Remington BeggCrafting professional emails to your Leads is incredibly important to a Smarketer adhering to the inbound methodology. But what happens with you send out a finely-tuned message and don’t hear anything back? Or you have a good report going, and then they drop off? It could be because they simply didn’t notice you in their cluttered inbox. Professionals receive an average of 88 business-related emails a day, according to the Radicati Group’s 2015 Email Statistics Report. Any great Sales person will tell you that you will probably need to contact someone multiple times to convert a Lead 
to a Customer. So how are you supposed to stand out, without coming off too pushy? The answer: your email subject line.
Creating the perfect subject line can be extremely tricky, and even more so if you’re trying to gauge whether someone is truly uninterested in your service or simply didn’t notice you beforehand. Here’s a few fun examples to get you started writing your own:
#1 “Closing the Loop”
This one comes from marketing guru Blair Enns. This subject line is very straightforward. You’re not trying to be cheeky or silly or obtrusive, you’re just trying to find out if they’re still interested in what you are offering. This is an email to close the professional relationship, unless the recipient tells you not to.
#2 “Re: <Your Company Name>”
According to this ContactMonkey study, sales emails with “Re:” as the subject line are opened 92% of the time. That’s astonishing! When they see “Re:”, they’ll know it is part of a previous conversation and be less weary to open it. Also, instead of assuming that your recipient remembers your name and what you were talking about, build your previous interactions right into your subject line when attempting to re-engage.
#3 “How Did You Enjoy the <Resource>?”
If your Lead came in from downloading an eBook, whitepaper, or other resource from your website, mention it specifically in the subject line. This makes you come off concerned about the products you’re providing, as well as subtly informing them that you’re not SPAMing them. By reminding them of why you’re reaching out to them, it may just get you into their inner circle and get a response.
#4 “Am I Off Base?”
This subject line, a suggestion by HubSpot, invites your email recipient to redirect your conversation toward a topic that’s useful for them, or end your relationship altogether. You don’t want to keep bothering something indefinitely if they aren’t interested. While it may not be fun to hear, knowing that you’re off base will get you closure and save you future time to spend on Leads that are still interested.
#5 “Are You Seeing Someone Else?”
This one is perfect if you’re comfortable being a little silly with your Leads. It’s possible that your prospective customer has gone with a competitor and just hasn’t bothered to tell you. Give them a way to exit the conversation with you, so you can restart the conversation or mark it as a lost Lead.
#6 “Only <X> Weeks Left!”
It’s always good to create some urgency. This timeline could be referring to anything you’d like, from the time left in the fiscal year to a limited time offer they previously inquired about. Let them know that something they have shown interest in is about to go away, or get more expensive. There’s nothing like an impending deadline to get someone moving.
#7 “Any Questions, <Name>?”
Email subject lines are a great place to incorporate Smart Content. People love the personalization of their own name. Get their attention by including their name in your subject line, and then ask how you can help. This is another good one to let them know that you aren’t a stranger sending SPAM to their inbox.
#8 Emojis
A record number of emails are seen and opened on mobile devices now. Depending on the age group of your Buyer Personas, it could be up to 70%! Millennials are the most likely to be using a mobile device for emails, even those of a professional nature. As they’re scrolling through text and text email, stop them in their tracts with an emoji! It’s a fantastic way to stand out in a clogged inbox.
All of these tips only work if you’re reaching out to the correct Leads though. In order to ensure this, your company needs a developed Smarketing team that is attracting, scoring, and contacting Leads. If you aren’t sure what that is, or how to do it properly, download our free eBook Lead Scoring: The Smarketer’s Guide today and get started in the right direction.
