I’ve often noticed in email marketing that adding a number to an email subject line significantly increases open and click through rates.

The same principle applies to content titles, and even more so lately as workers are more time-constrained and overworked than ever. Adding a number to the title quantifies the value the prospect will get from reading your e-guide or article, and it helps them know whether their investment in time will be worth it. But does adding just any kind of number help? Somewhat, but some numbers work better than others. We’ll explore four ways to use numbers in your content titles or subject lines.

1. Number the time saving

A few years ago we were tasked with writing a couple of e-guides for Documentum (formerly an EMC company). As we searched for a title, it occurred to us that most of their guides were good but very lengthy, often taking 30 or more minutes to read. So when we titled the e-guides we wanted to distinguish them from the longer documents — but also imply good value. We came up with this title: “15-Minute Guide to Document and Image Processing.” Little did we know, we had stumbled upon a real winner. We were told that our e-guide was the most downloaded content piece on the Documentum website for a three year period. We went on to write a series of eGuides using the “15-Minute Guide” concept and they all became download winners according to the EMC marketing department.

2. Number the ways

In the Netline 2017 State of IT Content Consumption and Demand Report, they list the top ten trending content titles offered on their network of millions of impressions. Of the top ten titles, three list the number of ways someone will benefit from reading their content. Here they are:

• 10 Essential Elements for a Secure Enterprise Mobility Strategy
• 4 Best Practices for Monitoring Cloud Infrastructure You Don’t Own
• Top 10 Reasons to Strengthen Information Security with App and Desktop Virtualization

The titles above all quantify how much the reader will learn from the piece and exactly what to expect. This sets realistic expectations and delivers precisely on them.

3. Number the steps

One of our clients does healthcare management consulting, and they produce an amazing amount of content each month on best practices and case studies. We’ve been carefully analyzing their website and social media analytics. The most popular titles included numbers in their titles like above, but also in a different way: many titles list numbered steps. Here are some of their most popular titles:

• 5 Steps to Improve Your Patient Referral Process
• 5 Key Steps to Boost Post-Merger Credentialing
• 6 Steps to Superior Medical Practice Integration

By listing numbered steps they were fulfilling the prospect’s desire for a concrete promise of specific information delivered in a concise and predictable format.

4. Number the Offer

In email subject lines I urge you to be straightforward about your offer. Gone are the days of worrying about a dollar sign causing your email to be caught in a spam filter. (Low engagement scores will cause that, but not the dollar sign.) Tell people what you have for them and be specific. Here are a few examples:

• B2B Marketing:  Exchange: 65+ Sessions Spread Across 6 Tracks: Something For Your Whole Team
• Walgreens:   Laurie, you’re missing $200+ in savings.
• Choice Privileges:  ATTN: Laurie, 3,000 Bonus Points Could Be Yours!

Should you spell out or use numerals?

You might have noticed that most of our example titles have violated style guide rules by listing a number less than nine as a numeral rather than spelling it out. Having studied Journalism in college, I’m usually an advocate of AP and Chicago Manual of Style guidelines. However, in the case of content titles there’s a special sweetness to making the number a NUMERAL that screams quantifiable value. So in this case, go ahead and break the rules and use your numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 to your heart’s content in your titles.

In our busy, over-worked society, people want you to quantify the value they will get from your content. So don’t be shy, tell them exactly what they will learn from you. Adding a number to your eGuide or article title or subject line is sure to raise its popularity and therefore increase your marketing results—and that’s a number we can all be happy with!

By Laurie Beasley, Co-Founder and President, Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

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Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc., a full service direct and online marketing agency, is selected by Infoworks to write and design new eGuide content on how to deploy big data projects in weeks, not months with automated data lake creation and management from Infoworks. Beasley will provide the copy concept, full copy, and illustrations for design—plus email copy and the list for promoting the eGuide.

About Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc., is known for bringing the latest marketing strategies to online and direct marketing. Beasley provides services in inbound and outbound marketing including: content creation, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), print advertising, social media advertising, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), website design, media planning/public relations, direct mail marketing, lead generation and nurture campaigns, and database management. Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc., helps clients in both B2B and B2C marketing and is privately held and headquartered in the Silicon Valley suburb of Morgan Hill, California. For more information, go to www.BeasleyDirect.com.

About Infoworks

Infoworks agile data engineering platform automates and accelerates analytics projects through the company’s Autonomous Data Engine. Using a code-free environment, Infoworks allows organizations to quickly consolidate enterprise data and create and manage data workflow processes from data ingest to analytics. Infoworks supports cloud, multi-cloud, and premise-based solutions, enabling customers to deploy projects to production within days, dramatically increasing business agility and accelerating time-to-value. The company counts some of the world’s largest financial, retail, technology, healthcare, oil & gas, pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies in the Fortune 100 and Global Fortune 500 as its customers. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Palo Alto, the company is funded by NEA, Nexus Venture Partners, Centerview Capital Technology, and Knoll Ventures.

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MORGAN HILL, CA

News Facts:

Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc. (www.BeasleyDirect.com) of Northern California has been appointed by Libratone US as their online SEM agency in the San Jose area. The initial work will focus on managing pay-per-click advertising, display advertising, and re-marketing. Beasley Direct and Online Marketing will be writing ad copy, designing display ads, ad bid management and reporting.

About Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc. (www.BeasleyDirect.com) is known for bringing the latest marketing strategies to online and direct marketing. Beasley provides services in inbound and outbound marketing including: content creation, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), print advertising, social media advertising, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, website design, media planning/public relations, direct mail marketing, lead generation and nurture campaigns, and database management. Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc. helps clients in both B2B and B2C marketing and is privately held and headquartered in the Silicon Valley suburb of Morgan Hill, California.

For more information, go to www.BeasleyDirect.com or call Laurie Beasley, President, at 408-782-0046 x21 or email lbeasley@beasleydirect.com.

About Libratone

Libratone (www.Libratone.com) is on a mission to liberate sound and to expand peoples’ experiences with music in the era of streaming. Founded in 2009, Libratone is one of the first audio companies to consider the aesthetics of speakers – to move them out of the corner of the room and into the center and onward, for the consumer on the move. Designed in the Scandinavian tradition, Libratone creates high performing sound refined through plush fabrics for a warmer, brighter listening experience. In 2014, the company welcomed Chinese investment and technological insight, enabling an unprecedented technological leap forward. The 2015 launch of SoundSpaces and the new ZIPP family is the first launch under the new ownership and marks a refresh of the Libratone brand. www.Libratone.com

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