- Email marketing is one of the top channels marketers use to run campaigns.
- So, how can marketers improve their email campaigns? One major way is to stay updated about industry benchmarks.
- GetResponse recently conducted a study and came out with a few benchmarks and insights.
Of the various digital channels marketers use to run campaigns, email ranks among the top. After all, according to a study by LitmusOpens a new window , email marketing offers a high ROI of $36 for every dollar spent. That said, emails should be relationship builders and not spam. So, how can marketers improve their emails? One of the best ways to do so is to stay updated with industry benchmarks, which help marketers understand how their emails perform and design better campaigns.
GetResponse recently analyzed almost 7 billion emails sent last year and developed a few benchmarks across various metrics. Here are a few key benchmarks and insights to improve your email campaigns.
Overall CTRs Are Lower Than Last Year
The study found that the overall click-through rate (CTR) was lower than in 2021. That said, it was a good year for marketers in certain geographical regions compared to others. For example, the average CTR for North America was 2.96%. However, it was low for South America (a CTR of 1.25%) and the rest of the non-English-speaking world.
Improving localization may be a solution to boost your email performance. Emails should be localized both in terms of language and social and cultural realities. If you run a global business, user-oriented communication and culture-driven personalization should be central to your email marketing efforts.
See more: 4 Ways To Improve Email Marketing Campaign Deliverability
Conversion Rates Are Down Across All Industries
According to the study, conversion rates dropped significantly across all industries. The average landing page conversion rate was 7.12% compared to 17.15% in 2021. The industry scoring the highest conversion rate was Arts and Entertainment (18.21%), and the one with the lowest was Restaurants & Food (1.71%). One key reason for the drop may be that email campaigns aiming at cold traffic show lower results than those seen for pages aimed at existing audiences.
Countries With Strict Regulations See Higher Engagement Rates
The study found that countries with stricter regulations tend to see higher engagement rates. The top-performing countries when it came to open rates were the Netherlands, France, and Australia. They are also the countries that offer people higher control and protection over their personal information. Similarly, the countries seeing the highest CTRs were Canada, Belgium, and Germany. They are also the countries regulated by GDPR and PIPEDA.
This means instead of fearing strict regulations, embrace them and target your audience carefully. You will see higher engagement rates.
Open Rates Increased After Apple’s New Privacy Policy
Apple announcedOpens a new window changes to its privacy policy for iOS 15 two years ago, which enables users to determine whether to allow marketers to track their email behavior. When switched on, Apple MPP (Mail Privacy Protection) makes tracking email campaign performance more difficult. It impacts segmentations and automated campaigns.
During the rollout of the changes in 2021, there was a 1-2 pp improvement in average email open rates. However, according to this year’s study, average open rates were higher by 7.37 pp. On the other hand, CTRs went down by 0.09 pp.
This means it may be time to rethink your approach to recipient engagement measurement and audience segmentation. Move toward more trustworthy data, like conversion rates and CTRs, and get better at recognizing fake auto-opens from Apple MPP. Else, you may be unable to track everything.
Industries With Higher Data Privacy and Security Standards Adopt Double Opt-in
Double opt-in can be considered a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can lead to better open rates and CTRs, lower bounce rates, lesser spam, and a healthy audience list. On the other, it may make the subscription process lengthier, leading to a higher cost per acquisition (CPA), a smaller list size, and lower conversions.
So, what is the best approach? There is no one correct answer. However, the study found that sectors with higher data security and privacy standards and a goal of higher engagement are adopting double opt-in. Some of these industries include Education, Legal Services, and Sports.
Tuesday Is the Best Day To Send Emails
What time of the day should you send emails for maximum clicks and engagement? The study found that the best time is from 4-6 AM and 5-7 PM, i.e., right before people wake up or just when they are about to end their workday. The inboxes are usually less cluttered at these times, and the possibility of capturing the recipient’s attention is higher.
What day is best for maximum engagement? Data showed that there was very little difference between individual weekdays. That said, the average open rates and CTRs are slightly higher on Tuesdays and the lowest on weekends.
All that said, these times may vary according to the industry. You should experiment and ask your recipients if required.
Audience Information and Segmentation Are Keys to Determining Email Frequency
A major reason people unsubscribe from email newsletters or communications is receiving too many emails. So, how many are too many? According to the study, 46% of marketers sent an email a week. This led to a decent open rate and CTR. However, it also led to the highest unsubscribe rate. Given that the links clicked are what really matters, the highest CTR and click-to-open rate and the lowest bounce rate were for marketers sending as many as eight email newsletters a week.
So, what is the best strategy? Stretch your communications into eight separate mailings, have large weekly newsletters, or have something in between without overloading your subscribers. The solution to this is simple — information and segmentation. Once your recipient list is segmented properly, decide on the email frequency these audience segments expect and send your emails accordingly.
Videos and Shorter Subject Lines Make Emails More Engaging
Certain elements make an email attractive and more engaging. For example, data showed that video continued to be an engaging content format. Just featuring it in emails can lead to higher CTR and deliverability rates.
Similarly, the subject line, too, plays a crucial role. For example, when it comes to its length, 61-70 characters is the best bet. That said, longer subject lines may still work. Perform A/B testing on your subject lines to identify which offers better results. It is more about what the subject line conveys than its length.
Do adding emojis in subject lines lead to more open rates? Data from the study showed that not using emojis is a better strategy for marketers, as all the core metrics seemed to perform better for emails without them in the subject line.
See more: The Failure of B2B Email Personalization: How To Get It Right
Personalizing Your Email Body Is Critical
The study found that personalizing subject lines isn’t much help. However, personalizing the email body is crucial as it can lead to better open rates and lower bounce rates. That said, hyper-personalization can get annoying. Recipients are also becoming more competent at identifying automation patterns involved in personalized messaging. Hence, matching their requirements to your offers or solutions should be your top goal. It is all about the relevance of the data you use to personalize your emails. Zero- and first-party data plays a significant role in this regard.
Conclusion
While the benchmarks and insights discussed above act as good guiding points, every business and industry is unique. Hence, experiment with your email campaigns. Most importantly, ensure that you leverage zero- and first-party data, A/B test your emails, go beyond the first name regarding personalization, and truly offer value. By following email marketing best practices, you will unlock the true potential of email marketing.
What steps have you taken to improve the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns? Let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!
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