How do you measure the value of email in outbound prospecting? I was recently following up with a number of individuals who are avid readers of my blog. I was interested in knowing what additional topics they would like to read about. One of the hot topics was getting more information on email benchmarks.
Looking for metrics and industry benchmarks on email marketing? I decided to answer your request and do a bit of research to provide some email marketing performance findings and trends.
Here’s what I found. There is a lot of data out there on this topic and I learned more about the statistics and what influences the numbers.
Email Marketing Benchmarks Vary by Business Size and Industry
First and foremost, specific email benchmarks vary by type of company that is sending the email. So the first step is to identify what type of business you represent to make an apples to apples comparison. For example,If you are a small business you should look at statistics that were compiled from other small businesses. If your company is a major corporation you should review the statistics complied based on the results obtained from other major corporations. If you serve business to business look at statistics for business to business results. For B2C look at B2C email benchmark statistics.
Secondly look at the vertical your company represents. If you are a consulting firm or law firm or insurance firm look at the email benchmarks for your particular vertical.
Email Marketing Performance Varies by Type of Message
Another important component of the email benchmark results is the type of email the company is sending. Is it a marketing email or a research/survey email?
Once you identify the type of business you represent, the industry you specialize in and the type of message the email contains, there are a number of companies who offer benchmark statics for you to review.
Resources for Email Performance Metrics
Here are a few:
David Raab Vice President, Optimization at Left Brain DGA provides thoughtful insight on the topic.
Mailchimp Email Benchmarks by Industry
MailerMailer Metrics resources
Epsilon Email Trends
Take action: Do these metrics provide the information you were looking for?