Here’s the truth about email marketing metrics…
Most “experts” overcomplicate this stuff. They’ll drown you in data points that sound impressive but don’t actually help you make more money.
I know because I’ve been in the trenches. When I helped a local furniture store boost its bottom line by over 40% with email marketing, we ignored 90% of the metrics most people track.
Let’s Talk Real Numbers (Not Vanity Metrics)
Before we dive in, quick reality check:
❌ Your total subscriber count? Mostly ego.
❌ Open rates? Not as reliable as you think.
❌ Fancy graphs? Often just pretty pictures that hurt your deliverability.
Here’s What Actually Moves The Money Needle:
Delivery Rate (Are Your Emails Landing?)
Think of this like throwing darts:
- Hitting the board = Delivered To The Inbox
- Missing completely = Landed in Promo or Bouncing entirely
Real Talk: When I started managing that furniture store’s email list, their bounce rate was killing them. A huge percentage of their emails weren’t even reaching customers.
We fixed it by:
- Removing dead emails (hadn’t opened in 90+ days)
- Double-checking new sign-ups
- Regular list cleaning
- Tightly segmenting their list
Response Rate (Are They Taking Action?)
This isn’t just clicks – it’s meaningful engagement.
Quick Story: For that Black Friday fishing lure campaign I mentioned? We didn’t just track clicks. We tracked:
- Which products they viewed
- How long they stayed on each page
- What made them actually pull out their credit card
- How many items were added to the cart, but never purchased…then we automated follow-up to remind them that something they wanted was in the cart still.
Revenue Per Email (The Only Number Your Bank Account Cares About)
Simple math:
Money Made ÷ Emails Sent = Revenue Per Email
This number tells you if your emails are actually making money or just making noise.
Here’s What Most People Get Wrong:
They focus on growing their list before fixing their:
- Message (What are you actually saying?)
- Offer (Is it something people want?)
- Timing (When are you sending?)
The Simple Fix:
Start tracking these numbers weekly:
- How many emails actually landed?
- How many people took action?
- How much money did each email make?
But Here’s The Thing…
Numbers only matter if you’re actually emailing your list regularly. Most local businesses aren’t.
If you’re sending less than one email per week, that’s the first thing we need to fix.
Bonus: How many emails should you ACTUALLY send? Whenever I get this question, business owners always give resistance…but the answer is daily. Twice a day during big promos. Start emailing every day and your marketing will skyrocket – guaranteed.
Want To Know If Your Email Marketing Is Actually Working?
I’ll audit your current setup and show you:
- Where you’re leaving money on the table
- Which metrics actually matter for YOUR business
- How to fix what’s broken (in plain English)
Two Ways to Get Started:
📞 Call me directly: 815-281-5152
🔍 Schedule a free email marketing audit: Book Your Audit
P.S. Still not sure? Ask yourself this: If your email list isn’t making you money while you sleep… what’s the point of having one?
