Am I Even Doing This Right? How to Measure Your Email Marketing Performance

Sending out an email newsletter to your list can feel freaky — like you’re shouting out in the dark with no idea who is even listening (or if they even care). 

When you have nothing to help you measure your email marketing performance it truly does feel like a shot in the dark, so you have no idea if your email efforts are actually effective. Annoying, right? Trust us, you’re not alone!

We know that email marketing is both an art and a science, and there is always that nagging question in the back of your head going, “Am I even doing this right?” 

The good news is that there IS a way to know if you’re doing it right, and it doesn’t have to be super techy at all! 

Why Should I Measure My Email Marketing Performance? 

Measuring your email marketing performance is all about learning to read, understand, and engage with your email analytics and piece together what that information tells you about your audience’s engagement. This is the KEY to knowing what’s already working, then refining your email marketing strategy to see even better results! 

Email analytics are about more than just numbers and percentages — they’re a sort of language that tells us a story. Your job is simple — to understand the stories the data tells about your audience’s preferences and behavior so you can give your subscribers more of the content they crave and less of the content they aren’t interested in. 

When you know what they mean, your analytics will help you: 

Understand Your Email Marketing ROI

Measuring the success of your emails isn’t just about boosting ego (hey-o, list size); it’s about understanding the Return On Investment (ROI) you’re getting for your efforts. This will show how much monetary value your emails bring compared to what you invest in creating and sending them.

Send Out Content that Aligns with Your Business Goals

Your email marketing should be in line with your business goals. Whether you want to boost sales, grow your list and have paid sponsors, or build a community of like-minded followers who listen to and share your content,  knowing your goals helps  make sure that your efforts — to write and send regular emails — are not in vain. 

Become Better Buddies with Your Email Subscribers

Different audience segments have varying needs and preferences, and you can actually tailor your content to cater to different preferences that way every subscriber feels seen and valued. We’re huge fans of segmenting your email list — and chances are, you’ll see an uptick in engagement based on different segments (versus one general sequence).

The Email Marketing Metrics that Actually Matter vs. The Ones that Don’t

Not all metrics carry the same weight. While it’s tempting to get caught up in vanity stats, it’s essential to focus on the numbers that genuinely impact your goals. It’s time to zero in on the metrics that truly move the needle!

Metrics that Matter

Metrics that matter are the metrics that let you know if you’re on the right track toward your goals. Here are the metrics that clue you in on success: 

Open Rates

Think of open rates as a measurement of your first impression. It indicates how intriguing your subject lines are. The higher the percentage, the more subscribers opened your email. 

What’s a good lookin’ rate? HubSpot says average open rates are between 20-26% across industries, while Kit says the average open rate for their creators is 43%. But, of course, always take metrics with a grain of salt — open rates aren’t always super reliable. 

Here’s what it looks like to see your email automation stats in…

Kit

Source: Kit

Flodesk

Source: Flodesk

MailerLite

Source: Duett’s old MailerLite account 🙂 But you can find more info on their reporting here.

Want to bolster your rate? Stay consistent in your sending schedule and remain true to your brand’s voice.

Click-Through Rates (CTR) or Click Rates (CR)

Each platform refers to this rate differently, but this metric gives a peek into your content’s effectiveness. If you’re getting high click rates, kudos! Your content is resonating with your audience and they want to engage with your content even more. Kit calculates click rate as the percentage of unique clicks from the total number of emails delivered, not just opened. MailChimp says a good click rate is 2-3%!, while Kit says their average click-through rate is 4.7%.

Conversion Rate 

It’s one thing to get your readers to click, but did they take action? Whether it’s a sign-up, a purchase, or any other call-to-action, this metric unveils the results. But, you won’t find this in your email service provider or your analytics — it requires a bit of math!

For example, if you promoted a product you can calculate your conversion rate simply by dividing the number of purchases by the number of people who were told about the offer. If you held an event, divide the number of attendees by the number of people who were invited. That’s your rate!

Unsubscribe Rate

A healthy email list is dynamic. Keep an eye on your newcomers as well as those who bid adieu. But here’s a golden nugget: Don’t lose sleep over unsubscribes. Aim for less than a 1% unsubscribe rate, and you’re golden. 

