Page 28 - AeM_Nov_2018

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

User engagement is the key to

sustainable ROI in email marketing

The availability of detailed real-time metrics is part of rates.
online marketing’s DNA. Email marketing is no
exception. Suitable key performance indicators (KPIs) 2. Blurring in the measurement process: Measured
are as always essential tools for evaluating, controlling figures are not exact, on the one hand due to
and optimizing the various online marketing channels. limitations in the precision of the measuring
methods, on the other hand due to a lack of
Particularly interesting are all key figures that capture the standardization in the measuring method. For
engagement of users accurately, since their commitment example, since tracking pixels are set by default for
is the key to sustainable ROI. User interactions are in the measurement of the opening rate, the openings
general the basic prerequisite for achieving common of newsletter recipients who read offline, just the
online marketing goals: website visits, sales, text version of the newsletter or block images,
registrations, downloads, webinar participation, survey cannot be measured. For some email clients, the
participation, etc., which brings us to the three basic key tracking pixel is only loaded when it’s in the visible
figures for email engagement, namely: range. Thus, the registration of the opening
depends on the size of the preview and display
• Opening rate: engagement = general interest window as well as the position of the pixel in the
HTML code. The fact is that there are more
• CTR: engagement = concrete interest openings than can be measured.
• Log-out rate: engagement = end of interest
3. Weaknesses in the expressiveness and
These three KPIs form the key data backbone of the interpretability of the key figures: When deleting
email marketing channel that will unlikely change in the an email, an opening is registered in many cases,
foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, even the simplest since the email is often briefly clicked on before
distribution systems can reliably measure these key getting deleted. This will show part of the email and
figures and display them in time courses, but what’s that way the tracking pixel in the preview window.
important in these engagement key metrics is:
The negative engagement "delete email" is
therefore part of the positive key figure opening
1. Not having considered bounce rates: Since rate.
bounces represent a technical state of temporary or
permanent non-delivery and no interaction of the 4. Limited comparability: Benchmark reports
email recipient, bounce rates could be ignored in the regularly publish trends and various averages (by
context of email engagement viewing - unfortunately, country, industry, etc.) of these three basic
bounce rates can increase because of high complaint
28 November 2018 - Email Marketing & E-Commerce