2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report (Excerpt)

8/8/2019 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report (Excerpt)

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2011Email Marketing

Benchmark ReportPractical instructions to generatequalify and nurture new busines

leads based on proven, real-lifemarketing

EXCERPT

New Research and Insights forAccelerating Email Performance

Note: This is an authorized excerpt from the full

Marketing Sherpa 2011 Email Marketing

Benchmark Report. To download the entire Repor

go to: Sherpastore.com/2011Email MarketingBMR

or call 877-895-1717

Special Rate Sponsor:


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2011 Email Marketing Benchmark ReportUS $447 / ISBN: 978-1-936390-04-5Copyright 2010 by MarketingSherpa LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting onlineor by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher.

To purchase additional copies of this report, please visit

http://www.SherpaStore.com

Yes, bulk discounts are available for multiple copies. Contact:Customer ServiceMarketingSherpa LLC+1 (877) 895-1717 (outside US, call +401-247-7655)[email protected] Main Street

Warren, RI 02885 USA

2011 Email Marketing Benchmark ReportNew Research and Insights or Accelerating Email Perormance

Lead Author

Sergio Balegno, Director o Research

Contributing Authors

Jen Doyle, Senior Research Analyst

Jefrey Rice, Research Analyst

Production Editor

Brad Bortone, Reporter

David Kirkpatrick, Reporter

i Copyright 20002010 MarketingSherpa LLC. It is forbidden to copy this report in any manner.

For permissions contact [email protected]. For more copies, visit http://www.SherpaStore.com


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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report

ii

Copyright 20002010 MarketingSherpa LLC, a MECLABS Group Company.

It is forbidden to copy this report in any manner. For permissions contact [email protected].

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... ii

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 2

New Research and Insights for Accelerating Email Performance ......................................................... 2

Research highlight 1. Email marketing maturity a key indicator of success ....................................... 3

Three Phases of Email Marketing Maturity .................................................................................... 3

Chart: Half of all organizations stuck between Trial Phase and Strategic Phase of maturity ......... 3

Research highlight 2. Perception of ROI drives email marketing investment ........................................ 4

Chart: How organizations perceive email marketing ROI at budget time, by maturity phase ......... 4

Research highlight 3. Facing significant obstacles to email marketing success ................................... 5

Chart: Most significant challenges to email marketing effectiveness, by primary channel ............. 5

Research highlight 4. Top tactics for delivering relevant content .......................................................... 6

Chart: Three dimensions of relevancy tactics - effectiveness, difficulty and use ........................... 6

Research highlight 5. Trends in email deliverability .............................................................................. 7

Chart: Deliverability improvements offset by continued challenges ............................................... 7

Research highlight 6. Metrics that matter most ..................................................................................... 8

Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked by percentage of organizations tracking them ................. 8

Chapter 1. The State of Email Marketing .............................................................................. 9

Facing significant new obstacles to email marketing success............................................................. 10

Chart: The significance of challenges to email marketing effectiveness ...................................... 11

Chart: Most significant challenges to email marketing effectiveness, by primary channel ........... 11

Chart: Most significant challenges to email marketing effectiveness, by organization size.......... 12

Chart: Most significant challenges to email marketing effectiveness, by maturity phase ............. 13

Marketer insights on their most difficult email marketing challenges .......... ........... ........... .......... ......... 14

What email marketers are really trying to achieve .............................................................................. 17

Chart: The importance of email marketing objectives .................................................................. 17

Chart: Most important email marketing objectives, by primary channel ....................................... 18

Chart: Most important email marketing objectives, by organization size...................................... 19

Chart: Most important email marketing objectives, by maturity phase ......................................... 20

Marketer insights on their most important objectives for the coming year ......... ........... ........... .......... .. 21

Objectives email marketers are achieving most effectively ................................................................. 24

Chart: The effectiveness of email marketing at achieving objectives ........................................... 24

Chart: Objectives email marketing achieves most effectively, by primary channel ...................... 25

Chart: Objectives email marketing achieves most effectively, by organization size ..................... 26

Chart: Objectives email marketing achieves most effectively, by maturity phase ........................ 27

Email marketing maturity a key indicator of success .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... ........... ......... 28

Three Phases of Email Marketing Maturity .................................................................................. 28

Chart: Half of organizations between Trial and Strategic phases of email marketing maturity .... 28

