With only seconds to engage your reader’s swift attention, your next email campaign should be simple, direct and valuable to your assiduous biotech audience.

In 2012, the average person will receive 75 emails a day, leaving you just few seconds to earn your subscriber’s attention. Whether they are entrenched in research or the business side of the life sciences, your recipient is likely reading your email on the go and in between many other priorities. To gain valuable readership your message should be concise, offering real value to your recipient upfront. In those few initial seconds your reader should be able to answer:

• What are you offering me?
• How can I get it, learn more or participate?

According to the Email Stat Center, the average open rate is 23.3% with the median click-through rate at 5.9%. This means (on average) for your next email campaign you can expect 23.3% of your recipients to read beyond your subject line and actually open your message, and of those 5.9% will click through your email message to read more.

Here are Five Tips to Boost Your Email Campaign Readership and Conversion Rate:

Tip 1. Brand Your Campaign Including Your From Address
First, improve your open rate by branding your “from name” or email address. As one of the first things subscribers read, your “from name” should be immediately recognizable. So, rather than a generic email address like “research@vrtx.com”, use your company name or better yet, try a branded campaign “from name” such as “Vertex: CF Frontlines.” In this case, their investor-based audience knows this email is releasing Vertex’s latest research in the fight against cystic fibrosis. From here use the subject line to give your reader a specific benefit statement as a campaign grows. Generic subjects like “January News” tend to lack the level of engagement you desire. Once opened, each email in your campaign should continue a well-branded message and consistent design theme.

Tip 2. Offer Instant Gratification Through Valuable Content
Focus on what matters most to your subscribers. Starting with your subject line, ask yourself – what is the benefit to my reader? Continue that thought process through your introductory sentences and paragraph headings. With such a small window of opportunity, your email should deliver real value, offering your reader instant gratification for their effort.

Tip 3. Less Quantity, More Quality
Remember when it comes to reading online, less is usually more. Web readers don’t read — they scan and quickly become disinterested by lengthy text and too many choices. Keep the language direct. “Here’s what I’m offering and here’s out to learn more/take action”  – then offer quick links to more of your story, such as a detailed product landing page on your website.

Tip 4. Design for Conversion
The design of your email should intuitively encourage action. Colors, design, imagery and size all come into play in gaining attention and leading eyes where you want them to go. Visually, is it easy to find more information about your research, product or service? Is your ‘learn more” or “special offer” button obvious enough?

Tip 5. Provide an Obvious Call-To-Action
You want your reader to take immediate action so again, words and the presentation of them are key. Before your audience is willing to initiate a call-to-action they have to identify a specific need. By limiting their choices and using active high-priority language you can encourage those who may be on the fence to take the next step.

Have some successful email campaign strategies of your own to share? We welcome your thoughts.