It doesn't really matter what you sell - email is the most powerful revenue-driver in the digital marketing ecosystem. But, needless to say, if your customers and prospects don't open your email, you'll never see a dime.

Below are the 6 ways to improve your open rates:

1 - 'From' Name

Believe it or not, how you show up in your customers' inbox makes a huge difference. Make sure yours is recognizable, but not boring. When checking emails most people scan the 'From' name first.

If readers feel like you're part of their inner circle, you have a better chance of getting your email opened. As a business, you have to get on your customer's short list and make them look forward to opening your email.

2 - Subject Line

After 'From', your subscribers will read the subject line next. You need to capture their attention with something understandable, but exciting. Personalize as much as possible and don't clutter your subject lines with too many emojis or unnecessary punctuation.

3 - Preview Text

Preview text is the small snippet of text that an increasing number of email clients will show after the subject line. It's your chance to give readers an even more detailed taste of what's to come in the email they're about to open.

4 - Send Time

When you send an email makes a difference in your open rates. Different days of the week and times of day have a huge impact in how users will treat your email.

If you're a B2B company, send during business hours. If you sell to consumers, send during normal waking hours. There are no hard and fast rules for the best send times for email - it varies by industry, product and audience.

5 - Get Whitelisted

We're all familiar with spam filters, but some email clients even have promotional filters that automatically funnel your emails into a special folder for email marketing campaigns.

Simply ask your customers to "whitelist" you by adding your email to their address book.

6 - Content

You won't get far offering your subscribers discount after discount. You'll only train your list to tune out or expect a deal if you send out too many promotional emails.

Keep your list engaged with quality content. Train them to expect something entertaining, engaging and shareable every time they see your (creative) 'From' name hit their inbox.

Every audience is different, so you'll have to figure out what kind of content is entertaining, informative or inspirational to your customers. Repurpose successful blog and social posts, as well as good press you've earned.

Conclusion - Test & Optimize

A good email strategy comes down to testing and optimizing the elements we've discussed here. Never let a hunch guide your strategy. For instance, you might think that making your 'From' name Batman will get your customers to open your emails (and it might, depending on your audience). But it also might be a really bad idea. Start by testing that idea against other options to see which performs better. If you were right - fantastic! If you were wrong... blame it on the intern and go with what works.