Email has evolved a lot in the last year. However, Apple’s recent changes to email privacy have given email marketers pause.
Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection prevents senders from tracking email open rates. It’s confusing not knowing how many clicks your subject line got. Your engagement metrics go beyond open rates. Clicks and conversions reveal more about your audience’s desires.
Now is the time to review your email engagement. How many people see your content? How many of them buy once they get to your site?
If these figures are low, there are ways to raise them.
What is good email engagement?
Let’s first define good email engagement in 2021. While industry benchmarks vary, good click rates range between 2% and 2.60 percent. Return on investment (ROI) averages $38-57 depending on industry and effort invested.
Regardless of your metrics, you want to maximize your email results.
Inactive subscribers could be more than just inactive
Every email marketer has to deal with inactive subscribers. Why is it so critical to address this? You can’t ignore it for two reasons:
- Non-engagers reduce overall engagement. If they don’t respond, inbox providers assume your emails are irrelevant and send them to the spam folder.
- Unresponsive subscribers may have given up on email addresses. If they don’t log in for six months, their accounts may be disabled. Furthermore, ISPs and blacklist providers may recycle them as spam traps. Start by re-engaging dormant subscribers with a compelling offer. Whatever you do, remove those who haven’t moved in six months. They’re a lost cause and a delivery risk.
Invalid emails and spam complaints keep you from reaching the inbox
Inactive contacts don’t affect your email list’s quality or engagement. Your email list may contain a variety of harmful email addresses. It’s best to prune them before launching holiday campaigns.
Assume invalid emails: The bounces harm your reputation as a sender, making inbox providers suspect you of spamming. Spam complaints, like bounces, are a signal to inbox providers. More than one complaint per 1,000 emails can cause spam.
Anyone looking to increase email engagement should regularly clean their lists. After bulk-validating your database, use a real-time email verification service to keep your contacts healthy.
It’s not too late to assess the quality of your content
After double-checking your email list, focus on your content. Are enough people clicking on your landing pages? What content gets the most views?
Find out what your best-performing newsletters and campaigns have in common. Here are a few reasons why these emails work so well:
- Topics: Do these emails address a common problem?
- Subject lines: Are they shorter or longer than the others? Used preview text?
- Design: Are these emails image-based or text-based?