We all like seeing our name in print, and by collecting a bit of information from your contacts, you can improve your open and engagement rates significantly.
Whether you are using a bulk mailer like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, your CMS, or sending an individual email, personalization is one of the best ways to grab people’s attention and to get them to take action.
This starts with your email subject line and continues in the body of your email. If you have access to your recipients’ first names, use them. Instead of a subject like, “It’s been a while since we chatted,” just add the recipient’s name at the end of that (“It’s been a while since we chatted, Jim”) and watch your open and engagement rates soar.
Personalization doesn’t have to stop there.
Adding your recipient’s name in the body of your email can reinforce the idea that this correspondence is for them. Sure, people may know in their hearts that this is a bulk send, but on some level, they will appreciate the extra attention you have invested in your outreach.
In fact, you can turn your personalization up to eleven by including some additional information in your correspondence that indicates that you are in tune with your recipient’s life. This becomes more of a challenge (and certainly can get into a discussion about segmentation vs. just personalization), but – particularly when sending out individual emails – making reference to something personal works wonders. Ask how their trip to Morocco went, how they are coming along with that book they are writing, or if they won their beer league hoops game last week.
The next time you send out an email, make sure to include some personalization to improve your relationship-building. A little will go a long way.
