How Email works... Part 4... (final)

A successful connection triggers the four-step Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) process: 1) Identifying the sending and receiving servers; 2) Identifying your RSVP address; 3) Identifying the recipient's email address; and 4) Transferring the data.

Essentially now you know how an email gets from you to your subscriber. It may seem simple getting your message to someone...  but now you know it's anything but simple.

How Email works... Part 3...

If no connection can be made, it might indicate a permanent issue (e.g., the domain doesn't exist) or a temporary issue (e.g., a bad connection).

How Email works... Part 2...

Next, the MTA connects with the MX record for the DNS of the domain (e.g., gmail, or companyname) to which you're sending. A domain's DNS is a one-stop location that other machines use to communicate with the domain's various servers, and the MX record is there to process any incoming mail.

How Email works... Part 1...

It's good to know the typical route of how a promotion gets from you to ultimately your subscriber.

First, your email service provider (ESP) formats your message and sends it to a mailer (MTA). The MTA adds header information about the sender (RSVP address), the ESP (IP address) and the recipient (email address).

Less is more...

Shorter email subject lines perform better. Those containing 4 to 15 characters attract the highest open rates of 14.1% while those with 51 or more characters more often have open rates below 10%.

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.