Pro Tip: It’s also healthy to regularly remove cold email subscribers from your list! Here’s a post on how to do that (and why it is so important for the health of your list!). 

Subscriber Replies!

Let me just say, I saved the BEST for last. Why? Yes, it’s great to see stellar open rates and sky-high CTR’s, but tell me how you feel when you see those versus when a subscriber actually emails you back. 

It’s the best feeling in the world because a real-life human being just engaged in conversation with you. 

Screenshot those babies and save them on your computer as a “Love note” folder, but only after you email that sweet new friend back!

Metrics that Don’t Matter — List Size!

Just like the number of IG followers you have is a “vanity” metric, the size of your list means very little. Why? Because we don’t want to grow your list with just ANYONE and everyone — this is bad for creating a solid community. You can have a very poor performing email list that is very, very large, and you can also have an extremely small and successful list — it’s all about how well you serve your audience. 

Okay, But How Do I Actually Read My Analytics?

Track Err-thang

Marketing matters — so you’ve got to measure it. After all, how would you know what is working and what isn’t if you don’t track your initial stats AND your new results? 

If you’re looking for effective and user-friendly options, this free, free, free resource is a great place to start — it’s a super simple Goals & Growth Email Marketing Stats Tracker to help you measure your email marketing efforts, so you can know what’s working — and ultimately help you reach your goals (whether that’s boosting your list size, open rates, click rates, etc.). 

Another incredibly simple way to track things is to screenshot your stats every month or every few months to see how/if rates are changing. Keep the photos in a folder on your phone or desktop and — boom — you can visually see how things are growing with just a scroll.

It may look less sexy than a Google Sheet situation, but it’s far easier — and the important thing is that you:

1. TRACK your stats at all
2. Evaluate them as you grow your business and make new decisions about your marketing strategy (more on that below! 👇🏼👇🏼)

Look for the Story (What are the Stats Telling You?)

These numbers are more than just stats; they narrate a story. 

For instance, replies to your emails? Those are golden indicators of engagement.

This takes a bit of intuition and practice over time, but soon you’ll be able to read the story like a picture book and really understand what it means for you and your business’s growth. 

Remember, analytics are a language of their own, and learning a new language takes just a smidge of time. You’ll get it!

Spot the Trends

Is your open rate steadily climbing? Or perhaps there’s been a dip in conversions? Spot these trends. A visual comparison, like monthly screenshots, can be incredibly revealing.

However, if your stats are only changing slightly — like 5% here and there — do not sweat anything. Just keep doing what you’re doing!

BUT if your stats are crashing, like 50% down to 20%, take a hard look at where your subscribers have been coming from (spam bots, maybe?), re-engage and remove your cold subscribers, and make sure your content is aligned with what you’ve told subscribers they’ll get from you.

Connect Metrics to Your Goals

Numbers should align with your goals. Do rising open rates correlate with increased sales? Is a surge in new subscribers boosting your brand’s awareness? Again, the Goals & Growth Email Marketing Stats Tracker is an incredibly useful tool here!

Personal Storytime with Allea

One of my most important goals as a content creator is to make sure my content is helpful, clear and makes email marketing approachable. One of the BEST “metrics” I’ve heard from my audience — what they’ve told me — is that they keep each and every one of my emails. That they’re so valuable and applicable that they want to come back to them and apply them later. *Cue the CRYING*

THAT, my friend, is a metric you can’t “measure” on a spreadsheet but affirms the goal behind my email marketing — to connect with people, to encourage them, and to help my subscribers feel more confident sending more emails.

Iterate, Experiment, Repeat… 

The world of email marketing is ever-evolving, growing and changing as the market grows and changes. So, standing still is not an option. 

Success in email marketing lies in your ability to continually iterate on your strategies, experiment with new ideas, and then apply what you’ve learned—rinse and repeat. 

Marketing in general is about being agile, receptive, and willing to pivot when the data (aka, your audience’s behavior) suggests. 

Below are some actionable steps to breathe new life into your email campaigns:

Sprinkle Some CTA Pixie Dust

Ever clicked on something just because the button was too enticing to ignore? That’s the power of a well-crafted Call to Action (CTA). 

