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Top 10 Email Marketing Metrics & KPIs You Should Be Tracking in 2023

Email marketing is a powerful tool for reaching and engaging with customers. It’s essential to track the right metrics to optimize your campaigns and measure their effectiveness. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 email marketing metrics and KPIs that every email marketer should be tracking.

Tracking these metrics and KPIs can help you understand how your email campaigns perform, identify improvement areas, analyse data and make informed decisions. You can also increase the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and drive better results for your business.

Main benefits of tracking email marketing matric & KPIs:

Understanding campaign performance: By tracking email marketing KPIs, you can get a clear picture of your campaigns’ performance and identify areas for improvement. It can help you optimize your email marketing strategy and increase the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Measuring the impact on business goals: Email marketing KPIs can help you understand the impact of your campaigns on your business goals, such as increasing revenue or driving website traffic. By tracking these metrics, you can see which campaigns are most effective at driving results and making informed decisions about allocating resources.
Identifying trends and patterns: By tracking email KPIs over time, you can identify trends and patterns that can inform your future campaigns. For example, if you notice that open rates are higher on certain days of the week, you can adjust your email schedule accordingly.
Improving customer engagement: By tracking email marketing KPIs, you can better understand what your customers are interested in and how they engage with your emails. It will help you create more targeted and relevant email campaigns that better meet the needs of your audience.

This article will discuss the top 10 email marketing metrics and KPIs that every email marketer should be tracking in 2023.

1. Deliverability Ratio

Deliverability rate is a metric that measures the percentage of emails successfully delivered to their intended recipients.

It’s essential to track this metric because a high deliverability rate ensures that your emails are reaching your audience and that you are not wasting resources on emails that are not delivered.

A low deliverability rate could indicate that your emails flagged as spam or that there are issues with your subscriber list.

Ways to improve deliverability rate in email marketing campaign

Clean your contact list: Remove invalid or inactive email addresses from your list to improve deliverability.
Use double opt-in: Requiring users to confirm their subscription can reduce the number of invalid email addresses on your list.
Use a reputable email service provider: Choose an email service provider ( email client) with a good reputation for deliverability.
Follow email marketing best practices: Adhere to best practices for email marketing, such as obtaining permission before sending emails, using a clear subject line, and avoiding spam trigger words.
Monitor your sender’s reputation: Monitor your sender’s reputation and take steps to improve it if necessary.
Optimize your subject line and message: Use relevant and compelling subject lines and content to improve deliverability and reduce the likelihood of your emails being flagged as spam.
Test your emails: Use A/B testing to determine which subject lines and email content are most effective at improving deliverability.
Engage with your audience: Encourage your audience to engage with your emails by including calls to action and relevant content.

You can also work with your email service provider or email client to troubleshoot any issues affecting your deliverability rate.

2. Open Rate

Open rate is one of the critical email marketing metrics that measures the percentage of people who opened your email out of the total number of emails you send.

It gives you an idea of how effectively your subject line and preheader text grab people’s attention and get them to open your email.

A high open rate indicates that your email is relevant and exciting to your audience. In contrast, a low available rate could be a sign that your email is not resonating with your audience or that your subject line and preheader text are not effectively conveying the value of your email.

Ways to improve the open rate in email marketing:

Use a clear subject line: A well-written subject line that conveys the value of your email can increase the chances of your email being opened.
Optimize your preheader text: The text snippet next to the subject line in most email clients. Make sure it accurately reflects the content of your email and entices readers to open it.
Segment your audience: By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails, you can increase the relevance of your emails and improve open rates.
Test your subject lines: Use A/B testing to determine which subject lines are most effective at improving open rates.
Avoid spam trigger words: Avoid using words or phrases that may trigger spam filters, such as “free” or “click here.”
Use a clear sender name: Use a clear sender name that is recognizable to your audience to increase the chances of your emails being opened.

3. Click-through rate (CTR):

Click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that measures the percentage of people who clicked on a link in your email out of the total number of opens.

It’s a crucial metric to track because it gives you an idea of how engaging your content is and how well you drive traffic to your website.

