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Email Marketing Metrics You Need To Track

 

According to the Data & Marketing Association, you can expect a return of $42 for every $1 spent on emails. Are you taking advantage of that benefit?

Email marketing holds more power than just generating new leads – it can also help you expand your customer base and convert the existing leads into buying customers. Before you push forward, choosing the metrics that will better show you the progress you’re making in email marketing is best. Tracking email KPIs can help you answer these questions:

  • Did users receive my emails?
  • Do users interact with my emails like potential leads would?
  • Why did some users unsubscribe?
  • Does my content fit my long-term goals?

We’ve gathered some metrics that will help you answer these questions. Enjoy!

Open Rate

The open rate shows the percentage of users who opened your email. Your campaign can only make a difference if those users open and read your emails. Sometimes, this metric gets confusing – emails are deemed “open” only if the recipient can view all the images in the email. Pay attention because some users utilize image-blocking apps.

How To Raise Your Open Rate Above Average

So, what’s the average open rate for emails across all industries? Source data varies, but the estimate is around 21%. A good email open rate is between 17-28%.

What affects the way your open rate grows? The number of times the campaign was opened by people who received it, which users opened the campaign the most, and when they did are all equally important for understanding engagement. Also, remember that your platform may count re-opens as initial opens, which may affect the numbers.

Now, let’s go over a few best practices that can help boost your open rate:

  • Test different subject lines to gather more information on what drives your audience to open their emails and vice versa.
  • Optimize your emails for previews with preheader text. A meaningful preheader can go a long way: besides catching attention among dozens of emails, preheaders deliver a 7% higher open rate, as stated by Adotas.
  • Test different times of the day and days of the week.
  • Test the name of the sender and email address: for example, the CEO’s name vs. the company’s name.
  • Leverage the data you have about the users on your email list and use it to personalize your emails.

 

Clickthrough Rate

Each email you send should include a “call-to-action” link. For example, if your goal is to boost sales by running an email campaign, your emails should include links to your store or product page. The clickthrough rate will show the percentage of users who clicked on the links in your email. This metric is the clearest performance indicator, and you can track how the CTR changes in each email to see how wording impacts user interest. And if you’re wondering what a reasonable clickthrough rate is, a compilation of email open and clickthrough rate data by industry from Smart Insights can give you a good view.

How To Raise Your Clickthrough Rate Above Average

On average, the clickthrough rate stood at 10.29% in February 2022.

Here are a few helpful tips on optimizing the clickthrough rate:

  • Improve copy. Your word choice is what drives user interest in the first place. The way your emails are phrased turns users into loyal customers. Do not hesitate to test different formats and determine the one that works best for your business. The key here is to put your company’s advantages right in front of your audience and speak its language.
  • Replace keywords. Your clickthrough rate is affected mainly by keyword choice. To boost it, run additional audience analysis to find a better way to target your potential buyers.
  • Alter your call to action. Instead of writing bland lines like “Click here” or “Download,” get specific and let the reader know what they’ll get by following the link in your email. A straightforward phrase like “Get your free download” or “Try the demo version of our product” is the right pick.
  • Refresh your design. We suggest reviewing your emails’ visual content and testing different colors and images. Sometimes, it’s the visuals that prompt people to keep reading or close your email.

How to calculate the clickthrough rate: (Total or Unique clicks ÷ Number of delivered emails) * 100

Bounce Rate

The bounce rate shows which portion of your emails wasn’t successfully delivered to the recipients. There are two kinds of bounces for you to track: “hard” bounces and “soft” bounces. Hard bounces occur when you send an email to an invalid, closed, or non-existent email address. Such addresses should be deleted from your list immediately because internet service providers analyze bounce rates to assess your reputation as a sender. Soft bounces happen due to temporary problems with valid email addresses. If a recipient has issues with their server, your email will be delivered after the problem is solved, or you can try sending one again.