CTAs are pivotal—they guide subscribers towards the desired action, whether it’s signing up for your list, purchasing a product, or just engaging with a new blog post. 

But here’s the thing: I see a lot of CTAs looking pretty drab — like, “Subscribe here” or “Click to read.” And you know what? I think we can do better!

The CTA should get someone excited! We want to pique their interest and then help empower them to say, “Heck yeah, I want this freebie” or “For sure, that’s the article I want to read right now!”

Need some fresh CTA ideas? Here’s a handy resource packed with inspiration to jazz up your calls to action AND boost conversions within your emails. Get it yourself riiiight here: 20 Calls to Action to Get Your Audience to Confidently Take the Next Step.

Talk to Your Subscribers — They Are Human, After All (Probably)

While it’s great to keep your subscribers updated, email marketing shouldn’t feel like a monologue. Great for Shakespeare, not so great for building a real human connection.

So think of your emails as a way to encourage two-way communication with each individual on your list. 

Ask open-ended questions. Solicit feedback. Urge them to hit ‘reply’ and share their thoughts or answer a question. 

By fostering a genuine conversation, you not only gain invaluable insights — that’s incredible data from people who are in the trenches and familiar with your topic — but also strengthen your overall subscriber relationships. They’ll love to know you’re human too!

Remember, it’s not just about talking at them; it’s about talking with them.

Roll Out the Welcome Mat

First impressions matter—a lot. The initial email sequence you send to your new subscribers sets the tone for this brand new relationship you’re building with them. Instead of bombarding new subscribers with sales pitches right off the bat (eep, too soon, too soon!), why not introduce them to your brand’s ethos, story, and how YOU are going to help THEM?

That’s the kind of stuff people want to know right away:

• I’m in the right place
• I can trust this person
• This person will help me

You want to be that person in their lives, trust me. Better for the world and better for business. 

A well-crafted welcome sequence can warm up your subscribers and make them more receptive to future emails you send out — whether it’s a blog post, a sale, or you’re asking for their input. 

If you’re wondering where to start, here’s a post that provides a comprehensive blueprint on creating a captivating welcome sequence that resonates.

Redefine ‘Poor’ Performance

Had a campaign that didn’t take off? It’s not a failure, but a learning opportunity (I have them too!).. 

Like I said before, marketing is the art of listening to your audience — and sometimes their needs or engagement changes, so you get the chance to learn and change along with them! 

Analyze, adjust, and come back stronger. In my opinion, there is no poor performance — just data and insight you can use to try again in a different way!

Golden Practices to Adopt (and Pitfalls to Dodge)

Stay true and consistent to your message, to yourself, and to the individuals on your list. They trust you, remember. 

Ultimately, obsessing over every tiny metric might blind you to the broader picture. Craft an email marketing strategy where you can foster genuine connections with the humans on your list, and you’ll stay on the right track.

Your Next Steps for Measuring Email Marketing Performance

Understanding and tracking your email marketing’s true impact is not only possible but pivotal. Here’s a simple guide to help you go ahead and get started right now!

1 ) Set Clear Email Marketing Objectives

Understand your goals. Whether it’s driving traffic, enhancing webinar attendance, increasing sales, or generating leads, align your email strategy with clear business objectives.

We actually talked about this in a Roundtable. Watch the replay here! (Want to join the list and attend the next Roundtable? Be sure to sign up for my announcements.)

2 ) Track Key Metrics

Start with your current status. Use a spreadsheet to monitor crucial data points such as subscriber count, open and click rates, and traffic sources. 

To start tracking your email marketing stats, grab my free Goals & Growth Email Marketing Stats Tracker here.

Just remember, while some metrics may look impressive, they might not translate to actual engagement or sales.

3 ) Regularly Monitor & Adjust

As you tweak your strategy or content, continually assess your email stats. Whether it’s reviewing a newly-modified email sequence or evaluating webinar registrations, evaluable the changes to discern what’s effective and where you can make changes to hopefully see improvements.

Measuring performance is a blend of art, science, and a dash of intuition. 

Stay curious, keep evolving, and don’t miss out on our upcoming Email Marketing Answers with Allea Roundtable for more email-specific deep dives! Get on the list here for the next invite!