A high CTR indicates that your message is compelling and directs readers to your website or other desired actions.

A low CTR could indicate that your content is not engaging or that you are not effectively promoting your website or other desired actions.

Ways to improve click-through rate in email marketing:

Use good email content: Include engaging and relevant content to encourage readers to click through your website.
Optimize your call-to-action buttons: Use clear and compelling buttons to encourage readers to take action.
Segment your audience: It will improve the email engagement

4. Conversion rate:

Conversion rate is one of the critical email analytics metrics that measures the percentage of people who completed the desired action (such as making a purchase or filling out a form) out of the total number of people who clicked on a link in your email.

It’s an important metric to track because it gives you an idea of how effectively your email campaigns drive business goals.

A high conversion rate indicates that your email campaigns successfully convert leads into customers or encourage desired actions.

A low conversion rate could signify that your email campaigns are not effectively promoting your products or services or that you are not effectively directing readers to desired actions.

Ways to improve conversion rate in email marketing:

Use clear and compelling call-to-action buttons: Encourage readers to take action by using clear and effective call-to-action buttons.
Segment your audience: By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails, you can increase the relevance of your emails and improve conversion rates.
Test different content: Use A/B testing to determine which content is most effective at improving conversion rates.
Optimize your landing pages: Make sure your landing pages are optimized for conversions, with a clear value proposition and a clear call-to-action.
Offer incentives: Consider offering incentives, such as discounts or free shipping, to encourage readers to take action.

5. Unsubscribe rate:

The unsubscribe rate is a metric that measures the percentage of people who unsubscribed from your email list out of the total number of emails sent.

It helps to give you an idea of how well your email campaigns resonate with your audience and whether any issues are causing people to opt out.

A high unsubscribe rate could suggest that your email campaigns are irrelevant to your audience or that you are sending too many emails.

A low unsubscribe rate indicates that your email campaigns are engaging and that people are interested in receiving your emails.

Ways to improve unsubscribe rate in email marketing:

Segment your audience: By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails, you can increase the relevance of your emails and reduce the number of people who unsubscribe.
Adjust your email frequency: If you are sending too many emails, consider reducing your email frequency to reduce the number of people who unsubscribe.
Ensure that your message is relevant and valuable: Ensure your content is relevant and helpful to your audience to reduce the number of people who unsubscribe.
Include an easy-to-use unsubscribe option: Make it easy for people to unsubscribe if they want to, as this can help reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.

By tracking your unsubscribe rate and making continuous improvements, you can increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns and reduce the number of people who opt-out.

6. Bounce rate:

Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of emails that could not be delivered to their intended recipients.

There are two types of bounces: Hard bounces and Soft bounces

hard bounces occur when an email address is invalid or inactive; soft bounces occur when a spam filter blocks an email or the recipient’s inbox is full.

A high bounce rate can negatively impact your email deliverability and reputation as an email marketer.

A low bounce rate indicates that your emails are successfully being delivered to your audience, while a high bounce rate could be a sign that there are issues with your email list or that your emails are flagged as spam.

Ways to improve bounce rate in email marketing:

Clean your email list: Remove invalid or inactive email addresses from your list to reduce the number of hard bounces.
Monitor your sender’s reputation: Monitor your sender’s reputation and take steps to improve it if necessary. It can help reduce the number of soft bounces caused by spam filters.
Optimize your email subject line and content: Use relevant and compelling subject lines and content to improve deliverability and reduce the likelihood of your emails being indicated as spam.
Test your emails: Use A/B testing to determine which subject lines and content improve deliverability.
Use a reputable email service provider: Choose an email service provider with a good reputation for deliverability.

7. Complaint rate:

Complaint rate is a metric that measures the percentage of people who marked your email as spam out of the total number of emails sent.

Tracking this metric is essential because a high complaint rate can negatively impact your deliverability and reputation as an email marketer.

A low complaint rate indicates that your emails are marked as spam and that your audience finds your emails valuable and relevant.

A high complaint rate could be a sign that your emails are not being well-received by your audience or that you are sending too many emails.