How To Decrease Your Bounce Rate

Generally, if your bounce rate is under 2% – that’s good, and anything over 5% requires action. An average bounce rate is around 0,7%. What can you do to ensure your bounce rate stays within the norm?

  • Remove fake subscribers as soon as you spot them, or your account may get suspended if the kickback rate is high.
  • Set up a double opt-in for your emails. Once subscribers sign up for your email list, they’ll have to confirm this step by following a link in another email.
  • Never use bought email lists. We’ve explained why here.

How to calculate the bounce rate: (Total number of bounced emails ÷ Number of emails sent) * 100

 

Conversion Rate

Your email conversion rate will let you know how many people clicked on a link in your email and then completed a specific action, such as a signup or a purchase. What counts as a conversion is up to you: say, you want your subscribers to download a free guide or template set – then, the people who have downloaded your offer after clicking the link are your conversions.

Since the conversion rate is one of the key indicators of marketing efficiency, we recommend connecting your call-to-action to the desired conversion result so that the link between the two is clear to the users.

How To Raise Your Conversion Rate

In 2021, the average email conversion rate stood at 15,22%. If your conversion rate isn’t flawless, here are some ways you can bring it closer to the desired number:

  • Modify your subject lines or rewrite your content. What’s more – your body text, preview text, call-to-action, and subject line should align and express the same idea without repetition.
  • Keep your tone of voice consistent. Emails can be more than just a sales attempt. Express your brand’s personality in them, and remember that you’re talking to real people on the other end.
  • Make sure your landing page is easy to access and works properly – the goal is to lead your subscribers right to the point of purchasing, right?
  • Segmentation is key. Once you have a strong email, it needs to reach the right people. Try segmenting your audience based on their area of interest, engagement level, and product.

How to calculate the conversion rate: (Number of people who completed the desired action ÷ Number of total emails delivered) * 100

Unsubscribe Rate

Unsubscribes indicate the number of people who’ve left your email list after opening an email. The unsubscribe rate can only give you so much: some users won’t even go through the standard unsubscribe process – they give up clicking on and going through your messages. And even though the rest unsubscribe by choice, an overall picture of unsubscriptions can give you insights into which content is of value to users.

How To Lower Your Unsubscribe Rate

People can opt out of newsletters for many reasons, but analyzing when unsubscribes peak can point you in the right direction regarding issues you can fix. On average, an unsubscribe rate of 0,5% for an email campaign is reasonable, and a rate below 0,2% shows you are within the norm.

Let’s go over a few things that can help you maintain your subscribers:

  • Segment your subscribers and consider email personalization to keep your messages relevant.
  • Figure out why users stop engaging. Create an exit survey, but make sure it’s short so your readers don’t see it as a waste of time. A successful follow-up email puts your user, not your brand, at the center.
  • Re-engage your audience. Ask users questions, personalize, and address concerns you’re aware of. Some users may not see your emails, among many others.
  • Use email automation tools to maintain a steady messaging schedule.
  • Make your email list healthy from the very beginning.

How to calculate the unsubscribe rate: (Number of people who unsubscribed ÷ Number of total emails delivered) * 100

 

Device Statistics

Device data can show the types of devices your audience uses to read your emails. Why does this even matter? Try optimizing your content for the device email recipients use more frequently and use this for segmentation. For example, younger users are more likely to read emails on their smartphones, while the older group will probably do the same using a desktop computer. With this in mind, you’ll be able to target potential prospects with maximum precision.

We also recommend making your emails easy to digest on whatever device. Go easy on the visuals, and keep enough space between the paragraphs so that the text doesn’t look all crumpled up. Better to keep it short and sweet!

 

Summing Up

Seeing how emails boost your overall objectives is what you get from tracking email marketing KPIs. By analyzing the metrics we’ve just mentioned, you’ll be able to grasp how your customers respond to different types of content, what they enjoy seeing the most, and what prompts them to go for a purchase. Ultimately, it all comes down to high-quality emails, your individual goals, and a healthy email list.

 

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