Q&A: The Most-Essential E-mail Metrics

One of the great strengths of e-mail marketing, the wealth of easily trackable metrics, is also one of its challenges. It’s almost impossible to monitor them all. So we asked Greg Cangialosi, president/CEO of e-mail marketing services provider Blue Sky Factory, for his opinion regarding which metrics must be tracked.

E-mail Essentials: We all know that metrics are key to improving results, but there are so many e-mail metrics available. Which ones should a marketer focus on first?

Cangialosi: Two of the most important metrics for e-mail marketers are the click-through rate and the conversion rate.

The click-through rate is the best metric to measure engagement, aka how many subscribers took some form of action based on the content you gave them. Click-through rate has the added advantage as a metric of telling marketers what in their content is driving subscriber interest. Based on the reports, they can see what really catches the eye of subscribers and what doesn’t. This allows marketers to either improve or prune out content in their newsletter that simply doesn’t ever get any clicks.

Conversion rate is important because at the end of the day, e-mail recipients must do something to drive the sender’s business forward. Measurable action must be taken, whether it’s purchases, donations, or volunteer time. This will ultimately show e-mail marketing ROI, and if the marketer uses sophisticated Web analytics software like Google Analytics with their e-mail marketing software, they can measure what percentage of subscribers complete a conversion in the business process.

E-mail Essentials: Are they any oft-overlooked but important metrics to keep an eye on?

Cangialosi: One oft-overlooked but important metric is net list growth. List size matters, but net growth rate also matters. If the list is not growing, this indicates it’s value and/or existence are not being promoted as they should be. Marketers should investigate where the opportunities for more placement or exposure can be put, from business cards to their Website, and more clearly explain the value of being a subscriber.

Another important metric is the share rate. Now that email marketers have the ability to include share-to-social features, including share-with-your-network [SWYN], in their e-mails, they have the ability to view how many extra views the e-mail received, its reach increase, and more. With the merging of e-mail and social media, marketers need to understand the value of using SWYN, but the more important part is reporting on its performance.

E-mail Essentials: By the same token, are there some metrics that marketers pay too much attention to?

Cangialosi: Some marketers could potentially pay too much attention to the open rate. The reason is many e-mail clients block images, so the e-mail isn’t recorded as an open. This causes the open rate to be inaccurate, so it’s important marketers don’t rely too much on the open rate. This is the reason click-through rate is a better metric to determine subscriber engagement.

E-mail Essentials: Should certain metrics be measured more often than others?

Cangialosi: Metrics should be continuously monitored to ensure a high level of engagement and ROI with marketers’ e-mail marketing programs. By digging into the metrics after each send, marketers can see what worked and what didn’t work, then determine why or why not. This will allow them to optimize their e-mails for future campaigns and continue to test and improve with each send.

E-mail Essentials: What are the most-common mistakes marketers make when measuring their e-mail performance?

Cangialosi: As I said earlier, open rate can be flawed because so many e-mail clients block the loading of remote images, which is what drives open-rate metrics. Marketers should focus more on the click-through rate, which gives them better insight into whether or not subscribers took note of their e-mails and acted on them.

Also, marketers need to remember to give subscribers the option to view their e-mails on subscribers’ mobile devices. When you add a mobile format option, recipients are more likely to read the e-mail and take action rather than delete when they don’t have the ability to read the marketer’s e-mail.