Reporting and Analysis

Build graphs and data to report your email campaigns

Reporting and analysis are key components of any email marketing campaign because they give you the information to determine whether a campaign is working – or not – so you can do more of the good stuff to drive sales!

Test, measure and analyse.

Test test test – if you don’t try out different versions, you’ll never know if there is a different format, headline, etc., that might work better (we also call this A/B testing or split testing).

Measure – because if you don’t know how your campaign is performing, you’ll never know if it’s actually working! There are key metrics you need to keep an eye on and compare across each of the test campaigns you do. 

Analyse – because if you don’t study the data, you’ll never know what it’s telling you and then you’ll never improve the quality and efficacy of the campaign. 

There are some standard metrics every campaign needs:

  • Open Rates – how many people opened your email? If open rates are low, then there’s a good chance there’s something wrong with the way you’re crafting your title or what’s been written in the preview. Both of these should be inviting, enticing people to open the email to find out more
  • Click Through Rate (CTR) – this shows you how many people clicked on a Call to Action. This could be associated with a discount code, inviting them to read more on a blog, or to watch a video. A decent CTR will show you’re on the right track when it comes to the content you’re delivering.
  • Conversion rates – how many of those clicks converted into the user doing what you wanted them to do, be it sign up to a subscription, buy something, whatever the goal of the campaign is. Conversion rates show whether your campaign is generating leads and sales.
Email stats
Email marketing reporting
  • Bounce rates – ‘soft’ bounces indicate a temporary problem with a mail box, i.e. it’s full, and the server will hold your email until the mailbox owner has a clear out. ‘Hard’ bounces are when mailboxes have been closed, are no longer valid or have never existed. These addresses should be immediately removed from your system to prevent tarnishing your emailing reputation.
  • List Growth Rate – how quickly are you acquiring new subscribers? Does it match the drop-off rate?
  • Sharing / Forwarding Rates – are people finding your content interesting enough to share it with their friends, family and co-workers? Having your content shared is one of the most effective ways of expanding your database. Look at what is being shared and by whom to determine what is working well. 
  • Unengaged subscribers – email clients learn when another is sending emails to clients who do not engage or respond, or for whom the email consistently goes straight to ‘junk’. If you have a high number these, it may hurt the overall deliverability of your emails – so, however counter-intuitive it may seem, purge these addresses from your send list.  
  • Return on Investment (ROI) – how much did you spend and how much did you receive as a result of the campaign? This will be the deciding factor on the overall success of the campaign.