The Blame Game: Return Path’s E-Mail Metrics Troubleshooter

Let’s say you have one of the best e-zines on the market. (Who doesn’t?) There’s only one problem: Nobody is opening it, and less people are clicking through than before.

Who’s to blame? It’s those pesky newsletter writers, right?

Maybe not. A sudden (or gradual) decline in your e-mail metrics may be due to any one of a number of factors.

And here’s a diagnostic tool that might at least point you toward the right answer: Return Path’s E-mail Metrics Troubleshooter.

The Troubleshooter is offered in “Sign Me Up! A Marketer’s Guide to Creating E-mail Newsletters That Build Relationships and Boost Sales (iUniverse Inc., 2005).

Here’s a list of potential problems and causes from authors Matt Blumberg, Michael Mayor, Tami Monahan Forman & Stephanie A. Miller. The problems, in bold face, are followed by the possible causes.

1. A rise in Web site traffic without a rise in sales

*Poor landing pages

*Product/offer problem: promise of e-mail isn’t delivered on, price point too high, sale too complicated for e-mail

2. High sign-up rate, high unsubscribe rate

*Poor or unexpected content

3. High open rate, low clickthrough rate

*Offers in your e-mail are not prominent or compelling or aren't relevant to the user

4. Offers in your e-mail are not prominent or compelling or aren’t relevant to the user

*High number of hard bounces

*Old or bad list data

5. High traffic on Web site, low sign-up rate

*Newsletter invitation on Web site not prominent or compelling

*Poor subscription page

6. High traffic on subscription, page, low sign-up rate

*Poor subscription page (e.g., asking for too much information or irrelevant benefits

7. High rate of unsubsribes after first issue

*Poor content

*Weak (or no) opt-in

*No welcome message

8. High unsubscribes and/or low opens

*Sending too many e-mails

*Sending without permission of recipient

*Irrelevant content

9. Sudden drop in open rate

E-mails are being blocked by ISPs or other deliverability problems

*Subject lines not connecting not connecting with audience

10. Sagging response

*List fatigue

*Overmailing

*Saturation