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8/2/2019 2011 Informz Inc Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report
1/22
The Informz 2011Association
Email Marketing
Benchmark Report
8/2/2019 2011 Informz Inc Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report
2/22
2011 Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report Informz, Inc
Table of Contents
Introduction
Email Marketing Metrics
Key Findings
Results
Overall Association Metrics
Results by Email Type
Results by Country of Sender
Results by Association Type
Results by Email Client Usage
Results by Length of Subject Line
Results by Number of Links
Results by Number of Recipients
Results by Time of Day Sent
Results by Day of Week Sent
Effects of Personalizing the Subject Line
Conclusion
About Informz
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Introduction
Email marketing has become one of the primary ways that associations
communicate with members, and has proven to be both a cost-efficient and
highly-effective tool. However, with the struggling economy and increasing
demands on members time, optimizing email marketing campaigns has becomemore important than ever.
Informz, the leading provider of email marketing solutions for the association
industry, has performed a study on our association client base to provide email
marketers from member-based organizations benchmarking information for their
email programs. This study should help you to understand what metrics you
should be analyzing when reviewing your email marketing program, what goals
you can set based on similar organizations, and how your email marketing
program is performing.
This report includes a summary of email marketing metrics collected from over500 large and mid-sized associations that used the Informz email marketing
platform in 2010. These associations, located in the United States, Australia,
New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom, sent over 400 million emails in 2010
consisting of newsletters, appeals, surveys, and event related emails.
Email Marketing Metrics
Four key metrics are used in this report: delivery, open, click and unsubscribe rates
Delivery Rate is the percentage of emails that were not reported back to Informz
as having been bounced or blocked.
Open Rate is the percentage of delivered emails that were reported back to
Informz as having been opened. If the text version of an email is read it is not
counted. Likewise if an HTML email is read with the images turned off, it is not
counted. However, if an email is opened with images off, but a link is clicked, the
email is counted as being opened. Open rate only includes unique subscribers.
Multiple opens by one subscriber only count once.
Click Rate is the percentage of opened emails that are clicked by the recipient.Clicking on a link in a text email will not count as a click. Click Rate only includes
unique subscribers. Multiple clicks by one subscriber only count once.
Unsubscribe Rate is the percentage of recipients who unsubscribed from a
particular mailing.
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Key Findings
The Informz Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report analyzed the results
from 400 million emails sent by over 500 large to mid-sized associations. The key
findings from this study are as follows:
The timing of email had little affect on open and click results. Day of week had
less than a 1% difference in result among the days.
Tactics that affected the targeting and relevancy of content had the most
significant impact on results. Smaller target groups outperformed emails with
larger target groups, with the smallest groups of under 50 recipients receiving
an average open rate of 60%.
Event emails outperformed all other types of emails averaging a 40.73% open
rate and a 15.46% click rate.
Appeal-based emails underperformed, receiving the least amount of opens and
the most number of unsubscribes. Possibly meaning these email often go to
large groups, outdated lists and lack value to the recipient.
61% of emails were received and read using desktop email software, a number
that decreased from the previous year, while web and mobile device usage
increased.
Mobile readership of email has more than doubled in 2010, from 6% to 13%,
with the iPhone being the dominate device being used.
Associations in this study achieved an email delivery rate above 95%, higher
than the email marketing industry average high of 92%.
Medical industry associations outperformed other associations with an average
57.07% open rate on emails.
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Results
Overall Association Metrics
The following chart displays the average delivery, open, click, and unsubscribe
rate from 400 million emails sent by over 500 associations in the United States,Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom.
Notes:The highest open rate recorded by an email sent to at least 1,000 people was
83.5%. The email informed recipients that their session proposal was selected for
an upcoming conference.
0
20
40
60
80
100
97.51%Delivery
35.18%Open
18.42%Click
0.048%Unsubscribe
average
rate
Overall Association Metrics
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Results by Email Type
For the purpose of this study the subject line of emails were analyzed to
determine the email purpose and then segmented by category. The categories
of emails are: Newsletter, Event, Appeal, and Survey. It was found that the
delivery rate did not vary with the purpose of the email, so only open andclick rate results are displayed.
