Ever get the feeling your emails sometimes drift off in to cyber space to collect digital dust unopened?
You’re not alone. It’s a chronic problem faced by businesses and individuals alike. But don’t worry, if email marketing Kryptonite has your business’ success in a vice, some recent data can help you get back on your feet.
The latest Vision 6 Email Marketing Metrics Report tells the story of the effectiveness of email marketing materials in Australia.
The report reveals a great many interesting tidbits of data, and among the most telling is the overall rate of unique email opens.
The tell-all number is around 22 per cent.
That’s right, Just as we all suspected, less than one quarter of all email actually gets read, on average.
Who’s looking?
So, the important question is: what demographics are actually reading their emails?
I’m glad you asked. Here’s some interesting numbers from the survey:
- Government-related emails are the most read. That seems to make sense. Government stuff might be, you know, kind of important.
- Retail and consumer products are rather low on the list, coming in at number 17.
- Sales and marketing reside at the bottom of the list, coming in at 27.
But don’t feel too down on the power of email immediately. The survey is still comparing relative winners across the board.
Who’s biting?
What’s even more important than readership of emails? Why, click trough rate (CTR) of course!
The report tells us that CTR hovered late last year at around 17 – 18 per cent. That means that of those who actually opened the email, a select few actually click through to access your content.
Still, given the massive metrics we’re working with – virtually all consumer data on Aussie emails for 2012 – then we’re still looking at good odds.
What to do with all those numbers…
The big data gathered in the Vision 6 report can be used in conjunction with your internal data to help your business make informed choices on improving your email campaigns. You can assess the effectiveness of emails from your industry against the results specific to your business, letting you make the most of all emails.
What can go wrong with email?
As the report points out, some of the biggest problems emerge from bounces, which are defunct email addresses. Another source of frustration is untrustworthy sender names, which should always be recognizable to your intended recipients.
A whole lot of things can actually go wrong with email marketing efforts. Of course, the main consideration is content. Poor or overtly advertorial email messages are total kryptonite for your customers.
One of the single best improvements any brand struggling with email marketing can make is to generate content that does a better job engaging its clientele. Doing so almost certainly solves many of the problems exposed by the Vision 6 report.
Don’t let the Kryptonite win! Fight back with your very own email superpowers!
