E-mail Marketing: What You Need To Track

There are a number of different things to consider when it comes to e-mail marketing; as one of the cheapest forms of marketing, it has been adopted by a number of companies around the world, according to an article by Ragan. Measurement, however, is one of the most important factors to keep track of. A recent infographic by Data Octopus lists the most important metrics for a business using e-mail marketing to keep track of:

1. The open rate

This is, simply put, the number of people who open an e-mail, rather than simply deleting it or losing it in a spam folder. Consumer services tend to enjoy the highest open rates, with 25.5%.

2. The click-through rate

Once an individual has opened the e-mail, the next thing to measure is the number of people who click on a link included in the mail. Click-through rates are typically low, with figures for retail around 3.4%, media at 2.6% and consumer services 4.7%.

3. Conversion rates

This metric indicates how many people not only clicked through the e-mail, but also went on to complete a purchase or visit a specific page, for example. This is important as it gives businesses a clear idea of what content appeals to customers and what doesn’t.

4. The bounce rate

This relates to the number of e-mails that failed to be delivered due to invalid e-mail addresses. If a company is experiencing a high bounce-rate it is probably time to clean-up the delivery list.

5. The number of people who unsubscribe

If a company can boast an unsubscribe rate of 0.5% or lower it is considered very good. Over time certain consumers will become uninterested and unsubscribe, however addressing the quality of the content sent to them – as well as how often it is sent – will help a business decide if it is spamming people and therefore driving them away.