Notes:
While the results of the study show that event mailings have the highest open
rate, they also have the lowest click rate. It can be concluded that while people lik
to be notified about events, they often do not register for them immediately.
From this chart, you can see that emails sent consistently, such as newsletters,
resulted in higher open rates. While consistency in time of day and subject line
may lead to increased brand awareness, it also can lead to complacency. This iswhere your subject line is most important. If you experience a decrease in the
results of your weekly or monthly newsletter, try testing out new subject lines.
A fresh subject line that helps recipients understand what value and content they
will find inside the email can help your email stand out in a crowded inbox and
lead to higher open rates. This study also shows that click-thru rate is higher in
newsletters and one hypothesis is that recipients are willing to click on links when
there isnt a direct commitment, such as fundraising attempts.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Survey
Appeal
Event
Newsletter
Metrics Based on Email Type
35.22%
34.36%
40.73%
15.46%
26.66%
16.56%
28.84%
22.75%
Click
Open
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Notes:The results show that the unsubscribe rate varied greatly depending on the
type of email being sent. Emails containing surveys only lead to half as
many unsubscribes as an appeal, while event emails also came in well under
newsletters and appeals. Although newsletters tend to be opt-in, due to the
frequency of them, individuals may overlook them if they do not find the
information relevant or valuable, and therefore, unsubscribe. To reduce
unsubscribes, make sure the information is relevant and personalized to the
recipients. Avoid sending the same newsletter content to everyone on your list.
Segment recipients by things like past click-thrus, job function, interest area,
or demographic information and then create targeted newsletter content forthose groups. Relevancy is the number one tool to help fight list fatigue and
unsubscribing.
0.000%
0.010%
0.020%
0.030%
0.040%
0.050%
0.021%Survey
0.032%Event
0.037%Newsletter
0.047%Appeal
Unsubscribe Rate Based on Email Type
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Results by Country of Sender
Based on the physical location of the association, email marketing results were
split into USA, Australia, and Canada for analysis. Other countries were omitted
because there were less than 30 clients located in those countries. Delivery rate
did not vary between countries, so it has been omitted from the chart.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Australia
Canada
USA
Metrics by CountryClick
Open
30.60%
20.41%
39.43%
24.50%
35.53%
17.96%
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Results by Association Type
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
D e l i v e r y
Business and Industry Associations
Banking
Farming
ManufacturingTourism
Retail
Medical
Education
Other
Banking
Farming
Manufacturing
Tourism
Retail
Medical
Education
Other
O p e n
C l i c k
Banking
Farming
Manufacturing
Tourism
Retail
MedicalEducation
Other
32.37%
34.66%
23.95%36.47%
23.68%
34.78%
33.67%
32.36%
98.3%
97.14%
97.09%
95.05%
95.61%
97.57%
97.86%
97.47%
19.60%
32.23%
19.29%
19.19%
13.57%
14.71%27.90%
20.28%
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0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Delivery
Professional & Trade Associations
Open
Click
Legal
Medical
Accounting
Architecture
Engineering
Insurance
Management
Real Estate
Marketing
Government
EducationOther
Legal
Medical
Accounting
Architecture
Engineering
Insurance
Management
Real Estate
Marketing
GovernmentEducation
Other
Legal
Medical
Accounting
Architecture
Engineering
Insurance
Management
Real Estate
Marketing
Government
Education
Other
97.80%
98.68%
97.65%
95.51%
97.35%
98.24%
97.61%
98.10%
97.58%
97.64%
97.29%97.27%
29.35%
57.07%
30.38%
31.34%
20.13%
35.25%
34.79%
38.83%
29.97%
36.36%30.92%
32.44%
19.68%
10.30%
16.83%
20.73%
20.27%
18.92%
25.22%
19.49%
20.60%
25.25%
25.60%
21.21%
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Notes:
The results from this study should provide a general baseline to compare your
current statistics. However, it is important to remember that every audience is
different. Therefore, when conducting tests and analysis be sure to also consider
your organizations past analytics to see if improvements have been made.
