the episode

​These days so many people are hot on social media and whatever the new platform is this week.  But Nicole Krug says that year after year email marketing works.  It has a 400% return on investment and that has been consistent for many years. One of the reasons is email is more personal than social media.  You have been invited into the inbox.

Now the trick is getting people to open your email once you land there. Data suggests only about 20% of emails are opened, so in this conversation Nicole shares some great tips on how you can improve your open rate.

I opened the conversation with a simple challenge. Could I get you to stop scrolling and pay attention? Because that’s exactly what your email subject line has to do every single day.

This conversation is all about email marketing. Not the fancy funnels or the perfectly designed templates. Just the one thing that determines whether any of that even gets seen.

I sat down with Nicole Krug, founder of Socialight, who has been helping small business owners make sense of digital marketing since 2009. She’s watched email evolve, and here’s the surprise. It’s still one of the most powerful tools we’ve got.

Takeaways:

• Your subject line is the whole game
  If they don’t open the email, nothing else matters. Nicole shared that average open rates hover around 21 percent. That means 4 out of 5 people never even see your brilliant content. Ouch.
• “Company Update” is the fastest way to get ignored
  If your subject line sounds like a memo, it’s getting skipped. Instead, spark curiosity or promise value. Think less “newsletter” and more “tell me something I don’t know.”
• Give just enough to make them curious
  A good subject line hints at what’s inside without giving it all away. It’s like a movie trailer. If you tell the whole story, no one buys a ticket.
• Urgency works, until it doesn’t
  “Last chance” only works if it’s actually the last chance. Overuse it and people stop believing you. Then you’re just background noise.
• Personalization isn’t about first names
  Adding “Hi Susan” won’t fool anyone. Real personalization means relevance. Location, interests, behavior. That’s what gets attention.
• Test, tweak, repeat
  Your email platform has tools. Use them. Spam checkers, A B testing, analytics. This isn’t guesswork, it’s feedback.

Your subject line isn’t just a label. It’s the front door.

And if it looks boring, don’t be surprised when no one knocks.

our guest Nicole Krug

Nicole Krug founded Social Light in 2009 to help make the Internet a friendlier place by providing the tools and training small business owners need for success online. Through Social Light Nicole helps clients hone their digital marketing strategies to bring more exposure to their brand while boosting the bottom line.
With a focus on digital brand management, social media, web development and email marketing, Nicole understands small business goals and how to meet them.

Learn more at: Social Light