Email metrics that matter – Part #1

For geeks and wonks, the ease of accessing a multitude of email marketing metrics is similar to being the proverbial ‘kid in a candy store’.

Geeks riding over the Golden Gate Bridge, San Fran, California

But just as even the most ravenous kid will get a sore tummy stomach from too many lollies, marketers like us can find that the wealth of available metrics induces a headache: No one has the time and energy to view and analyse them all!

Two categories of email metrics

–       operational/process
–       output/success

Operational metrics, such as bounce, unsubscribe and spam complaints rates, help you understand the mechanics of your email efforts.

Output metrics, which include things like average $$ per email delivered and orders per customer per year, show how email marketing is contributing to the success of the business –the actual bottom line.

Measures of success
Before you start measuring you need to determine what business goals you are trying to attain and what problems you are aiming to solve.

Example – If I was Ben Frost: If your priority is to sell yourself to a pretty girl, you’ll need to track different statistics than if your number #1 issue is to keep your girlfriend!

The traditional metrics that most people look at are not going to help you solve your problems!

When it comes to measuring engagement (not the number of times you have been engaged… Marty!) click-through rates are key. Click-throughs let marketers like us know what in their content is driving subscriber interest.

Using these reports, we can really see what catches the eye of the subscribers and what doesn’t! This is why Hayden’s monthly reports are so important! This allows us to improve the content or reduce content that simply doesn’t get any bites. Ben, when we get back, lets look at the marketing tip emails we send out monthly and see what we can discover.

Just as important, are conversion rates because at the end of the day, email recipients must do something to drive the sender’s business forward!

NOTE: Click-through rates are plural.

Part #2 will explain how metrics can help deliver results

Part #3 we head to the fruit shop to compare apples and oranges