Email Marketing Metrics

Email Marketing Metrics

If you want to write effective emails and newsletters that perform well, you have to understand the metrics. That is to say, the smart writer and marketer takes a look at what is and what isn't working for other companies with their email marketing efforts.

Here's a quick test for you. Do you know the answers to the following questions?

#1. What's the average open rate for house lists? Rented lists? Email newsletters?

#2. What's the average click rate for house lists? Rented or other 3rd party lists? Ads in newsletters?

#3. How do opens, clicks, and conversions differ by B-to-B versus B-to-C?

#4. How do clicks and conversions vary between free offers and direct sales offers?

#5. Text vs. HTML (vs. Rich Media): which formats can email users actually receive properly, and which do they prefer to receive?

#6. Are users more (or less) likely to join your opt-in list these days, and what would persuade more people to join your list?

#7. How much email is filtered out as "spam" (even if it's not) before it reaches the end recipient? What other factors affect your email delivery?

#8. How will consumers respond to marketing offers contained in "relationship" admin email such as shipping notices and receipts?

#9. Which tests are worth investing in, and which don't produce useful results? Should you test subject lines? "From"? Personalization? Segmentation? Long copy vs short? Rich media?

#10. What types of email tactics should you budget for 2005, and which should you consider cutting back on? How are other marketers changing their budgets?

Thought you knew everything on the subject, didn't you? Chances are, however, that you don't know the answers to all of these questions.

These are important questions to focus on. Try researching these topics online or in a specialized book on marketing, email, and links.