Email open rate
statistics – it’s hard to get more basic than that. So, if you consider them as
just numbers or are puzzled by their purpose, you are in some serious need of a
good old explaining session. Email open rates do not tell the whole story but
they do tell one thing – how many subscribers think that your email is worth
their attention.
How Do We Know People Open Emails?
By placing a unique beacon HTML tracking code inside an
email, we know when it has been opened. The code downloads a tiny image – a
beacon – from our web server, which, in turn, signals that the email has been
delivered. The statistic is then inserted into our database. We only count
delivered emails, while bounced emails are shown in the statistics as
bounce-rate.
To reiterate, the average email open rate is the number
of opened emails divided by the number of delivered emails.
Do Enough People Open Emails?
Open rates vary from industry to industry and heavily
depend on the effectiveness of subject and from lines.
The healthcare industry has a unique open rate of 26%,
while the travel and leisure industry is 15%. The open rate for non-profits is
around 25%. For financial services, banks and insurance it stands at around
22%.
All emails are not created equal. Open
rates differ by message type – newsletters and marketing emails have
higher open rates than editorial emails. However, triggered emails enjoy a higher open rate than business-as-usual emails.
Additionally, keep in mind that people who do not load
images or use email browsers that block images will not show up in your email
open rate statistics. Therefore, statistics will not always show you the whole
truth about your subscribers’ engagement. Consequently, do not freak out if the
numbers seem small, maybe there are some text-only email enthusiasts among your
subscribers.
How to Get More People to Open Emails?
In this regard, opinions vary. There are many
techniques that will help you to improve your email open rates. Some work
better in one case, some in another.
First, send targeted emails. Use segmentation to target your clients more
effectively. A targeted email list is bound to be more interesting to
recipients because the subject is compelling to them. Sending relevant email
newsletters is one of the “best practices” of email marketing – you can study
up on it here.
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Second, polish
your subject lines: Of course, you should not resort to sending
emails with a fake headline, as this will only tarnish your brand’s trust.
Nevertheless, try your best to spark the recipient’s attention – our Subject
Line Advisor will help you with this. Symbols can also get your subject
line to stand out in a crowded inbox.
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Third, test
from and subject line: The recipient’s reaction to sender and subject
lines (among other elements).
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Last but not least, make long-term conclusions: There are uncontrollable external
factors that influence email open rate statistics – even the weather can be one
of them. If your open rate drops 2% in a single campaign, do not panic. If
there is a 2% drop in a year, maybe you ought to try something different.
A Window to Your Own Open Rate Statistics:
Among email open rate, you will find a variety of
interesting open statistics that can be valuable for future campaigns,
especially segmentation – dates when emails are opened, the devices and
browsers that your clients use to open their emails and their geographic
location.
It All Comes Back to You:
The email open rate does not tell you a whole lot but a
good email open rate can give you the much-needed edge over your competition.
You are now equipped with the need-to-know basis on email open rates – decide
how you can improve your results and take action now!
Author: Janis Rose
Source:www.mailigen.com