Associations in this study achieved an email delivery rate above 95%, higher than
the email marketing industry average high of 92%. Medical industry associations
received the highest average email open rates with an impressive 57.07%, and
Engineering and Manufacturing associations reported the lowest open rates, less
than 25%. When looking at open rates, a text version open is not reported in
this study. With technical audiences it is common to have a higher percentage of
text version recipients, lending importance to analyzing email engagement and
conversion rates.
Engagement rates such as open and click-thrus are a result of how relevant
the message is for the recipient. Interestingly, Farming industry associationsreported the highest click-thru rates with an average of 32.23%. To increase
engagement rates, it is important to utilize stored data, such as past behaviors,
to customize your message and the experience for your members.
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Results by Email Client Usage
Informz is able to determine the email client or program used to view any emailthat is recorded as being opened by Informz.
The first chart shows the relationship between desktop software (Outlook, LotusNotes), web-based (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) and mobile email clients (iPhone, iPad,Android). It should be noted that emails opened in a web browser on a mobiledevice are considered mobile and not web-based. Also, mobile devices that donot display HTML are not reported here.
Notes:Understanding what your recipients are using to read your emails can help youto create an effective email design to best engage your readers. Desktop software
continues to dominate, however the study shows that mobile readership of emailhas more than doubled in the past 12 months alone. With the growing popularityof smartphones, this number is expected to continue to rapidly increase. Emailrenders quite differently on a mobile device than it does on a PC, and to add tothe challenge, all mobile devices differ in how they render email. Therefore, it isimportant to consider your mobile audience and alter your design to meet theirneeds (subject line length, graphics, and link placement).
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
December 2009 June 2010 December 2010
Opens by Type of Email Client
Web Based Email
Desktop Software
Uncertain
Mobile Device
67% 24% 6% 6% 63% 26% 9% 6% 61% 25% 13% 6%
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0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
December 2009 June 2010 December 2010
Email Client with Most Significant Changes
Outlook 2007
Outlook 2000/2003
iPad
iPhone
43% 14% 6% 0% 37% 16% 8% 1% 31% 17% 10% 2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Outlook2000/2003
Outlook2007
Apple Mail Outlook2010
ThunderbirdLotus-Notes
Desktop Email Client Usage
31.5% 17% 8% 2.5% 2% 1%
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0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
2.8%AOL
3.7%Gmail
4%Hotmail
5.1%Yahoo
Web Based Email Client Usage
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
2%iPad
1%Android
10%iPhone
Mobile Email Client Usage
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Notes:
Desktop software continues to dominate in the area of email client usage.
The most significant changes were seen with the usage of desktop software,
specifically Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007. Usage of Outlook 2003 has rapidly
declined while adoption of the 2007 version of the program is increasing.
Adoption of Outlook 2010 is also slow, as the results show it constitutes only
about 2% of the opens in December 2010.
Results by Length of Subject Line
Notes:
Email subject line is your first impression and aside from the email from address,
is one of the most important factors in determining if your email is read by a
recipient or not. Vague, consistently misleading, or static subject lines often can
cause emails to be overlooked. It is also important to be aware of how yoursubject line reads if truncated. Long subject lines often get cut off and can take
on a different meaning or lose the intended message, therefore shorter subject
lines are recommended. On desktops, subject lines should be no more than 50
characters; mobile devices even shorter, less than 30 characters.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
69
Open Rate Based on Subject Line Length
Open
Percentage
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Results by Number of Links
Notes:
Having many links in an email provides the reader increased opportunities
to click on a link, and therefore can increase the click-thru percentage. When
deciding which links to place and where, utilize your click-thru reports from
previous emails sent to see where your audience is more likely to click. Try
testing different strategies like making images, buttons, and text clickable
options for recipients.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
1 2 34 57 815 1630 3150 5170 >70
Click Rate Based on Number of Links on the Email
Click
Percentage
14%13%
16%19%18%
21%
24%
27%
33%
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Results by Number of Recipients
Notes:
This study shows that the open rate and click rate decrease with the more
recipients included in a mailing. The highest open rate results are achieved with
micro targeting of fewer than 50 people. The smaller the recipient list, the more
customized the message tends to be; thereby supporting the notation that
relevancy has a significant effect in engagement levels and ROI.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
250k
Metrics Based on Number of RecipientsClick
Open
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Results by Time of Day Sent
Notes:
This study has found that emails sent in the morning hours have received the
highest open rates, meanwhile the highest click rates are found in the afternoon.