Chart: Organizations in each phase of email marketing maturity, by primary channel................. 30
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Chart: Organizations in each phase of email marketing maturity, by organization size ............... 31

Chapter 2. Email Budgets and Bottomlines ....................................................................... 32

The perception of ROI drives email marketing investment .......... .......... ........... .......... ........... .......... .... 32

Chart: Email marketing ROI a reality for more than a quarter of organizations ............................ 32

Chart: How organizations perceive email marketing ROI at budget time, by primary channel ..... 33

Chart: How organizations perceive email marketing ROI at budget time, by organization size ... 34

Chart: How organizations perceive email marketing ROI at budget time, by maturity phase ....... 35

A method for quantifying ROI .............................................................................................................. 36

Chart: Organizations with a method for quantifying email marketing ROI are in the minority ...... 36

Chart: Organizations with a method for quantifying email marketing ROI, by primary channel ... 37

Chart: Marketers with a method for quantifying email marketing ROI, by organization size ........ 38

Chart: Marketers with a method for quantifying email marketing ROI, by maturity phase............ 39

Email marketing ROI benchmarks ...................................................................................................... 40

Chart: Email marketing ROI as percentage as reported by majority of respondents .................. 40

Chart: Email marketing ROI as percentage, by primary channel ................................................. 41

The changing marketing budget landscape ........................................................................................ 42

Chart: Organizations increasing and decreasing marketing budgets - the impact on tactics ....... 42

Chart: Net change (organizations increasing minus decreasing budgets), by primary channel ... 43

Chart: Net change (organizations increasing minus decreasing budgets), by organization size . 44

Chart: Net change (organizations increasing minus decreasing budgets), by maturity phase ..... 45

Chart: Marketing budgets don't include staffing costs for majority of organizations ..................... 46

Onlines share of the marketing budget .............................................................................................. 47

Chart: Share of marketing budget allocated to online marketing by majority of organizations ..... 47

Chart: Share of marketing budget allocated to online marketing, by primary channel ................. 48

Chart: Share of marketing budget allocated to online marketing, by organization size ................ 49

Chart: Share of marketing budget allocated to online marketing, by maturity phase ................... 50

Emails share of the online marketing budget ..................................................................................... 51

Chart: Share of online budget allocated to email marketing by majority of organizations ............ 51

Chart: Share of online marketing budget allocated to email marketing, by primary channel ........ 52

Chart: Share of online marketing budget allocated to email marketing, by organization size ...... 53

Chart: Share of online marketing budget allocated to email marketing, by maturity phase.......... 54

Substantial email marketing budget increases projected for 2011 ...................................................... 55

Chart: Extent of changes to email marketing budgets in the coming year ................................... 55

Chart: Extent of changes to email marketing budgets in the coming year, by primary channel ... 56

Chart: Extent of changes to email marketing budgets in the coming year, by organization size .. 57

Chart: Extent of changes to email marketing budgets in the coming year, by maturity phase ..... 58

Chapter 3. Getting Relevant by Being Personal ................................................................ 59

Top tactics for delivering relevant content ........................................................................................... 59

Chart: Three dimensions of relevancy tactics - effectiveness, difficulty and use ......................... 59

Relevancy tactics used ....................................................................................................................... 60

Chart: Tactics organizations are using to improve relevancy ....................................................... 60

Chart: Tactics used to improve email relevancy, by primary channel .......................................... 61


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Chart: Tactics used to improve email relevancy, by organization size ......................................... 62

Chart: Tactics used to improve email relevancy, by maturity phase ............................................ 63

The time, effort and expense required of relevancy tactics ................................................................. 64

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics - degree of difficulty ........................................................ 64

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated difficult, by primary channel ................................... 65

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated difficult, by organization size.................................. 66Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated difficult, by maturity phase ..................................... 67

The effectiveness of relevancy tactics ................................................................................................ 68

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics - level of effectiveness .................................................... 68

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated very effective, by primary channel ......................... 69

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated very effective, by organization size ........................ 70

Chart: Relevancy improvement tactics rated very effective, by maturity phase ........................... 71

Marketer insights on the most effective relevancy and personalization tactics ................................... 72

Satisfying subscriber preferences ....................................................................................................... 75

Chart: Satisfying subscriber preferences starts with collecting data ............................................ 75

Chart: Organizations collecting and using subscriber preference data, by primary channel ........ 76Chart: Organizations collecting and using subscriber preference data, by organization size ...... 77

