Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways to engage with customers, build relationships, and drive sales. But to get the most out of your email campaigns, you need more than just a catchy subject line or beautiful design. You need to pay attention to the numbers – specifically, email metrics.
Tracking the right email metrics is key to understanding how your emails are performing, where you can improve, and how you can optimize your email marketing strategy for maximum impact. In this guide, we’ll break down the most important email metrics you should track and explain how you can use them to improve your email marketing efforts.
1. Open Rate
The open rate is one of the most basic yet essential email metrics. It tells you how many people opened your email compared to how many received it. A higher open rate typically means your subject line was compelling enough to get recipients to click.
Formula: Open Rate = (Emails Opened ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
What does a good open rate look like? A typical open rate can vary by industry, but a good benchmark is usually between 15% and 25%. If your open rate is lower than that, consider A/B testing your subject lines or improving your segmentation strategy to target more relevant recipients.
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate (CTR) measures how many recipients clicked on links inside your email. It's a key indicator of how engaging and relevant your content is to the people who opened your email.
Formula: CTR = (Links Clicked ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
What does a good CTR look like? A good CTR typically falls between 2% and 5%, but this can vary depending on your industry, audience, and the type of content you're sending. To boost CTR, ensure that your calls to action (CTAs) are clear, compelling, and easy to find.
3. Conversion Rate
Conversion rate takes the analysis a step further by measuring how many people completed the desired action after clicking through the email. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or downloading a resource, this metric tells you if your email is driving real results.
Formula: Conversion Rate = (Conversions ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
What does a good conversion rate look like? Conversion rates can vary widely, but a typical benchmark ranges between 1% and 5%. If your conversion rate is low, consider refining your offers, making your landing pages more persuasive, or testing different CTAs.
4. Bounce Rate
Bounce rate measures the percentage of emails that were not delivered to the intended recipient's inbox. There are two types of bounces: soft bounces (temporary issues like a full inbox) and hard bounces (permanent issues like invalid email addresses).
Formula: Bounce Rate = (Bounced Emails ÷ Emails Sent) × 100
What does a good bounce rate look like? A good bounce rate is generally under 2%. If your bounce rate is high, you may need to clean your email list and remove invalid or outdated contacts. Keeping a healthy, updated list is crucial to maintaining good deliverability.
5. Unsubscribe Rate
The unsubscribe rate tells you how many people opted out of receiving future emails from you. While it's natural for some recipients to unsubscribe, a high unsubscribe rate can indicate that your emails are not resonating with your audience or that you’re sending emails too frequently.
Formula: Unsubscribe Rate = (Unsubscribes ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
What does a good unsubscribe rate look like? Ideally, you want your unsubscribe rate to be under 0.5%. If it’s higher, review your content strategy to ensure you're sending relevant, engaging emails. Segment your audience more effectively and consider personalizing the content.
6. Spam Complaint Rate
The spam complaint rate measures how many recipients marked your email as spam. This is a critical metric, as a high complaint rate can hurt your sender reputation and email deliverability.
Formula: Spam Complaint Rate = (Spam Complaints ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
What does a good spam complaint rate look like? A spam complaint rate should ideally be less than 0.1%. If you notice a higher rate, it’s essential to review your email practices, ensure your emails are compliant with regulations like CAN-SPAM or GDPR, and offer a clear and easy way for users to unsubscribe.
7. List Growth Rate
List growth rate tracks how quickly your email list is expanding. A growing list means you're successfully attracting new subscribers who are interested in hearing from you, which can lead to increased sales and engagement.
Formula: List Growth Rate = ((New Subscribers – Unsubscribes) ÷ Total Emails Sent) × 100
What does a good list growth rate look like? A healthy list growth rate depends on your goals, but a positive growth trend is always desirable. Aim for at least a 2%–5% growth rate per month to ensure you're continuously expanding your audience.
8. Revenue per Email
For e-commerce businesses and others focused on sales, revenue per email is a crucial metric. It measures how much revenue you’re generating from each individual email you send.
Formula: Revenue per Email = (Total Revenue from Email Campaign ÷ Emails Delivered)
What does a good revenue per email look like? The ideal figure varies depending on your business model, but a higher revenue per email is usually the result of a well-targeted campaign with relevant offers and personalized recommendations.