Simple measures need to be taken in order to be certain that the quality of your list will increase. Measures such as segmenting out those recipients who have shown interest from other prospects(Non Opens) will do your delivery resources(IPs) a world of good when it comes down to the simple success of your email content and the overall success of your deliverability objectives.

Isolate your Non Opens for Conversion

Now that we’ve stated the obvious, let’s face it… sending the same content to recipients who’ve previously opened with those who you would like to see open isn’t always the best idea. Yes, you can do that, and yes it works; however, depending on your client’s needs and the overall message you wish to convey, you might want to consider forming a particular impression on a recipient the first time they decide to open your email.

Take for instance if you are engaged in an ongoing dialog with recipients on a list going out to both Open and Non Open recipients. If one of those Non Open recipients decided to open your message, would they understand your ‘current’ communication, or will your message be lost in translation spanning over multiple unopened emails? Pursuing a strategy like this can, at times, be self serving – as you could be showing a disinterest in the fact that your Non Opens have yet to actually read one of your mails. Sure you will slowly, and I mean slowly, convert some of your Non Opens to the light of your Open list; however, email marketing in today’s universe requires as much personal detail as possible – even if it’s a small acknowledgment that someone is opening for the first time.

The goal is to take that extra step and make your new opens feel warm and fuzzy inside by letting them know.. ‘Hey, thanks for participating and opening our email for the first time.’ Now this is obviously a small minutia of personalization, but it can work and often only requires you to slightly modify your content in order to present your converting Non Opens a ‘welcome aboard’ friendly smile. Consider a simple click feature in your Non Open content that can allow your conversions(new opens) to select participation levels(e.g. How often they would like to receive mail, or points of interest). You might be surprised at the amount of information a participant is willing to forfeit when they are able to fill out a simple form. All of this information can be thrown into your statistical ‘Punnett square’ sort of speak.. or however you formulate your target marketing strategy. This will offer you an informational advantage with those who optionally choose to fill out the form. What better way to build a solid rapport with those newly converted recipients?

Show an Intriguing and Identifiable Inbox Presence

Let’s just say you sent your Non Open content and it somehow made it to the Holy of Holies – what I like to call the ‘Inbox’. Why would your targeted Non Open recipient choose to open your message? Assuming that you have sent to this particular Non Open recipient before, and that they still have not managed to be removed from your list via FBLs..etc.. – then you still have a chance at converting them! The problem here is to differentiate your inbox presence from messages that otherwise may appear to be ‘Junk’.

The first thing I notice when I open my inbox is ‘who the email is from’. Now if your resources(IPs) are dedicated to this one particular client whom on behalf you are sending this message, then you can set up your DomainKeys to feature any ‘From’ message that you wish – obviously this is the optimal choice. Otherwise, if you have multiple clients sharing your resources, then your ‘From’ may have restrictions, such as only displaying the list name..etc.. Whatever is shown, remember that you want to make it an obvious gentle reminder – ‘Hey! It’s me.. the email you opted in to way back when!’

Aside from the sender name in the ‘From’ of your emails, your subject line will be the other huge factor in getting those Non Opens to convert. You need to dazzle(if possible?) your recipients.. because remember that the goal we are seeking here is to convince those who have not participated, into opening your message – and not immediately clicking unsubscribe when they finally do. Let’s take for instance my own personal experience. I have found that putting ‘Nancy Pelosi’ on a subject line will convert on average around 15% more Non Opens than any other subject line. Why is this? Because love her or hate her, she IS an ‘intriguing’ and ‘identifiable’ figure head. The same can go with ‘Taxes’. Everybody, well.. most everybody, can identify with that plight as it is both ‘intriguing’ and ‘identifiable’ to many. Before you blast your next content, try including a little more ‘edge’ in the subject line going out to your Non Opens. And like Ron Burgundy, you want to ‘stay classy’ – but one thing is for sure, an overly sensitive subject line is typically over looked or dismissed by recipients, especially if you are looking to convert those Non Opens.

Maintain a Professional Presence

What happens after you convert that Non Open recipient? Assuming that they are still interested, and haven’t deemed it necessary to unsubscribe, ‘yet’. If this is the case, then you should maintain the highest form of ‘Professional Presence’ possible. What does this mean? Well, it’s probably going to mean different things to different people, but I would start off by keeping your converted recipients engaged. NO – this doesn’t mean pound emails down their throat until they choke and finally unsubscribe. More so, it means that you need to take the information you have, and use it accordingly in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Did you use a click form in your conversion content to Non Opens to gather information about this recipient? If so, then use it accordingly. If not or if they opted out of the optional form, then try corresponding every other week, or possibly twice a month at a minimum. Their click participation and your analysis thereof should give you the information you need to pursue any further attention or targeting. – And as always, and I cannot stress this enough.. ‘Review, Review and Review your content until you are blue in the face. Nothing spells out ‘Non-Professional’ like poorly worded or pieced together content. If your content is not making sense, or if you cannot convey your message in a clear and concise manner, then you will eventually suffer the repercussions. Focus on continuously improving your content and the way it is displayed and presented to your converted users.