If you’ve ever wondered what email metrics to report or how to interpret your campaign’s metrics -- this is for you!

As I am sure you are aware, one of the great aspects of email marketing is the data! There is a ton of data generated with every email sent.

And that data is a treasure trove that can help you understand and improve the performance of your email campaigns and marketing program. Yay!

However, getting started isn’t always easy -- it can be intimidating to know where to begin and what metrics to monitor.

In my experience, email metrics overwhelm is caused by one key reason: diving in without a clear question in mind.

ou can overcome this potential pitfall by implementing the tip below and using a fantastic FREE resource, the OI Metrics Project!

Avoid Email Metrics Overwhelm with this tip:

Get clear on your questions before you start

It’s essential to get clear on the questions you’re asking before digging into the data. Remember, your data is only as good as the questions you ask. If you’re asking vague or unclear questions, you risk wasting time looking for answers in the data.

A question is excellent when it can do two things:

1. The answer to the question provides more clarity or insight.
2. The solution brings more value to your organization and your team.

Remember, you want your questions to provide you with answers that help you understand or improve your email marketing program.  Before you dive into reporting yourself, or before you hire a data scientist or analyst to help -- get clear on your questions. This way, you can understand and estimate the benefits you’ll enjoy from your metrics and analysis efforts.

If you would like step-by-step instructions on how to get clear on your questions, check out this article .

Avoid Email Metrics Overwhelm with this resource:

Use the OI Metrics Project

Once you’ve defined your questions and you are ready to select the right metrics to help you find your answer, the OI Metrics Project can be a great help!

At oimetrics.com you can access information, articles, and videos about email marketing metrics!

Specifically, you can use the OI Metrics Project to:

1. Understand how common email metrics are defined and calculated

Have you ever wondered:

• how Return on Investment  is different from Return on Ad Spend?
• What exactly is a Spam Complaint Rate?
• Or how to calculate Click-through Rate?

You can answer all these questions and more with the helpful articles!

2. Read tips for how to interpret each metric

This can be particularly useful if you are considering multiple metrics and want to find the metric(s) that is the best fit for your questions.

3. Access expert interviews and related articles to learn more about using metrics in practice

One video that may be of particular interest at this time of publishing the blog is “Why the Open Rate Must Die” with Loren McDonald and Jeanne Jennings. You can check out that video and several others here.

I’ve been fortunate to serve as Chair of the Metrics Committee and can’t thank the committee members -- Luke Glaser, Jeanne Jennings, and Lauren Meyer -- enough for their effort to make this resource a reality!  We hope that you enjoy using the website as much as we enjoyed creating it.

I hope that this tip and resource to help you avoid email metrics overwhelm!

Image Source: Unsplash