Chart: Organizations collecting and using subscriber preference data, by maturity phase .......... 78

What it takes to personalize email ...................................................................................................... 79

Chart: Data collected for email personalization goes beyond subscriber name ........................... 79

Chart: Collecting and using subscriber personalization data, by primary channel ....................... 80

Chart: Collecting and using subscriber personalization data, by organization size ...................... 81

Chart: Collecting and using subscriber personalization data, by maturity phase ......................... 82

Case briefing: Personalization tactics increase conversions ............................................................... 83

Chapter 4. Driving Email List Growth .................................................................................. 84

Top tactics for increasing subscriber lists ........................................................................................... 84

Chart: Three dimensions of list growth tactics - effectiveness, difficulty and use ......................... 84

Email list growth tactics used .............................................................................................................. 85

Chart: Tactics organizations are using to grow email lists ........................................................... 85

Chart: Tactics used to drive email list growth, by primary channel .............................................. 86

Chart: Tactics used to drive email list growth, by organization size ............................................. 87

Chart: Tactics used to drive email list growth, by maturity phase ................................................ 88

The time, effort and expense required of list growth tactics ................................................................ 89

Chart: Email list growth tactics - degree of difficulty..................................................................... 89

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated difficult, by primary channel ............................................... 90

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated difficult, by organization size .............................................. 91

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated difficult, by maturity phase ................................................. 92

The effectiveness of list growth tactics ................................................................................................ 93

Chart: Email list growth tactics - level of effectiveness ................................................................ 93

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated very effective, by primary channel ..................................... 94

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated very effective, by organization size .................................... 95

Chart: Email list growth tactics rated very effective, by maturity phase ....................................... 96


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Marketer insights on their most effective list growth tactics ................................................................ 97

Social media as a list growth tactic ..................................................................................................... 99

Chart: Organizations using limited number of social sharing buttons in email campaigns ........... 99

Chart: Social sharing buttons used in email campaigns, by primary channel ............................ 100

Chart: Social sharing buttons used in email campaigns, by organization size ........................... 101

Chart: Social sharing buttons used in email campaigns, by maturity phase .............................. 102Trends in email list growth ................................................................................................................ 103

Chart: Email list growth continues positive trend during the past year ....................................... 103

Chart: Email list growth trend, by primary channel .................................................................... 104

Chart: Email list growth trend, by organization size ................................................................... 105

Chart: Email list growth trend, by maturity phase ...................................................................... 106

Case briefing: .................................................................................................................................... 107

Solutions and providers for sending house email list ........................................................................ 108

Chart: Advanced solutions and service providers the top choice among email marketers ........ 108

Chart: Type of email solution or provider used, by primary channel .......................................... 109

Chart: Type of email solution or provider used, by organization size ......................................... 110Chart: Type of email solution or provider used, by maturity phase ............................................ 111

Chapter 5. Making it Into the Inbox ................................................................................... 112

Top tactics for improving email deliverability ..................................................................................... 112

Chart: Three dimensions of deliverability tactics - effectiveness, difficulty and use ................... 112

Deliverability tactics used .................................................................................................................. 113

Chart: Improving email deliverability starts with removing inactive subscribers ......................... 113

Chart: Tactics used to improve email deliverability, by primary channel .................................... 114

Chart: Tactics used to improve email deliverability, by organization size .................................. 115

Chart: Tactics used to improve email deliverability, by maturity phase ...................................... 116

The time, effort and expense required of deliverability tactics .......................................................... 117

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics - degree of difficulty ................................................... 117

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated difficult, by primary channel ............................. 118

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated difficult, by organization size ............................ 119

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated difficult, by maturity phase ............................... 120

The effectiveness of deliverability tactics .......................................................................................... 121

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics - level of effectiveness .............................................. 121

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated very effective, by primary channel ................... 122

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated very effective, by organization size .................. 123

Chart: Deliverability improvement tactics rated very effective, by maturity phase ..................... 124

Trends in deliverability issues ........................................................................................................... 125

Chart: Deliverability improvements offset by continued challenges ........................................... 125

Marketer insights on the state of deliverability and tactics for improving it ........................................ 126

Chapter 6. Metrics that Matter Most .................................................................................. 128

Measuring email marketing performance .......................................................................................... 128

Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked by percentage of organizations ................................... 128

Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked, by primary channel ..................................................... 129


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Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked, by organization size ................................................... 130

Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked, by maturity phase ....................................................... 131

A year of change in key performance metrics ................................................................................... 132

Chart: Organizations seeing measurable changes in email response rates .............................. 132

Chart: Net change (increases minus decreases) in response rates, by primary channel .......... 133

Chart: Net change (increases minus decreases in response rates), by organization size ......... 134Chart: Net change (increases minus decreases in response rates), by maturity phase ............ 135

Marketer insights on using metrics to improve email performance ................................................... 136

How marketers measure emails delivered ........................................................................................ 140

Chart: How email marketers calculate 'Delivery Rate' ............................................................... 140

Chart: 'Delivery Rate' defined, by primary channel .................................................................... 141

Chart: 'Delivery Rate' defined, by organization size ................................................................... 142

Chart: 'Delivery Rate' defined, by maturity phase ...................................................................... 143

How marketers measure emails opened ........................................................................................... 144

Chart: Calculating 'Open Rate'................................................................................................... 144

Chart: 'Open Rate' defined, by primary channel ........................................................................ 145Chart: 'Open Rate' defined, by organization size ....................................................................... 146

Chart: 'Open Rate' defined, by maturity phase .......................................................................... 147

How marketers measure emails opened ........................................................................................... 148

Chart: Calculating 'Click-Through Rate' ..................................................................................... 148

Chart: 'Click-Through Rate' defined, by primary market ............................................................ 149

Chart: 'Click-Through Rate' defined, by organization size ......................................................... 150

Chart: 'Click-Through Rate' defined, by maturity phase ............................................................. 151

How marketers measure emails converted ....................................................................................... 152

Chart: Calculating 'Post-Click Conversions' ............................................................................... 152

Chart: 'Post-Click Conversions' defined, by primary channel ..................................................... 153Chart: 'Post-Click Conversions' defined, by organization size ................................................... 154

Chart: 'Post-Click Conversions' defined, by maturity phase ....................................................... 155

Benchmarking email newsletter performance ................................................................................... 156

Chart: How the average email newsletter campaign performs .................................................. 156

Chart: Performance rates for email newsletter campaigns, by primary channel ........................ 157

Chart: Performance rates for email newsletter campaigns, by organization size ....................... 158

Chart: Performance rates for email newsletter campaigns, by maturity phase .......................... 159

Benchmarking email (other than newsletter) performance ................................................................ 160

Chart: How the average email campaign that is not a newsletter performs ............................... 160

Chart: Performance rates for email campaigns that are not newsletters, by primary channel ... 161Chart: Performance rates for email campaigns that are not newsletters, by organization size .. 162

Chart: Performance rates for email campaigns that are not newsletters, by maturity phase ..... 163

Chapter 7. Putting Email to the Test ................................................................................. 164

Testing and optimizing email marketing performance ....................................................................... 164

Chart: Minority of organizations routinely test email campaigns ................................................ 164

Chart: Organizations routinely testing email campaigns, by primary channel ............................ 165


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Chart: Organizations routinely testing email campaigns, by organization size .......................... 166

Chart: Organizations routinely testing email campaigns, by maturity phase .............................. 167

Campaign elements tested ............................................................................................................... 168

Chart: Campaign elements routinely tested to optimize performance........................................ 168

Chart: Campaign elements routinely tested to optimize performance, by primary channel ....... 169

Chart: Campaign elements routinely tested to optimize performance, by organization size ...... 170Chart: Campaign elements routinely tested to optimize performance, by maturity phase ......... 171

Marketer insights on methods typically used to test email campaigns .............................................. 172

Methodology for email testing and optimization ................................................................................ 174

Appendix 1. Benchmark Survey Demographics .............................................................. 175

Chart: Survey respondents by primary channel ......................................................................... 175

Chart: Survey respondents by industry sector ........................................................................... 176

Chart: Survey respondents by organization size ....................................................................... 177

Chart: Survey respondents by marketing role and decision-making authority ........................... 179

Appendix 2. Email Marketing Glossary ............................................................................. 180

Appendix 3. Research Partner ........................................................................................... 198


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

NEW RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS FOR ACCELERATING EMAIL PERFORMANCE

Email has long been established as one of the hardest working tools in the marketing toolbox. Strategically,

email plays an important role in achieving a wide range of marketing objectives. Tactically, email appears to

have unlimited potential especially when integrated with emerging marketing channels like social media. As

a mature tactic, performance improvements are no longer measured in quantum leaps but in incremental

steps. But when multiple improvement tactics are combined, performance is accelerated. And helping you

understand which email marketing tactics will be most effective is the purpose of this study.

