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
