How to improve email click rates?

[avaroglu]

Hi there! I'm doing a review of an email nurture series we set up a few years back and within the last year, the open rates have been very good for the most past but our click rates throughout the series are pretty low. 
The series is all text-based emails - curious if anyone has thoughts on if using a template might be good to test for better click rates? Or if anyone has tips on how to improve click rates? We're clearly getting people to open the email but the CTA isn't working. Thanks!!

[jsiebert]

@avaroglu We may need some more info! Are you utilizing text links in your e-mails? What do your e-mails look like? Are they straight up text-versions (i.e: you forced the user to receive a text based email) or is it still HTML/CSS styled but just very text-heavy? 

Aside from the design, what is the content of these e-mails? E-mail content is just as important as e-mial design. What is the nurture's goal? 

[Darshil_Shah1]

Remember, not all open or click engagements are from humans. Bots and privacy filters can inflate open/click rates without reflecting genuine reader engagement. You can turn on Marketo's bot filtering to identify and/or filter out the bot clicks and opens.

Tips to improve click engagements:

• Content and Message: Does the email content clearly articulate the value proposition and the benefit of clicking? Is the CTA strong and action-oriented? Test different headlines, body copy, and CTA styles to see what resonates.
• Offer and Timing: Are you offering something truly valuable for the specific stage of the nurture series? Consider testing different offers or sending emails at different times during the week to see if timing impacts clicks.
• Personalization: A touch of personalization can go a long way. Consider adding subscriber names, past purchase history, or referring to previous interactions to make the email feel more relevant and encourage clicks.
• Urgency & Scarcity: Limited-time offers or exclusive content can create a sense of urgency and encourage immediate action. Use these tactics sparingly and with authenticity.
• A/B Testing: A/B test different CTAs, email content, and visuals to see what resonates best with your audience.

Remember, click rates are just one metric. Consider tracking downstream actions like conversions or purchases to get a holistic picture of the nurture series' effectiveness.

[Dave_Roberts]

Here's an interesting read I found on the web about plain-text vs. image-based emails in terms of click-thru-rates:
https://pinpointe.com/blog/text-based-vs-image-based-emails-which-does-better/

This is from 2017 so it might not be accurate information for today and it may not be representative of your audience so results may vary for a few reasons. None-the-less, to my surprise, this article suggests higher click-thru rates for text-based email than image-based email which I wouldn't have expected. 

In terms of what's engaging to me and what I normally see and click on, it's some combination of clear language (text) and compelling graphics (product) with a big ol' button that's clearly labeled with an action (ex. "Discover Product X" vs "Click Here"). I suppose it really depends on your audience and offering at the end of the day and there may also be some meta considerations like "how many other companies are doing exactly what you're doing" and "how many similar emails did this audience member receive that match your approach" and other things that might wind you up in the "mental noise" filter for any person at any time that may work better at some times than others depending upon what's going on in the macro-level view. 

Here's an article with some ideas for writing compelling CTAs:
https://www.omnisend.com/blog/email-cta

Hot Take: I hate to admit it and I personally will delete an email if it uses too much FOMO, but it really seems to work with a broader audience these days to drive behavior.