For the eighth consecutive year, MarketingSherpa has conducted new

research and comprehensively rewritten the 2011 Email Marketing

Benchmark Reportto provide marketers the data and insights needed

to make informative marketing decisions. In this study, more than

1100 marketers shared their valuable experience about whats

working (and whats not) in email marketing today, to help you better

understand how to accelerate email performance.

In addition to learning more about the state of email from a strategic

and tactical standpoint, youll also gain a deeper knowledge of the

following key issues from the most comprehensive study of email

marketing available.

The impact of email marketing maturity

This study has revealed a clear correlation between the phase of an organizations email marketing maturity

and the effectiveness of its email programs. Throughout this report, findings have been segmented byphase of maturity to demonstrate the disparity in performance of organizations in each phase. This

information allows you to determine the practices and follow the lead of marketers with proven success.

Three dimensional views of email tactics

We found that, in many cases, marketers are more likely to use email tactics that are fast and easy to

implement than those that are most effective. By incorporating and analyzing three sets of data from the

study (effectiveness, difficulty and use) on some of email marketings most significant challenges, marketers

are able to correct their course of actions to improve performance.

All new metrics and benchmarks

Email marketers wanted more data for comparing their email marketing performance with similar

organizations and weve delivered. The 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Reporthas taken a deeper dive

into the metrics that matter most to email marketers, and segmented this information by organization size,

primary channel and phase of marketing maturity for comparative purposes.

The research highlights contained in this Executive Summary section of the 2011 Email Marketing

Benchmark Reportare a very small sample of the more than 150 charts with in-depth analysis from

MarketingSherpa researchers and the hundreds of insights from real-life marketers like you.

Benchmark Reports

MarketingSherpa Benchmark

Reports provide marketing

executives and practitioners the

comprehensive research data

and insights needed to compare

an organizations practices and

performance against industry

benchmarks, to guide strategic

decisions and tactical planning.


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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 1.EMAIL MARKETING MATURITY A KEY INDICATOR OF SUCCESS

Throughout this report, we have segmented data by phase of email marketing maturity. Each phase

represents how systematic an organization is in its approach to email marketing. The phase of an

organizations maturity is determined by the process they use (or dont use) to plan, execute, measure and

report on email marketing programs. The purpose of this segmentation is to demonstrate the disparity in

the performance of email marketing programs by organizations in each phase of maturity, and the

relationship between the phase and an organizations email marketing success.

Three Phases of Email Marketing Maturity

Trial Phase Transition Phase Strategic Phase

Organization does not have a

process or guidelines for

performing email marketing.

Organization has an informal

process with a few guidelines

they sporadically perform.

Organization has a formal process

with thorough guidelines they

routinely perform.

Chart: Half of all organizations stuck between Trial Phase and Strategic Phase of maturity

We have a formal

process with

thorough

guidelines we

routinely perform(Strategic phase)

37%

We have an

informal process

with a few

guidelines we

sporadically

perform

(Transition phase)

49%

We do not have a

process or

guidelines for

performing email

marketing (Trial

phase)

14%

Source: MarketingSherpa Email Marketing Benchmark Survey

Methodology: Fielded Sep 2010, N=1,115


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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 2.PERCEPTION OF ROI DRIVES EMAIL MARKETING INVESTMENT

How executives perceive email marketing's ability to produce a return on investment will determine the

investment they are willing to make. Organizations in the strategic phase of email marketing maturity are

about twice as likely to believe that email marketing is producing a ROI as are their counterparts in the

transition and trial phases. Consequently, strategic phase organizations are more than twice as likely to

increase email marketing budgets liberally in 2011 for continuous improvement.

At the other extreme, organizations in the trial and transition phases of maturity are much more likely to

believe that email marketing is basically free and intend to keep it that way. These organizations are

destined to get what they pay for.

Chart: How organizations perceive email marketing ROI at budget time, by maturity phase

32%

8%

41%

19%

28%

10%

43%

20%

18%

6%

38%

38%

Email marketing is basically free.

Let's keep it that way.

