Evaluating Email Marketing Campaigns

The hard work might be over, but don't take a break just yet. This is the stage where email marketing excels over nearly all other marketing mediums. There's nothing like it for real-time reporting and the ability to report back in such depth. You should be measuring your email success based on:

• Emails sent
• Deliverability
• Open rate
• Clickthrough Rate (CTR)
• Number of Unsubscribe requests
• Time and day of responses as graphic representation
• Number and value of sales
• ROI measured against the objectives you set

Because of the way web analytics work, care should be taken with open rates. It is much better to use clickthrough rates (which can typically vary from 3-30%) and transactional data (ie. through cookies) to uncover the impact of the campaign. The integration of email and web analytics means responses can even trigger automatic further communications. For example, users abandoning a shopping cart can be sent an email to try and convert the sale perhaps even with an offer.

Consider setting in place a process for your team to follow up on those recipients that clicked through but didn't make a purchase or sign-up. A follow-up email or possibly a phone call can often be welcome and could even make you aware of a minor problem that you weren't aware of. ie. "I liked it but wanted it in Black or XXL".

Go right back to your objectives and measure your results against them. Work out in what areas you met (or exceeded) your goals, and where you fell short of them. Be honest with yourself and carefully consider exactly why this might be.

The lessons you learn from this campaign will prove invaluable when you start the next, so make sure you learn as much as possible. It's true with anything in life that what worked today might not work tomorrow, but armed with the knowledge from this campaign you'll go on to learn even more in the next one.

Discover more about Objectives, Campaign, Creative, Data and Broadcast.