To improve your complaint rate, you can try segmenting your audience, adjusting your email frequency, and ensuring that your content is relevant and valuable to your audience.

Ways to improve complaint rate in email marketing:

Segment your audience: By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails, you can increase the relevance of your emails and reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.
Adjust your email frequency: If you are sending too many emails, consider reducing your email frequency to reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.
Ensure that your message is relevant and valuable: Ensure your content is relevant and useful to your audience to reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.
Include an easy-to-use unsubscribe option: Make it easy for people to unsubscribe if they want to, as this can help reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.
Monitor your sender’s reputation: Monitor your sender’s reputation and take steps to improve it if necessary. It can help reduce the number of people who mark your emails as spam.

8. Email forwarding rate:

Email forwarding rate is the percentage of people who forwarded your email to someone else out of the total number of opens. This metric can help understand how well your emails resonate with your audience and how effectively they are shared.

Ways to improve email forwarding rate in email marketing:

Include a clear and prominent call-to-action to forward: Encourage readers to forward your emails by including a clear and main call-to-action to forward.
Use compelling and shareable email content: Include engaging and relevant content in your emails that is likely to be shared by your audience.
Make it easy to share: Include social sharing buttons in your emails to make it easy for readers to share your content on social media.
Encourage engagement: Encourage readers to engage with your emails by including calls to action and relevant content.

9. Subscriber list growth rate

Email list growth rate is a metric that measures the rate at which your email list is growing over time.

It’s essential to track this metric because a growing subscriber list means that you have a larger audience to engage with and a larger pool of potential customers.

A high subscriber list growth rate indicates that your email marketing efforts are effective at attracting new subscribers. In contrast, a low growth rate could represent your email marketing efforts not resonating with your audience or not effectively promoting your email list.

Ways to improve subscriber list growth rate in email marketing:

Promote your subscriber list: Use various channels, such as social media and your website, to promote your email list and attract new subscribers.
Offer incentives: Consider offering incentives, such as discounts or freebies, to encourage people to join your contact list.
Make it easy to sign up: Ensure that your email sign-up forms are easy to find and use, and that you are collecting the minimum amount of information necessary.
Segment your audience: By segmenting your audience and sending targeted emails, you can increase the relevance of your emails and attract more subscribers.
Use compelling email content: Include engaging and relevant content to attract new subscribers.

10. Return on investment (ROI)

Return on investment (ROI) is a metric that measures the profit or loss generated from a marketing campaign.

In the context of email marketing, It can be calculated by dividing the total revenue generated from an email campaign ( revenue per email) by the total cost of the campaign and then expressing the result as a percentage.

Tracking your ROI is essential because it helps you understand the financial impact of your email marketing efforts and determine whether they are providing a positive return on your investment.

A high ROI indicates that your email marketing campaigns effectively drive revenue and use your resources well.

A low ROI could indicate that your email marketing campaigns are not effectively promoting your products or services or that they are not driving enough revenue to justify the cost.

Ways to improve return on investment (ROI) in email marketing:

Track your metrics: Metrics, such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate, to understand the performance of your campaigns and identify areas for improvement.
Test different email content and subject lines: Use A/B testing to determine which email content and subject lines are most effective at driving results.
Optimize your email marketing strategy: Analyze your email marketing data and use it to optimize your strategy and improve your ROI.
Use targeted and segmented campaigns: By targeting and segmenting your campaigns, you can increase the relevance of your emails and improve your ROI.
Optimize your landing pages: Make sure your landing pages are optimized for conversions, with a clear value proposition and a clear call-to-action.
Offer incentives: Consider offering incentives, such as discounts or free shipping, to encourage readers to take action.
Monitor your ROI: Regularly track and improve your email marketing strategy to drive better results.

In conclusion, tracking the right email marketing metrics and KPIs is essential for understanding the performance of your campaigns and making informed decisions to improve their effectiveness.

By analyzing data and making continuous improvements, you can increase the reach and impact of your email marketing efforts and drive better results for your business.

By tracking these metrics and optimizing your email marketing strategy, you can build stronger relationships with your customers and drive success for your business.

Reference: EQM, Myg, Rava, betterlyf