Email marketing is unlikely to

produce a ROI. Why invest more?

Email marketing will eventually

produce a ROI. Let's increase the

budget but do it conservatively.

Email marketing is producing a ROI.

Let's increase the budget liberally

for continuous improvement.

Strategic phase

Transition phase

Trial phase




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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 3.FACING SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLES TO EMAIL MARKETING SUCCESS

Email marketers continue to struggle with the challenge of delivering highly relevant content to their target

audiences. Whether you are marketing to consumers, businesses or both, the more targeted your email

campaigns, the more content is required. Developing a sufficient amount of content is a time-intensive

process that many marketers do not have the resources to produce.

While relevancy will be the most significant challenge to email marketing effectiveness in 2011, there is a

range of second tier issues - from quantifying email marketing ROI to growing email lists - that are equally

challenging to marketers in all channels and have been addressed in this study.

Chart: Most significant challenges to email marketing effectiveness, by primary channel

40%

36%

42%

31%

44%

56%

33%

35%

46%

39%

37%

66%

33%

38%

40%

41%

44%

68%

Lack of an effective email

marketing strategy

Legitimate email being

perceived as spam

Getting people to opt-in

to email lists

Improving email

deliverability

Quantifying email

marketing ROI

Targeting recipients with

highly relevant content

Business channel (B2B)

Consumer channel (B2C)

Both channels (B2B2C)




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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 4.TOP TACTICS FOR DELIVERING RELEVANT CONTENT

The popular use of an email marketing tactic does not always reflect its effectiveness. We've taken a deeper

dive into the analysis of tactics throughout this study to gain a better understanding.

This chart incorporates three sets of data on relevancy tactics. The level of effectiveness is shown on the

vertical axis while the degree of difficulty to implement the tactic is shown on the horizontal axis. The size

of each sphere represents its level of usage.

This chart shows, for example, that the tactic of segmenting email campaigns based on behavior is used

more often than automatically sending email based on triggers, which is more effective and less difficult to

implement.

Chart: Three dimensions of relevancy tactics - effectiveness, difficulty and use

Automatically send

email based on

triggers

Allowed

subscribers to

specify email

preferences

Segmented email

campaigns based

on behavior

Segmented email

campaigns based

on sales cycle

Dynamically

personalized email

content

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

LevelofEffectiveness

Degree of Difficulty

Usage indicated by sphere size




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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 5.TRENDS IN EMAIL DELIVERABILITY

Making it into the inbox involves a complex set of issues and is a perennial challenge for email marketers.

While many organizations are experiencing measurable improvements, nearly as many are experiencing

worsening conditions. The net result overall is a slight change for the better.

The effectiveness of tactics used to improve deliverability varies significantly and many marketers have

shared their insights in this study on what works best for them. For example, as one marketer told us,

Removal of non participating subscribers has had the most influence on improving deliverability and email

performance rates in all aspects of email marketing. In other words, get rid of the deadbeat email addresses

and everything improves, and the spam companies leave our email alone.

Chart: Deliverability improvements offset by continued challenges

15%

18%

18%

11%

12%

15%

16%

18%

19%

21%

22%

27%

-20% -10% 0% 10% 20% 30%

Emails not clicked in more

than 6 months

Emails not opened in more

than 6 months

Junk folder placement rate

Inbox placement rate

Missing rate (not delivered

anywhere)

Bounce-backs and

undeliverable email

Measureably worsening Measureably improving




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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT 6.METRICS THAT MATTER MOST

Measuring the performance of email campaigns enables marketers to benchmark and optimize results. But

which metrics are worth tracking?

The vast majority of organizations track the fundamental delivery, open and click-through rates. But, as well

established as these traditional metrics are, we found there is still no clear consensus on the formula used

to calculate each of these metrics.

The more comprehensive an email program becomes, the more reliant a marketer becomes on incremental

downstream metrics like post-click conversions and revenue per email. These downstream metrics are

essential to tracking ROI back to email campaigns, and gaining the budgets necessary for continuous email

marketing improvements.

Chart: Email marketing metrics tracked by percentage of organizations tracking them

18%

33%

36%

44%

51%

51%

81%

90%

92%

Social sharing rate

Revenue per email

Response by list segment

Post-click conversion rate

Clicks per email

Clicks per link in email

Delivery rate

Open rate

Click-through rate




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2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report (Excerpt)

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