Basic Email Metrics
Submitted by Civic Feeds on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 15:34
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PublishDate:
February 2012
You already know the value a good email campaign can bring to your nonprofit, whether it’s an eNewsletter, action email or fundraising appeal, but how can you tell if your electronic communications are actually having the impact you hoped for? Is the work you’re putting in worth the effort? Email metrics can help you determine the effectiveness of your communications and fine tune them to improve their efficiency.
What data should you gather to help you track the success of your emails? Start with the core information about the emails themselves, such as:
· Messages Sent. The number of outbound emails sent as part of a particular mailing.
· Messages Delivered. The number of sent emails actually delivered to recipients’ inboxes. If they’re not delivered, that means they’ve “bounced.”
· Hard and Soft Bounces. A hard bounce is a permanently undeliverable email—for example, one sent to an invalid email address (joesmith@yahoo.con) or an address that no longer exists. A soft bounce is an email that’s only temporarily undeliverable—for example, to a recipient whose mailbox is full. Ideally, you should track both.
· Unsubscribes. The number of individuals who unsubscribe from your list in response to each mailing sent.
· Messages Opened. The number of recipients who open your email to read it. Due to the way open rates are tracked and the rise of image-blocking software, this number will never be accurate, but can still be useful.
· Click-Throughs. The number of times any recipient clicks on any trackable link within the email. Ideally, each link should be counted only once, even if it is clicked multiple times.
Data about your emails will come primarily from the bulk email software package that you’re using. Most packages track messages sent, delivered and opened, and click-throughs. Many will also provide the number of unsubscribes, as well, but the number of hard and soft bounces may be a little more difficult to find in an email package.
If your software doesn’t let you track these data points, or if you’re using something that wasn’t designed for bulk email, your options are limited. Short of building your own tracking mechanisms—which would be an expensive exercise in reinventing the wheel—you’re reliant on the numbers your emailing software package provides for you.
If you’re serious about tracking and improving your email campaigns, it’s worth investing in a software tool that can help in your quest to track metrics. A number of software packages provide solid services and metrics without a huge investment.
For more information about email metrics and the software available to help you track them, read our article “The Basics of Email Metrics: Are Your Campaigns Working?"
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