"What results should I expect?"

Email marketing allows for a detailed analysis of some very specific data in relation to your campaign. You will be able to see how many emails reached inboxes, how many of those were opened by the recipient and whether they clicked through a link to your site.

Tracking these results can help you to determine your return on investment and correct mistakes.

Crunching the numbers - 95% target delivery rate

Inevitably, not all emails will make it to their destination. The myriad of ISPs, different email software protocols, security firewalls and filters will unfortunately mean some emails will always slip through the cracks. Even the best email systems available cannot achieve 100%. Usually, 95% is considered a strong result to aim for, meaning your email reputation is good and the ISPs are not mistakenly identifyijng you as spam. Sometimes a new campaign can take a few weeks to achieve this level of response as your database automatically removes the out of date email addresses and recipients learn to expect your messages.

If your campaign achieves less than 80% delivery, you may have problems with reputation. This means that some ISP filters are not convinced your campaign is legitimate. If you continue to produce low delivery rates, you may want to investigate whether your emails are triggering spam filters by using blacklisted phrases. For example, most spam filters have been configured to spot certain phrases and refuse delivery.

Some blacklisted phrases include;

Stop snoring, free investment, compare rates, removes wrinkles, free installation, cash bonus, promise you, serious cash, and many, many more.

Certainly some of these phrases will occur quite innocently, but they can contribute to how a filter assesses your email. Avoiding phrases that carry spam-like connotations - such as 'free', 'sex' and 'cash' - can reduce the risk of filters pushing back.

Crunching the numbers - 20-30% open rate

Not everyone who receives the email will open it, even if they asked to subscribe. On average, only 20-30% will open a marketing email in the first week and this is considered acceptable in most campaigns. Don't be shocked if you achieve open rates of only 1 in 5 (20%) when you start email marketing. It is normal.

However, it is possible to increase your open rate with careful planning. Not surprisingly, open rates are higher among recipients who specifically requested the newsletter. By building an email marketing list primarily with customers who have provided express consent, you will achieve a higher open rate than a list obtained through inferred consent. For more information on the difference between express and inferred consent, read "How do I collect email addresses?".

Understandably, recipients will open the email if they believe there's something in it for them. People are less likely to open an email that looks like a simple advertisement - we skip advertisements, we don't take time to open them. A subject line announcing your new line in cars is probably going to sit unopened. Meanwhile, the email offering 25% off all book purchases that week will have book-lovers opening in their droves. Alternatively, offering useful information can also motivate opens. 'How to...' articles are always popular as people seek to learn how to improve their situation.

Crunching the numbers - Click through rates and ROI

Determining a successful click-through rate can vary depending on your individual offer. For example, if you run a computer store and you know that 1 in 10 visitors to your site spends over $100 on computer accessories, you will be happy for only 10 people to click through as the resulting sales will more than cover the costs of that month's email. If the email campaign only succeeds in producing only one extra sale, it has been successful.

But if your price point is low, you need more sales to generate the necessary return on investment. This means providing more reasons for readers to click through to the site and more motivators towards a sale, such as special offers or exclusive deals. If you have a similar 1 in 10 conversion average for your $1.00 badges, you will need 300 people to click through to meet your monthly email cost.

When planning your email campaign, it is worth factoring in the click-through rate you need to achieve the desired return. Some email campaigns don't require any click-through to the site, with all information self-contained. Others provide extracts from articles or promotions that require the reader to click through to read the rest. Design an appropriate click-through strategy that reflects the conversion rate you need and you may produce a more effective, controlled campaign.

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