Subsciber Retention Rate... The Math!...

Subscriber retention rate = # subscribers – bounce backs – unsubscribes / # subscribers

How much do you stink? This is perhaps as strategic an analysis as you could do for your email campaigns. Here you are measuring both the technical effectiveness of your email campaigns over time (reducing bounce backs) and the relevance of your messages and the targeting of the same (reducing unsubscribes). Measure retention rate over time in aggregate – or for optimal health, segment retention rate – and measure it for the various objectives you have set for your email marketing program.

Click-to-deliver Rate.... The Math!...

Click-to-deliver rate (CTDR) = # of clicks / # of emails delivered

This is a key measure of the quality of your email list, and of the effectiveness and relevance of your message. Segmenting this metric is really powerful. You can learn whether text messages or messages with images get a higher CTDR. You can compare customers in California, Idaho, and Florida; new and existing customers; or various demographics, etc., etc., etc. This should drive aggressive experimentation of email content / offers / targeting / every facet by your team.

Open Rate... The Math!...

Open rate = # of emails opened / # of emails delivered

This is core..... know it on each campaign.

Delivery Rate... The Math!...

Delivery rate = (# of emails sent – # of bounce backs) / # of emails sent   

This is your bread-and-butter outcome metric when it comes to your campaign; it answers the following simple question: did we stand a chance at success? Note that the increasing use of junk and spam boxes means that bounce backs are not the cleanest way to measure deliverability.

A lost visitor is a gone visitor...

Navigation should be really simple.

• Make the navigation bar available on every page.
• Keep the navigation bar in the same place on every page.
• Make sure links are described using unambiguous terms. It's better to be clear than clever.
• Make the home page link really obvious (allows visitors to "start over").
• Don't assume visitors know there's a back button on their browsers, i.e. no dead ends.
• Avoid dynamic navigation bars where links change based on the page the visitor is on. Consistency avoids confusion.

Keep customers engaged...

By periodically sending them personalized emails that reflect their experiences with your brand and the channels they most often use. Thank them on days that are specific to them — a one year anniversary as a customer, a birthday — or surprise them with a targeted thank you and offer when they are least expecting it.

Put offers in the subject line...

Respect people’s time! Put offers in the subject line... I hate it when I get the teaser of "Very Special Offer" and then I open the email to find out it's only 10% off on something I'm not even interested in.

Repetition & Persistence are key...

Email marketing studies have shown that most prospects must see the same or similar email three times to seven times in order to buy. Don't give up after one or two email campaigns that don't get the initial results you're looking for.

Welcome new subscribers!...

After subscribers have signed up and confirmed, it’s time to welcome and remind them what they signed up for.

Be upfront and transparent about all costs from the outset...

70.8% of shoppers said that hidden costs at the point of checkout would cause them to abandon the purchase process. While there are numerous reasons behind a shopper's decision to walk away from an online store, the end result is the same - lost revenue.

Be upfront and transparent about all costs from the outset!

Promote, Promote, Promote...

Promote following and sharing within all your email communications. Let people 'like' on Facebook, forward it to a friend, or tweet it.

Barcodes can be fun too!...

I love seeing what clever ideas marketing comes up with... Take for example the drab barcode on your package... now turn it into a talking point!

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