Critical Strategy: Tracking Email Open Rates

by Rob Fore on November 16, 2009

It’s amazing what we can learn from hindsight.

  • It only takes one or two major hard drive crashes to realize it would benefit you greatly to have a consistent back up routine.
  • Over indulging doesn’t seem so pleasant when you find yourself at the gym at 5:30 am Monday thru Friday, and
  • Not keeping “marketing records” can cost you a fortune in lost opportunity.

I’m thinking the lack of NOT tracking email open rates – not keeping track of the subject lines and body copy has cost me tens of thousands of dollars… if not more. Check it out:

What Headline Caused a 40% Open Rate?

What Headline Caused a 40% Open Rate?

Webizinsider is a traffic exchange program I use that drives upwards of 20,000 free hits to my various web sites. In fact, I often purchase “downlines” of users when available because you earn additional traffic as each user participates in the program. You can also EMAIL your entire downline once every seven days as a premium member. It’s a great program that has earned me tens of thousands over the years.

Unfortunately, according to the stats you see above… I’ve also lost potentially tens of thousands. Let me explain.

Increasing Email Open Rates Increases Sales

Let’s a assume you have a web site or an affiliate link that is converting at the rate of 1%. Meaning you get one sale for every 100 visitors to your site. Let’s also assume each sale is worth $20.

  • 100 visitors = 1 sale = $20
  • 1000 visitors = 10 sales = $200
  • 10000 visitors = 100 sales = $2000

Now lets also assume you write an email and for every 200 people who OPEN THE EMAIL… half of them venture over to your web site and, sure enough, you generate 1 sale.

The CONSTANT is the web site conversion rate of 1%. But the email open rates is something you can increase by simply testing out various SUBJECT LINES, offers and body copy.

Currently I have just shy of 5,000 downline members in my Webizinsider account. So I email 5,000 people every week. If I send an email that gets 5% to open it… that’s 250 opens… and if half visit the site… that’s 1 sale. One $20 bill in my pocket. On the other hand, if the SUBJECT LINE causes 40% of the people to open the email…

  • 5000 x 40% = 2000
  • 1000 site visitors
  • 10 sales = $200

HUGE difference in return. Same effort. Much, much different results.

Notice some of the open rates I’ve received over the past few dozen emails have been nothing short of fantastic. 15%, 20% even 40%. And, keep in mind, it is the SUBJECT LINE that causes people to open email messages. So just a quick glance at the open rates tells me I have written at least a half dozen MONEY-MAKING EMAIL subject lines.

But, alas, I don’t know what they are because I didn’t keep a record. I just wrote the mail off the cuff and pushed send. No record of what I did or what I wrote.

Can anyone say, IDIOT!

Lesson learned. Keep a marketing record of EVERYTHING you do.

Subject lines used. Body copy. Day sent. Everything. So when you find that magically combination that produces a 40% response – KEEP USING IT!

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Matt Stefanik April 22, 2011 at 6:47 am

Excellent piece, Rob!

Reply

Richard Petrillo April 22, 2011 at 1:41 pm

Hi Rob,
Thanks for this great tip. I really value the benefit of being able to track any blasts I do through my Aweber account and this should really help with everything else.

Thanks again,
Richard

Reply

Jim McGilvary April 25, 2011 at 5:42 am

Great post, Rob! Wow, good stuff!Thanks for sharing Critical Strategy: Tracking Email Open Rates! I Appreciate you sharing this one Your friend Jim

Reply

Rob Fore April 25, 2011 at 6:02 am

Hey Jim, thanks for stopping by. I’ve been reading your blog as well. Great stuff.

Reply

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