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The Importance of Email Tracking

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If you publish an ezine or email newsletter, and you should, then it is critically important that you track and analyze the results. Unlike direct mail where you are never sure if your message even gets to its target, let alone whether it gets opened and read, email marketing can provide you almost instantaneous feedback across a broad range. Important metrics include:

  • Bounce percentage (emails not delivered for one reason or another divided by number sent) - A too high percentage may indicate that your messages are tripping the corporate spam filter.
  • Open rate (2000 sent, 500 opened = 25% open rate) - The higher the open rate the better. The From Line and Subject Line are key determinants of open rate. Of course, compelling content is the key to continued success.
  • Click-through rate or CTR (the number of times subscribers clicked on an html link in your newsletter) - CTR is a key measurement because it indicates how compelling your content or offers are to your subscribers.
  • New subscribers - make it easy for your existing subscribers to pass your material on to their friends and colleagues and don't forget to ask them to do so too!
  • Unsubscribes - this figure is a little flakier because people have learned not to unsubscribe (spammers often use unsubscribes to validate email addresses) but a high number here means your content isn't meeting your readers expectations.
  • Sales or bookings - The sophisticated tracking software available today can tie your email marketing initiatives directly to bottom-line sales results. Unfortunately, most of these tools are either too expensive or too complex for the small e-mail marketer. On the other hand, it's easy to ask where the prospect heard about you or to offer special e-newsletter pricing on books and tapes, etc., that will allow you to determine the source of the sale.

By having a good handle on the results of your email efforts you can better calculate your return on investment as well as make smart decisions about improving its effectiveness.

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