In email marketing, there are tools we can use to better understand the impact of our email marketing on our email lists. One of those tools is a program designed to track email metrics, such as how many people opened each message we send.
For those just starting out in email marketing, this tool might reveal some statistics you don’t like, but ultimately, the information you learn will help to inform and guide you to success with your business.
What exactly is an email open?
An “email open” is what it literally sounds like: one of the emails you sent got opened. That means that every time a subscriber clicks to open your email, the open is recorded – if the proper tools are in place – and you can know how often and how many people are reading, or at least opening, your emails.
Email campaigns are 6 times more likely to have people click through to your website than social media posts, so knowing how much traction you’re making with email opens can vastly improve your company’s success.
How do you measure email opens?
Email opens can be measured through specific tools designed to create tracking data. These tools can determine when an individual opens an email through tracking software linking to your email.
This linking is done through software programs or email service providers that allow you to send emails to your mailing list. If you want to get technical and learn the deeper aspects of this tracking, there are tutorials and information sites that give you the run-down on things like client IDs, user IDs, tracking IDs and more.
Each of these email open trackers has a variety of different functions and features that you should study before choosing the provider.
The minimum that these programs will do is tell you who opened your emails, when they got opened, as well as statistics on total opens per day, week, month, et cetera for a given campaign.
Do you really need to track email opens?
One of the first and most important metrics you should track on your email campaigns is the number of times your emails are being opened. This metric tells you if you’re connecting with your audience, and how well, based on the amount of interest in the email either by the subject of your message or because of your reputation with the readers.
Tracking email opens can help you improve your impact on subscribers since these statistics inform your future campaigns by engagement rates.
What inexpensive tool to track email opens works best?
Email service providers like Campaign Monitor offer an inexpensive tool to track email opens. This tool offers a host of functions and features that are incredibly convenient. Access the tool via your browser and check the statistics of your email campaigns, whether you email daily, weekly, or monthly.
For instance, Campaign Monitor offers multiple features:
- Read receipts
- Active/inactive subscribers
- Box previews
- Unlimited spam testing
- Time zone sending
- Basic marketing automation
- Advanced link tracking
You can try Campaign Monitor for free for up to five subscribers before making a decision. Use the time to test out the analytics, the suggestions, and the suite itself, and learn how easily you can work with the system.
What now?
Now that you know what an email open is and the importance of this information to your email marketing success, you should consider getting your tool to track email opens in place. Campaign Monitor offers one of the least expensive routes for doing this, as well as a host of other highly effective tools in a variety of package options.
Just getting started with email marketing? Use our checklist to help make sure you don’t miss anything in your next email campaign.