Why I don't obsess over email open rates
Published: Sat, 10/24/15
“Is an Open rate of 20-25% actually good?
Somehow, this seems paltry for a quality list,
folks begging for more…”
The answer:
Yes, no, maybe.
(How’s that for a politician answer?)
You see, I couldn’t care less about open rates or click thru rates in most cases. Yes, there are times when the intel is vital (more on that tomorrow). But what I mostly care about are sales.
How many sales did the email get?
Let’s put it this way:
If you did a split test and got a 50% open rate and 5 sales on test A, but a 45% open rate and 9 sales on test B, which email did better?
Which put more $$ in your hot pocket?
Which added more names to your buyer’s list?
(Where the real $$ is made.)
Clickthru rates are more useful.
But open rates?
Not so much.
Especially since, due to smart phones and a few other technical factors (a computer scientist friend has explained to me recently), your open rates are not accurate anyway. There was just a study about this recently where more emails are opened on iPhones but most sales are done via desktops.
Again, tracking opens does have its uses.
And, I wouldn’t say never to do it.
But mostly I care only about sales.
After all…
Sales pay for your food, shelter and toys, not open rates.
That said:
There ARE reasons to track opens if'n that's your bag.
Frankly, doing so can make you lots of the green stuff.
And, on tomorrow’s Ben Settle Show podcast we go over them all with a fine toothed hair brush.
Watch for my signal tomorrow, Commissioner.
In the meantime, check out our other shows here:
http://www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur
Ben Settle