2011 Informz Inc Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report

8/2/2019 2011 Informz Inc Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report

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The Informz 2011Association

Email Marketing

Benchmark Report


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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.




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.


5/22 3 Informz, Inc.,


Results


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





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




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




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%




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%




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.


12/2210 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


13/2211 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


14/2212 Informz, Inc., 2011


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


15/2213 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


17/2215 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


19/2217 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


20/2218 Informz, Inc., 2011


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%


21/2219 Informz, Inc., 2011


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

2011 Informz Inc Association Email Marketing Benchmark Report

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