Did you know over half of U.S. respondents to a Campaign Monitor survey said they check their personal email more than 10 times a day? That’s good news if you’re using email to get people’s attention. But checking their email is one thing, actually reading it another. How do you get prospective customers to click through rather than delete your email? Try these email marketing ideas to help you get better results.

Mind the Preheader

When folks open their email box, they don’t see your cool graphics or your funny video. Instead, they see a subject line followed by a short text message called a preheader. If these two elements don’t give them a compelling reason to open your email, it’s likely to get deleted before they ever see your message.

An effective preheader should answer the reader’s question, “What’s in it for me?” It’s recommended you keep it between 40 to 50 characters. One study reported that 62% of people will open an email if you personalize it with their name. 72% will open it if you offer a discount. Others have suggested using a question, a deadline or even an emoji to get noticed. For instance, “Want to save 60%? Offer expires today.” Here are more examples of how to get attention using the preheader.

Tidy Up First

The secret to a good email isn’t just what’s in your email. It’s who you send it to. When was the last time you cleaned up your email list? Sending to bad email addresses can artificially deflate your email results. And sending back-to-school emails to customers who are now empty nesters is annoying. 

Hubspot says email databases degrade by about 22% each year. So if you’re not scrubbing regularly, you’re losing traction from your list. Start by removing duplicate email addresses along with any unsubscribed emails. Next, look at those emails who haven’t engaged with you. Decide whether to segment them out for a “haven’t heard from you” campaign or delete them entirely. Some email services have a feature to help you decide. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Be Omnipresent

“No man is an island” and neither is an email campaign. You can amplify your email message by combining it with offline channels. It’s called omnichannel marketing. For example, a coffee shop might send an email about a new blend they’re offering. Then they offer free samples when you go to their store, give out coupons at a local bookstore, and give an interview about it on a local TV station’s noon program. These multiple touchpoints create one continuous experience that raise the visibility from your email.

Another idea is to tie the email to a customer’s behavior. For example, if they attended your recent open house, send a “thanks for visiting” email to reinforce their visit. The connection to a previous touchpoint will increase the chances of them opening your email. They’ll recognize your company’s name in their email box.

Stop Putting A Square Peg In a Round Hole

Quick, name five qualities that absolutely apply to every one of your customers. Having difficulty? That’s because not all of your customers are the same. So stop treating them as if they are by sending the same email to everyone. Segment your email lists so you can tailor your message to different needs. Sharing more relevant content will increase the chances they’ll read your email.

New York Times bestselling author Neil Patel outlines a number of segmentation options. One of them is “time since their last purchase.” Frequent buyers might get emails about upgrading their recent purchase, new product announcements or promotional offers. One-time customers would be interested in personalized discounts based on their former purchase.

Email marketing remains a viable way to market to customers. In fact, 83% of people prefer it to receive information about brands they trust. Start getting your share of customers’ attention with these email marketing ideas.