The “From” field is the most important factor in getting your email messages read; and yet it surprises how few marketers ever test it. Perhaps it’s because many marketers don’t know how easy it actually is to update and test the From field.

Most email service providers allow you to enter your own text in the from field, and yes, this text can differ from the actual sending address. Here at Modern Image Communications, we send out our Successful Site Secrets newsletter from “Karen Scharf, Successful Site Secrets” while the sending email address is usually “karen@modernimage.com”. (Sometimes we test sending from “Karen@successfulsitesecrets.com”.)

What many marketers don’t realize is that the information you enter in your Name field is the information that shows up in your recipient’s in-box. Just because the field says “first name” doesn’t mean you’re actually limited to entering only your first name. Since most email clients display the From Name instead of the actual email address, tweaking this field can lead to a notable increase in your open rates. But many marketers continue to send messages and newsletters from “Mary” or “Robert” – leading to a one-way trip to the trash bin via the midnight express delete key. (Okay, a little corny, I know.)

In working with many client newsletters (as well as my own), I have found the highest impact comes from using very specific From fields. In this day of email overload your readers are getting hundred and hundreds of messages into their in boxes. If you’re not more specific about whom you are and what you’re offering there’s a high probability your message will be deleted before it ever gets opened. Simply adding your last name and company name can affect open rates.

But additional ideas you might want to test include:

1. The name of your newsletter: “Winning Without Intimidation”
2. Your website url: www.EndWastedTime.com
3. The name of your company: “Likno Software”
4. Your department name: “AT&T Customer Care for Wireless”
5. A benefit statement: “Find More Clients Now”

The thing to keep in mind when testing your from address is that you don’t want to go overboard. Don’t test too often, and don’t test a format your readers may not associate with you or your company. Once readers are familiar with your from address, they may not recognize (and therefore not open) your message if it comes from a different name. What’s worse, they might even report your message as spam.

And don’t forget to extend this testing to your own PC-based email client or webmail system. It’s relatively easy to do:

If you’re using Microsoft Outlook, choose Tools > Accounts from the menu bar to update the Your Name field. (These options may be slightly different depending on your software version.) Choose the Edit Accounts option, then be sure the Name field contains the text you would like to test. You can use fancy symbols such as stars and asterisks in this field, but don’t get too carried away or your mail might get trapped in a spam filter.