Module 8: Analysing Email Campaign Performance
Introduction
Once you’ve sent out your email campaigns, the job isn’t over. To improve your email marketing and ensure you’re getting results, it’s crucial to analyse how your emails are performing. This module will help you understand the key metrics, how to read reports and dashboards, and how to use this information to make your emails even more effective.
Think of this as checking your recipe after baking—if the cake didn’t rise, you figure out what to tweak next time. It’s the same with emails. Let’s learn how to measure success and make improvements.
Key Metrics to Track
There are several important numbers (or metrics) that tell you how well your emails are doing. Here are the main ones:
1. Open Rate
This shows the percentage of people who opened your email.
• Why it matters : It tells you how good your subject line and timing were.
• Formula : Open Rate = (Emails Opened ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
• Example : If you send 1,000 emails and 250 people open them, your open rate is 25%.
Tip: A strong subject line increases your open rate.
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
This tells you how many people clicked on a link inside your email.
• Why it matters : It shows if your content is interesting and your call-to-action (CTA) is effective.
• Formula :
CTR = (Total Clicks ÷ Emails Delivered) × 100
• Example :
If 1,000 people received your email and 50 clicked a link, your CTR is 5%.
Tip: Clear, bold CTAs boost your CTR.
3. Conversion Rate
This measures how many people completed the action you wanted—like making a purchase, filling a form, or signing up for an event.
• Why it matters : It tells you if your email is helping you achieve business goals.
• Formula :
Conversion Rate = (Conversions ÷ Total Clicks) × 100
• Example :
If 50 people clicked and 10 made a purchase, your conversion rate is 20%.
• Tip : Make sure your landing page matches your email offer for better conversions.
Tip: Make sure your landing page matches your email offer for better conversions.
4. Bounce Rate
This shows how many emails didn’t get delivered.
• Why it matters : A high bounce rate can hurt your sender reputation.
• Example : If you send 500 emails and 50 bounce, your bounce rate is 10%.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• Applies to : Anyone who collects data from people in the European Union.
• Main rule : You must clearly tell people how their data will be used, and they must give explicit consent before receiving your emails.
• Also required : You must allow them to easily unsubscribe or request their data be deleted.
Tip: Keep your list clean by removing invalid or old email addresses.
5. Unsubscribe Rate
This shows how many people opted out of your emails.
Why it matters : It tells you if your audience is losing interest.
Example : If 1,000 people get your email and 20 unsubscribe, that’s a 2% unsubscribe rate.
Tip: Send only valuable and relevant content to reduce unsubscribes.
Interpreting Reports and Dashboards
Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or HubSpot give you detailed reports for every campaign. These dashboards show you all the metrics we discussed above.
Here’s how to read and understand them :
• Look at Open Rates First
A low open rate means your subject line or send time may need improvement.
• Check Clicks and Conversions
High opens but low clicks? Maybe your content wasn’t engaging.
High clicks but low conversions? Your landing page might be the problem.
• Compare with Previous Campaigns
See what worked best over time. Did a recipe email get more clicks than a discount offer? Take notes!
• Segment Your Reports
See how different groups of people respond. Maybe loyal customers open more emails than new subscribers.
Example : If your dashboard shows 30% open rate and 3% CTR, you’re doing well—but there’s room to improve clicks.
Using Data to Optimize Campaigns
The real value of analysing your email campaigns is using that data to improve future emails.
Ways to Use Your Data :
• Improve Subject Lines
If open rates are low, test new formats. Try using emojis, personalization (like “Hey Sarah”), or questions.
• Test Different CTAs
Try “Shop Now” vs. “Grab Your Deal” and see what gets more clicks.
• Segment More Specifically
Send different emails to different people. For example, offer bread discounts to bread lovers and cake deals to dessert fans.
• Send at Better Times
Check when most people open your emails—maybe 10 AM on weekdays works better than weekends.
• Clean Your List
Remove subscribers who never open. This keeps your list healthy and boosts deliverability.
Optimization is like baking: a little tweaking each time gives you better results in the end.
Summary (Before Real-Life Example)
• Open Rate shows how many people opened your email.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR) tells you how many clicked a link.
• Conversion Rate measures who completed your desired action.
• Bounce Rate warns about email delivery issues.
• Unsubscribe Rate shows if people are losing interest.
• Use reports and dashboards to find patterns and compare campaigns.
• Use your data to optimize subject lines, content, send time, and audience segments.
Real-Life Example: Your Bakery Campaign Results
Let’s go back to our bakery scenario:
You sent a friendly email last week with:
• A recipe for chocolate croissants
• A 10% discount on all pastries
• An invite to your “Bake & Taste Saturday” event
Here’s what your report shows:
Open Rate : 35%
Great! Your subject line “🥐 A New Recipe + This Week’s Pastry Surprise” caught attention.
Click-Through Rate : 8%
Many readers clicked the button for the recipe and discount.
Conversion Rate : 20% of clickers used the discount code
That’s solid! Your offer worked well.
Bounce Rate : 3%
A few emails were undeliverable—time to clean the list.
Unsubscribe Rate : 0.5%
Low, which means your content still feels fresh and welcome.
Now, using this data :
• You test a new CTA next time: “Claim Your Sweet Deal” instead of “Get Your Discount”
• You schedule the next email earlier in the week to see if Monday performs better than Friday
• You create a special list for recipe fans, and another for people who attend events
Over time, you’ll discover what your customers love—and your bakery will keep growing through smarter, data-driven emails.
