Email remains one of the most effective forms of marketing. Despite its success, there are likely plenty of your customers and prospects who are not opening your emails at all.

Equally disheartening is when a customer or prospect opens your email but fails to convert. What’s a business to do? Well, read on for important tips that will help to boost the open and conversion rates of your emails.

1. Segment your email lists. Targeting the right people is the key to improved email conversion rates. In light of this fact, it is imperative that you routinely evaluate your email lists to make sure they are as up-to-date as possible. Remember, most lists have a shelf life of only six to 12 months.
2. Customize. The more you know your customers and prospects, the better able you will be to tailor the content of your emails. And research shows that the more customized an email, the higher the conversion rate.
3. Double opt-in. When you ask customers to confirm their email address, you increase engagement and also guarantee that your information is accurate. This small task takes little effort but can make a big difference.
4. Nurture leads. One email is unlikely to convince anyone to do business with you. Instead, make sure you send a series of emails. For example, the first can introduce someone to your brand, the second can give an overview of your products or services and the third can offer a coupon or discount on an initial purchase.
5. Use your brand voice. If your emails are being opened but not converting, you can probably attribute that to what you emails have to say. This is another case of how important it is to know who your audience is. Generic emails speak to no one. Serious customers will respond to an authoritative voice and statistics. Young mothers will likely respond best to calm and concern.
6. Get the title right. No one has the time to guess what your emails are about. That means if the title or subject line of your email doesn’t tell them, they are going to hit the delete button sooner rather than later. There will be an opportunity once an email is opened to get your point across, but you have to get the reader to open it first.

People get several emails every single day. If you want yours to stand out, you have to make sure you know who you are targeting and allow those individuals to get a feel for who you are. Only then will your email campaigns be successful.