Analyze This

Email results can be sliced and diced into a million different ways, making it harder to determine what is truly best for you business – so what numbers should a marketer consider?

Based on multiple conversations, results and a lot of testing here’s the path that I use to review campaigns:

1) Unsubscribes – I start by looking at the number of people who consider themselves alienated. I’ve found that by reaching out to these unsubs (via personal email or phone call) you can rationalize and strengthen your campaigns. I’ve found that for every ten people I talk to, I am able to resign seven – Yeah, I’m that convincing – but most importantly, these re-subscribers become major proponents of future campaigns.

2) Bounces – I look to see how many emails went bad, the type of bounce etc. I review hard bounces (now removed from my list), I then review those coded as Blocked/ SPAM Detected and re-target those people with a text-only message. By knowing who is not receiving your messages, you can contact them through another channel – i.e. your direct mail group or call center.

3) Opens – This metric tests your subject lines; since we promote the use of multiple subject lines it is a true opportunity to see how a few words impact your offer. The best tip is to keep testing and keep it fresh; if you get stuck, involve your customer service team – they talk to customers daily and could be a source of great ideas.

4) Clicks – How many people were driven to the landing page, this is a test of the content. Keep your copy effective, make sure your images work and make sure there is no ambiguity as to what to click on – by using the click data, you can further group people into segments and interests.

5) Conversion – Defined as completion of the call to action or the sale of product(s). This is a number we are typically judged on, BUT it is not the only number to look at. Check your landing pages to make sure they are reflective of your offer and avoid the temptation of offering only sales as a remedy to upping conversions.

6) Feedback – This is your best insight to your customer base, so ask them to provide feedback in each of your campaigns. Track the total number of responses as well as the content of these responses.

7) Reputation – Monitor the feedback loops, spam complaints and how the ISPs are responding – these items change every day so you must keep up. If you’re interested in more on this topic, attend our Service In Action call on 11/30.