Today’s world is digital. As a business owner, that means your business should be digital too. There are several ways to be visible to new customers across the web, but how are you getting your brand in front of current or previous customers? Email marketing is a way to do just that. This type of marketing guarantees that your customers are directly receiving the exact information you want them to see.

So, they are receiving your emails, but how do you know if they are reading the content within them? Below are three ways to measure the effectiveness of your company newsletter.

Open Rate

Open rate measures precisely what you think – the amount of people who open emails from your company. Most email marketing systems, like MailChimp and Constant Contact, will show you the actual number of people who opened a specific email from you. This is one of the most important analytics. You don’t want to turn your full attention to the copy within the newsletter until you know people are actually opening it. If your open rates are low, look at the time you are sending your emails, as well as the subject line. It is essential that you research the best time to send emails according to your industry and understand the type of subject line that will appeal to your audience. A/B testing can help with this as well.

Click Rate

This stat shows what people are clicking on within your newsletter. Essentially, it tells you what grabs the reader’s interest. When you are starting out, make sure you include a variety of content in your newsletter to see what specifically appeals to your audience. Is the highest click rate on the “Read More” button from your blog post? Start including more blogs. Are people clicking through to your specials page month after month? Make sure the specials are the focus of your emails. Is the click rate on your social icons through the roof? Highlight social posts in your newsletter and move the icons to the top of the page.

Mobile vs. Desktop

With the rate of smartphone users rising, the rate of people checking emails on their phone is rising as well. This is important to be aware of for email marketing. How do you know if your customers are looking at your newsletter on mobile or desktop? Many email marketing systems, like the ones stated above, have built this measurement into their reporting. After sending an email, you can see the percentage of people who viewed it on mobile and desktop. If your audience is viewing your newsletters on mobile, make sure your emails are built for that platform. Use a template that is responsive and mobile-friendly. Incorporate compelling images that command the attention of readers. Use shorter paragraphs with links to “Read More” to minimize scrolling for your audience.

These three measurables are necessary tools in determining whether your company newsletter is working for you. These only scratch the surface, however, of information you can find about your email marketing. Dive into the reports of every email you send out and evaluate what is working and what is not. Then, alter your email strategy to fit what your audience.

If you need help with your email marketing strategy, contact us today!