Does Your Email Marketing Strategy Meet the [Bench]mark?

One of the many things that makes email marketing such a valuable piece of an organization’s overall marketing strategy is the access to reporting metrics that it provides. Here at Informz, we’re data fanatics, and every year, we release a comprehensive report of email marketing metrics from our clients. The 2015 Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report is a summary of email marketing metrics from over 1 billion emails sent last year by associations.

informz_benchmark.pngThis year’s report is packed with dozens of metrics, including:

  • Delivery rate remained consistent at 98% year over year.
  • Associations sent 12.14% more email in 2014 than they did in 2013.
  • Open rates have increased, but click rates are on the decline.
  • 72% of email subscribers are sent five or less emails per month.
  • Subscribers receiving more than 20 emails a month have strong engagement metrics.

The report also touches on two of the most frequently asked questions we hear: How many emails should I send? and When is the best day and time to send? These are two of my personal favorites, too, because as a marketer, I have the same questions! Sending too much (or not enough) email is a delicate balance. I want to stay in touch with my subscribers and keep, but I don’t want to bombard them, but when I saw the stat about engagement rates being high when email volume is larger, a lightbulb went off. If messages are relevant, timely, and engaging, worrying about volume is a moot point.

Timing can be trickier, though. This year’s data shows that the day of the week has very little influence on open and click rates, but messages sent at night had the highest open rates and messages sent midday had the highest click rates. Our strategists recommend that revenue-generating emails that rely on clicks and conversions, test out sending midday and see if it increases engagement.

One key aspect of benchmarking data is to keep your audience in mind. Every audience is different. What works for one organization might not work for you – and that’s okay. But there’s always room for improvement and there is always a lesson to be learned about what resonates best with your subscribers.

email-marketing-for-associations.jpgView an archived webinar to learn more about the state of association email marketing, where our strategists covered how digital marketing trends like marketing automation are changing frequency rules for associations, tips for creating testing plans, and the always challenging timing questions. Learn how other organizations are testing email campaigns to achieve results that are surpassing benchmarks and earning high engagement rates. You’ll also learn how the Informz for Aptify integration can advance email performance.

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