix it up!
Here’s how to Mix Up your Email Content Strategy
- Plan for some emails that educate people, some that are intended to engage them and yes, even some sales emails.
- Mix up the length of the email content – some can be short, some longer and some fall in the middle.
- Get real and add some persona aspect of content in there. When you get a little personal in the email content people get to know you and build trust in you. Put yourself in your emails so people feel you and relate to you.
- Engage them. They got on your list for some reason – something attracted you to them so much so that they entered their name and email to get on your list – you want to be sure you do take the time to get a little more personal, go a little deeper with them – to build a relationship so they look forward to the emails you send.
Now… let’s move on to what you can do to mix up some of your subject lines and avoid this TMI mistake – giving too much information in the email subject line.
Here are a couple of examples of edits I have helped my clients or Thrive Academy members change with email subject lines to boost their open rates.
FROM: Using Word of Mouth Marketing to Grow Your Private Practice
TO: This often-forgotten type of marketing can grow your practice
FROM: Challenge Diet Culture: Embrace that Bodies are meant to exist in all shapes and sizes
TO: When you begin to notice this about your body … wow!
FROM: Can I Learn to Make Peace with Food Without Obsessing about My Body Weight?
TO: Why everyone must stop obsessing about this …
FROM: Liking How You Look is the One Thing that Can Change Everything.
TO: Learning this about your body can change your life
Now, understand this does not work for every email and every subject line. There are many other tactics for email subject lines. There are other times when the subject lines need to be very clear and concise. It always depends on who you are writing to and why.
For instance, for my reminder emails for the Thrive Marketing Academy Group Coaching Sessions, I am not going to get fancy. They will read something like this – Subject line: [TMA] LIVE Group Call TODAY – August 22nd!
When sending emails to folks who downloaded your lead magnets, you want to be clear on these subject lines: Here is the eBook you requested or Here is the Meal Planning Cheatsheet you requested.
And can I just say – that this strategy applies to personal or one-on-one emails too? Clear and to the point will always help with business one-on-one emails so that the recipient knows exactly what you need.
Now, back to your email marketing subject lines…
You can also try funny ones, ones that are personalized with the subscriber’s name. Then there are the types that have a deadline or offer in them, along with many more strategies. Email with emojis in the subject line can attract attention, too.
The content in your email will typically dictate what subject line strategy you want to use for that email.
This is one element to consider especially as you write and create that email content. In my Thrive Marketing Academy, I have an article template folks get that guides their email newsletter and blog creation. One of the first things in this template are the following lines:
GOAL OF THIS ARTICLE IS:
AUDIENCE I AM SPEAKING TO:
When you determine this before you write your emails, you will have a better idea of what type of subject line to create. As long as you remember the #1 rule for marketing emails, never give away too much information in the subject line. And then rule #2 – vary the subject lines and the content!
Here is a bonus tip I have for you!
As you create your email subject lines, review them and read them out loud – not in your head silently, but speak the words out loud. Then, make edits to make them read so people will wonder what it is all about and open the emails. Build curiosity in some of your subject lines to boost your open rates and reach more people!
Your action step today is to go back to the last 5 emails or newsletters you sent out.
Check the subject lines, the open rates and even the content. Do your subject lines give too much away?
If you have been tracking your stats and using something like the Stats Tracking template I offer for free, you should be able to go right to that document and review those subject lines and open rates. You may need to peek inside the email to remember the content. But take a look at it.
What do your subject lines say – are they all TMI or not enough, do they invoke any curiosity,,, and is there a mix of them too?
If not, think about these lessons today and try something new with your next newsletter! And track the changes too so you can determine if that is helping you get more opens, more replies, more reach-outs… more results!
And by the way, if you haven’t gotten your hands on that free stats tracking template I offer, I will link to it in the show notes. It gets you started with a document to track some of your main marketing and business numbers so you can review and plan based on the data you are collecting.
This is data that is easy for any practice or business owner to access and track.
All of this info will give you some insight as to how you can go about making some improvements to reach more people, to engage more people to build those relationships that lead to more clients which means more sales!
And if you want to improve those open rates even more, be sure to check out episode 12 of the podcast, How to Boost your Email Open Rates by 10% in 10 minutes.
Adding the tactic from that lesson with the one we discussed today on subject lines can make a huge difference in how many people are opening your emails, consuming the information and taking action! I’ll link to that in the show notes too.
This is Kathy Colaiacovo, Thanks for tuning in today and remember to Thrive in Practice means having a strategy to help improve the effectiveness of your emails and newsletters… get strategic with those subject lines and you will reach more people! And maybe even book some more consults and clients like my Thrive Academy members have been doing! And if you want to book a call with me to talk about the Academy and explore joining us in this group coaching and training program, I will put a link to that in the show notes as well!
I’ll see you next time.