We’re drowning in a sea of emails, and it’s only going to get worse.

In 2018, over 281 billion emails were sent and received worldwide each day, a figure that is expected to rise to 333 billion a day by 2022, according to Statista, an online statistics, market research and business intelligence portal.

For businesses as well as marketing and advertising professionals, the pressing question is, “How are my brand messages going to reach the average consumer?”

On the upside, Americans are addicted to checking their emails—anytime anywhere. For another thing, according to an Email Monday study entitled “Email Addiction,” 83 percent of respondents to survey of North American consumers conducted by Email Monday said email is the preferred channel for promotions from trusted brands.

The downside? In that sea of emailed messages, somehow you’ve got to entice consumers to open and read yours! Here are some tips from an EMailinsider post on Mediapost.com, an online publishing resource for advertising media professionals, as well as other online marketers:

  • Gain users’ trust by sending only subject lines and content tailored to their interests
  • Offer something of value—a $5 dollar give coupon, say, or free shipping, or a donation to a charity
  • Keep messages short, simple and easy to respond to
  • Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly
  • Send emails twice, since they can often get overlooked the first time around
  • Use humor—companies have built entire brands on it!

Back to that email addiction so many people seem to have? The Email Monday study found that 77 percent of consumers polled admitted to checking their emails when they’re bored, 70 percent when they’re in bed, 50 percent in the bathroom and 6 percent in church. That’s bad news for the pastor, good news for the savvy marketing or advertising pro.