The increase in clicks towards the end of the day may signify that as staff is
preparing to end the typical work day, they are more willing to take action on an
email. If no action is taken on an email in the morning it can get lost among the
myriad of emails that are sent throughout the day. Analyzing the time of day in
which your audience is most likely to take action, can help you further customize
the time in which you plan to send important emails.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Morning Mid-Day Late Afternoon Night
Metrics Based on Time of Day SentClick
Open
41.49% 15.32% 34.19% 19.15% 32.62% 20.41% 30.58% 18.89%
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Results by Day of Week Sent
One of the most common questions asked by email marketers is, when is the
best day to send my email? This study analyzes the mailing results by day of the
week, Monday Friday.
Notes:
Interestingly, this study shows that there is very little change in open or click rate
based on the day of the week the mailing is sent. Meaning that day of the week
has little impact on the results of a mailing; whereas the other studies show that
content and relevancy impact your email program more.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Email Metrics Based on Day of Week SentClick
Open
34.82% 18.03% 34.15% 18.55% 33.95% 18.73% 33.20% 19.33% 35.45% 19.11%
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Effects of Personalizing the Subject Line
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Survey Appeal Event Newsletter
Open Rates Based on Subject Line Personalization
Personalization
No Personalization
35.22% 38.45% 26.66% 27.78% 40.73% 29.76% 28.84% 33.59%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Australia U.S.
Open Rates Based on Subject Line Personalization
Personalization
No Personalization
30.60% 32.60% 35.53% 30.83%
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Notes:
Organizations have been utilizing personalization within the body of an email
for several years and it has now become a tactic that is almost expected
by readers. However, personalizing the subject line is something that few
organizations have been testing. Only approximately 1% of emails sent by
Informz contained personalized subject lines in 2010 and only the US and
Australia produced enough data to be analyzed for this study. Therefore,
it should be noted that these results are not based on a significant source
of data, however give a glimpse into a technique that should be tested as
a tool to increase engagement with recipients.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to provide industry specific metrics to association
email marketers enabling them to have a better understanding as to:
what metrics to analyze when reviewing email marketing programs
what goals to set based on similar organizations how their email marketing program is performing
It is important to remember that the results from this study should only provide
a general baseline to compare your current statistics. When considering analysis o
your own email marketing program it is best to use these results in combination
with your organizations past email marketing campaign results, as well as an
understanding as to your specific audience and their needs.
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About Informz
Since 1997 Informz has been dedicated to serving the association and nonprofit
industries by offering powerful online marketing tools built to meet the unique
challenges faced by these organizations.
Email is a Science
Web-based technologies from Informz enable personalized, highly-targeted
communications coupled with real-time reporting features designed to reach the
inbox and drive results. Sending the right message to the right people at the
right time is achieved through email relevancy and your organizations ability to
leverage its database. Your successful marketing and communications depends
on reaching the inbox and engaging subscribers. Simply stated, targeted email
communications improve your response rates, and better response rates increase
your messages impact.
The Informz DifferenceIn addition to on-demand product support, you deserve one-on-one, up-to-date
email marketing guidance relevant to your unique needs, built upon strong
relationships and reliable collaboration. In order to maximize your success,
your exclusive eMarketing Advisor is always ready to assist throughout the
development, publishing, and measurement of your email campaigns. Devoted
to your professional success, Informz combines state-of-the-art technology
with our trusted eMarketing Advisors to bring you products and services that
fit with your marketing goals.
Through dynamic targeting, intelligent deliverability, precision reporting,seamless integration, and expert Advisors, Informz truly is the way to know
email marketing.
Informz has been a great email marketing tool; providing
great analytics, great customer service and an easy
to use product. Informz is now our core email marketingsolution from emails and newsletter to surveys and
alerts; it has become essential in our business.
~Chris Ma, Australian Veterinary Association