Do you find yourself occasionally sending out emails when you have something special to promote? Do you lump all of your friends, family, past clients, leads, and colleagues into one email list and hope for the best? Do you hit send on those emails whether it’s 3 a.m. or 3 p.m.? If so, you may find that your email marketing isn’t really hitting the mark and providing the results you’re looking for.

A well-developed email marketing strategy can be an important component of your overall outreach. Whether you’re putting together a drip campaign for potential leads or designing an ongoing newsletter for your sphere, you’ll want to focus your efforts for more opens and higher conversions. Here are the top ten ways to ensure that your email is hitting home with your target audience.

1. Segment Your List

The more targeted your communication, the more effective it will be in reaching your audience. Don’t give the same information to buyers and sellers. Don’t talk the same way to first-time homebuyers and experienced investors.

Divide your list according to transaction type, sub-market, or lead source. Differentiate your subject line and content to appeal specifically to each particular segment in order to increase relevance and open rates.

2. Optimize Your Subject Line

Is your subject line a snooze? Do you normally default to something like “Good Morning from [YOUR NAME HERE]”? Instead of a generic subject line, increase interest by asking a question or hinting at the content inside. You’ll generate more opens and encourage readers to click through and find out what’s inside. Be sure to avoid spam trigger words so that you can ensure that your email is delivered to the inbox and not filtered out. And if you need a bit of help, check out episode 264 from the Stay Paid podcast, 6 Tips for Irresistible Subject Lines.

3. Be Consistent with Communication

People are more likely to interact with your content if they know when to expect it. By scheduling a regular weekly or bi-weekly email on the same day of the week at the same time of day, you prime folks to look for your email and open it when it arrives. Become part of their regular routine and you’ll encourage your audience to engage and respond. Bonus points if you add an incentive for prompt engagement, like the latest market information on the day it drops or a time-sensitive special offer.

4. Create Value-added Content

Whether you are sharing a blog, posting video content, or hosting a podcast, your email marketing is a prime way of distributing the original content you create. Original content helps you to build your professional reputation, demonstrate your authority, and engage your audience. Make sure that your content isn’t coming across as an advertisement, but is offering valuable information targeted at your audience’s needs.

5. Optimize Your Timing

Study your open rate over time and find out what time and day of the week translates into higher engagement for your email marketing. Consider A/B testing, which allows you to send out emails to different audiences at different times so that you can see if there is a difference in the level of interest. If your email platform allows, re-send your email to non-openers a day or two after the initial blast to see if you can capture more views.

6. Personalize When Possible

The more you can personalize your content, the more likely your audience is to engage. Mail merge in order to specify individual names, markets, or home types in order to make your emails feel more focused on the individual recipient and to increase their interest and relevance. Add a different subject line or different introduction to target your content toward various audience segments.

7. Break Up Long Text

A huge wall of text is overwhelming for readers, straining their attention spans and causing them to check out mentally. If they leave the content you send unfinished, chances are they won’t go back to read the rest of the way through. Add subheadings, photos, and other elements to make your text more engaging and to carry the reader all the way through to the end.

8. Communicate With Custom Graphics

All of your content doesn’t have to be delivered as an article or text element. Add graphics like charts, infographics, and other visual items, allowing you to break up the text and make your content more interesting and engaging. Use a graphic design platform like Canva to create easy custom graphics that can also be repurposed for your social media channels.

9. Link to Useful Resources

Take the extra time to link photos, graphics, buttons, and written elements within your email to useful resources. This not only keeps people engaged with the material in the short term—it gives readers a reason to return to your email again and again. In addition, it makes your email more shareable and helps to increase your reach to new subscribers.

10. Study Your Analytics

Make time to review your analytics including open rate, most active and engaged audience members, and other insights to optimize your email marketing. Look for topics that perform particularly well and for content that proved particularly shareable. Use the information you gather to improve your communications going forward or to engage recipients who are currently checked out.

Email marketing is a valuable way to connect with your audience and communicate the good things going on in your market and in your business. By focusing your efforts on optimization and content development, you can forge stronger connections and spark important conversations with clients, colleagues, and prospects as well as your broader sphere of influence. Take the time to make your email more personal and engaging and reap the rewards.