Just because your email was not opened does not mean it was not effective

For years now, many of us e-marketers have worked under the assumption that an unopened email means your subscriber is disengaged and uninterested-- until now. A recent study by Alchemy Worx has revealed that unopened email communications have measurable impact on brand awareness and can lead to increased conversion activity (sales) across other communication channels.

How you ask? Through the "Nudge Effect."

What is the Nudge Effect and how does it work?

The Nudge Effect is a way of influencing people's behavior without telling them exactly what to do. Alchemy Worx puts it this way,: "when sorting their emails, your subscribers will see your brand impression first in the 'from' column and in the subject line. What you need to do is provide the information in the subject line that encourages the subscriber to retain the information you've provided. It's a subtle yet powerful opportunity that makes even an unopened email a source of potential success across all your channels."

The Alchemy Worx study showed how emails featuring a company's brand name and a subject line that communicates the email's contents and how it benefits the user (key point here being you need to communicate the benefits) can influence a purchase decision even when the recipient fails to open the email. They were able to correlate spikes over time in purchases from recipients who received emails but did not open them over those who received no emails at all.

Image courtesy of Alchemy Worx

So, shed those frustrations with unopened emails and low click rates and rest assured that even when your subscribers don’t open your email, its presence in their inbox leads to a tangible impact on brand awareness and sales via online and other channels.

Read the complete Alchemy Worx article here: Dela Quist on the Nudge Effect