Email Marketing RulesIn Defense of ‘Low’ Open Rates
No one wrings their hands over email marketing’s stellar ROI, but I’m surprised by how often a big deal is made out of “low” open, click and conversion rates. Everything is about perspective. And that’s absolutely the case when looking at open rates, which can be highly misleading, especially when compared over long periods of time or between different companies.
But even when you add in opens when images are blocked and plain text email opens, the resulting “read rate” can still be quite misleading. For example, Return Path recently released fourth quarter 2012 data showing that the percentage of emails from retailers that were read fell to 15.2% from 17% in the fourth quarter of 2011.
On the surface that doesn’t look so great, but if you look deeper there’s much less cause for concern, if indeed any is warranted at all… Read my entire Email Insider column >>
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
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