A strong email marketing plan can significantly enhance a business's success by enabling targeted outreach to specific audiences, cultivating brand loyalty, driving sales, and providing an affordable marketing strategy. Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) is important when executing an email marketing campaign. Industry standards emphasize the need to track email open rates and click-through rates (CTR). These benchmarks enable businesses to identify trends, evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns, and make necessary adjustments.
According to an Email Marketing Benchmarks Report by GetResponse, the average open rate is approximately 39.64%, with a click-through rate of 3.25% and a click-to-open rate of 8.62%. Notable trends include a marked increase in email engagement, characterized by higher open and click rates, a greater emphasis on audience segmentation for personalized emails, and a focus on mobile optimization to enhance user experience.
Below, we discuss the significance of email open and click-through rates and review the average open and click-through rates by industry. Additionally, we explore five strategic plans to improve each metric for your upcoming email marketing campaign so you can watch your traffic and engagement numbers soar!
What Is Email Open Rate and Why Does It Matter?
The email open rate is defined as the percentage of recipients who opened your email out of the total number of emails sent. To calculate the open rate, you can use the following formula:
Email Open Rate = (Total Unique Opens / Total Emails Delivered) × 100
This formula helps you determine the effectiveness of your email campaigns in engaging recipients. The higher the number of recipients who open your email, the greater the chances they will complete your email's call to action, whether that involves increasing brand awareness, learning about a new sale or promotion, or purchasing. Open rates also reflect the effectiveness of your email subject lines and overall audience engagement.
What Is a Good Open Rate for Email?
The next question to answer is, what is a good open rate for email? On average, the open rate across various industries is 41.31%, but this can vary based on industry-specific benchmarks. For instance, MailerLite completed a data set study for overall email marketing benchmarks across all industries. Their findings show that in the government sector, working to reach an open rate of 47.11% is considered good. A good open rate is approximately 44.60% in the medical and healthcare fields. Non-profit organizations typically have an open rate of around 53.21%, while the gaming industry and hobby organizations have the lowest average open rate at about 39.60%.
5 Step Plan to Improve Email Open Rates
If your email marketing plan isn’t hitting the standard email open rates or the goal you desire, do not fret. There are numerous ways to improve your email marketing campaigns, whether that’s greater personalization for audiences, crafty content writing, retargeting strategies, and more.
Here are the top five steps to improve your email open rates:
Step 1: Write the Best and Most Relevant Subject Lines
You’ll see a major increase in email open rates with well-crafted subject lines. Keep the subject line targeted and personalized to the audience you are addressing. Make sure it is brief and relevant to the content of the email while also being captivating and interesting. Sometimes, using emojis is effective, depending on the audience's demographics. Always A/B test your email subject lines to determine which one performs better so you can gain valuable insights for optimization and improve your email subject lines for the next campaign.
Step 2: Send Personalized Messages
Audience segmentation is key. Organize your emails according to audience preferences by dividing your subscriber list into smaller, targeted groups. Create each audience segment based on details such as demographics (age and location), behaviors (website activity and purchase history), and interests (newsletter subscriptions). This way, each personalized email is written to engage each segment, greatly improving overall open rates.
Step 3: Deliver Emails at Optimal Times
Understanding when your audience will likely open and read your emails can significantly improve your open rates. For example, do they tend to check their emails during their lunch break or early in the morning while still in bed? One of the best new approaches to determine this is leveraging AI tools for smart scheduling.
Step 4: Regular Subscriber List Management
Spamming is highly inappropriate and greatly discouraged. Therefore, you should never send too many emails to a recipient simultaneously. Consider the timing and frequency of your messages and remove inactive users.
Step 5: Resend Unread Emails
If you find that your email has not been opened, it can be beneficial to resend it to improve the chances of it being seen. One effective strategy is to use auto-resend campaigns, which automatically send your email again to recipients who haven't opened it. This approach can help get your important message to reach its intended audience. Additionally, consider slightly varying the subject line or content to capture their attention and encourage engagement.
What Is Click-Through Rate (CTR)?
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of email recipients who click on a link within an email. It is significant as it is a good metric for measuring email engagement and relevance. When you need to figure out how to calculate email click-through rate, use the following formula:
Email CTR = (Total Recipients Who Clicked / Total Emails Delivered) ×100
By understanding and analyzing your email CTR, you can make informed decisions about your email marketing strategies, such as optimizing your content, adjusting your call-to-action (CTA), and personalizing emails by audience.
What Is a Good Click Rate for Email Marketing?
Click-through rates (CTR) in email marketing can differ from industry to industry, making it an exciting area to explore. Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp’s studies show that across over 25 industries, the average CTR is around 2.44%. Some standout sectors even see above 4%. This means that a solid CTR highlights the quality of your content and reflects how effective your calls to action are.
5 Strategies to Increase Email Click-Through Rates
To improve your email click-through rates, focus on creating captivating call-to-action messages, incorporating interactive content, and implementing A/B testing, among other strategies.
Here are five effective approaches to enhance your email CTR performance:
Create Effective Calls-to-Action
Develop compelling and concise calls-to-action for all emails. Each CTA should be clear and engaging, encouraging the reader to take the desired action, whether it's clicking a link, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. Consider your target audience and use language that matches your brand's tone and what your audience wants to hear.
Engage Readers Inside the Email
To improve click-through rates in your emails, go beyond engaging call-to-action phrases and include interactive elements such as surveys, polls, and quizzes. These additions add an element of fun for readers and encourage them to continue exploring what your email has to offer. By doing this, you can increase the likelihood that they will follow through on the email's intentions.
Leverage A/B Testing
Try, try, and try again. Like in other aspects of life, if something doesn’t go as you hoped, explore other options. Email marketing can involve testing different designs, copy, calls to action (CTAs), and media to identify which elements perform best.
Make Emails Shareable
Increase your email click-through rate by adding social sharing buttons within your messages. By doing so, you give your subscribers a way to effortlessly share your content with their networks, amplifying your reach and influence. Don’t forget to motivate them by highlighting the benefits of sharing.
Personalize Emails
You've heard it before, and it won't go away anytime soon. It’s personalization, which also applies to emails. In this case, try using placeholders for recipient names, locations, and preferences to connect with readers.
Achieve Email Marketing Success with Americaneagle.com
Any successful email marketing strategy must track and optimize open and click-through rates. By carefully watching these metrics, you can learn valuable insights into how your audience engages with your content, allowing you to fine-tune your campaigns. Improving open and click-through rates typically leads to increased engagement, conversions, and a better return on investment.
If you’re serious about enhancing your email marketing efforts and want significant results, reach out to Americaneagle.com. We specialize in data tracking and can provide expert guidance on optimizing email marketing performance. Let our team of email marketing specialists assist with refining your strategies, ensuring your messages reach and resonate with your target audience!
