These are the 6 key metrics to track email marketing success
With 4.48 billion people using email—nearly half the world’s population—your customers are already in your inbox. But reaching them isn’t just about sending emails; it’s about sending the right emails and knowing how well they perform.
At Own Your Space, we’ve seen firsthand how powerful the right email strategy can be.
For one of our clients, we nearly doubled their open rates from 28% in October 2023 to an impressive 47% by March 2024.
We’ve also doubled their average click rate, from 1.9% to 3.75%, and achieved a staggering 400% increase in their click-through rate—from 3.8% to 19.78% over the same period.
To put it plainly, we know our stuff.
Is your brand aching for these figures? To truly connect with your audience and build loyalty, you need to track the right metrics. By focusing on these key metrics, you can measure what’s working, fine-tune your approach, and drive stronger engagement and conversions from your campaigns.
But with so many metrics available, how do you know which ones are the most critical to track? In this blog, we’ll get into the key metrics that can provide you with the insights needed to optimise your email marketing efforts and drive meaningful results.
Whether you’re looking to improve open rates, boost click-throughs, or maximise conversions, these metrics will guide you in making data-driven decisions that transform the impact of your campaigns.
Open Rate
The open rate is the first indicator of how well your email is connecting with your audience. It tells you the percentage of recipients who actually open your email, giving you a clear picture of how compelling your subject lines and preview text are.
But it’s not just about curiosity—open rates also reflect your brand’s reputation and the timing of your sends.
To boost your open rates, consider A/B testing different subject lines, experimenting with send times, and making sure that your emails land in the right inboxes at the right moments.
Some marketers say the best time to send is typically between 9-11 am or 1-3 pm (when people take breaks at work.) But test out when your customers are most receptive and change up your approach accordingly.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate (CTR) is where the real engagement happens. It tells you how many recipients are not just opening your emails but are also interacting with your content by clicking on links or calls to action (CTAs).
A strong CTR means your content is resonating, driving your audience to take the next step. For most industries, a healthy CTR falls between 2-5%.
To push your CTR higher, focus on creating clear, compelling CTAs, making sure your emails are always mobile-friendly (because you need to reach people where they’re scrolling), and personalising content to match your audience’s interests. These tactics will help turn interest into action, deepening their connection with your brand.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is where the real work begins in email marketing. It measures the percentage of recipients who take the desired action after clicking through your email—whether that’s completing a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or any other goal you’ve set.
This metric is the ultimate indicator of your email’s effectiveness in driving real results. A strong conversion rate shows that your email not only captured attention but also motivated your audience to act.
To boost your conversion rates, consider segmenting your audience to deliver more relevant content, offering tailored promotions that speak directly to your recipients’ needs, and optimising your landing pages for a seamless experience. These strategies help turn interest into action, driving tangible results for your business.
Own Your Space is one of Manchester’s leading CRO agencies – find out how we can help!
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is a pretty crucial metric that tells you how many of your emails didn’t reach their intended recipients. There are two types of bounces to watch out for:
Hard bounces, which occur when an email is permanently undeliverable (due to invalid addresses, for example).
Soft bounces, which happen when an email is temporarily undeliverable (like when their inbox is full).
A high bounce rate can harm your sender reputation and reduce your deliverability, making it harder for your emails to land in inboxes. Ideally, you should aim for a bounce rate below the accepted benchmark of 2%.
To keep your bounce rate in check, regularly clean your email lists to remove invalid addresses and consider using double opt-in processes to ensure you’re only emailing active, engaged recipients. These practices help maintain your sender reputation and improve the likelihood of your emails reaching their targets.
Unsubscribe Rate
Unsubscribe rate measures the percentage of recipients who choose to opt out of your email list after receiving a campaign. It’s calculated by dividing the number of unsubscribes by the total number of emails delivered.
Monitoring this rate gives you direct insight into how satisfied your audience is with your content and how relevant your emails actually are to them.
While many industries see average unsubscribe rates as high as 1-2%, don’t immediately panic if your rate falls slightly above or below this benchmark. Instead, focus on reducing unsubscribes by always providing clear value, segmenting your lists to deliver more personalised content, and allowing recipients to set their email preferences.
These practices help keep your emails remain relevant and welcomed in your subscribers’ inboxes.
Spam Complaint Rate
Spam complaint rate measures the percentage of recipients who mark your email as spam. It’s calculated by dividing the number of spam complaints by the total number of emails delivered. A high spam complaint rate can have serious consequences, including damaging your sender reputation and even leading to your emails being blacklisted by providers, making it harder for your messages to reach any inbox at all.
The industry standard, set by major inbox providers like Gmail, is a spam complaint rate of less than 0.1%—or 1 complaint for every 1,000 emails sent. Anything above this level is considered high and puts your deliverability at risk.
To keep your spam complaint rate well below this threshold, set clear expectations with your audience from the start—let them know what kind of content they’ll receive and how often. Avoid using spammy language that might trigger filters, and always make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe if they choose to.
By respecting your audience and maintaining transparency, you can keep your spam complaint rate low and ensure your emails continue to reach your subscribers.
Are you ready to own your email marketing?
Tracking the right email marketing metrics can help you to understand how well your campaigns are performing and identify opportunities for improvement. From open rates that gauge initial interest to conversion rates that measure success in driving action, each metric provides valuable insights into your audience’s engagement and satisfaction.
But knowing these metrics is just the beginning. To truly make your email marketing efforts count, you need to use strategies that not only boost these numbers but also build lasting relationships with your customers.
If you’re ready to elevate your email marketing, increase your ROI, and improve customer loyalty, it’s time to partner with experts who can help you achieve these goals.
At Own Your Space, we are Manchester’s email marketing experts. We know exactly how to create email marketing campaigns that not only reach your audience but also resonate with them. Get in touch with us today, and let’s start creating emails that not only make you money but also strengthen your connection with your customers.