KPIs for Product Managers

KPIs for Product Managers: email deliverability

In this article, you'll learn about the key performance indicators (KPIs) that product managers should track to improve email deliverability.

In today's increasingly digital world, it's no surprise that email has become one of the most important communication channels for businesses. As a Product Manager, one of your key responsibilities is to ensure that your company's emails are not only delivered successfully but also achieve the desired results. In this article, we'll take a closer look at email deliverability, why it's important, and the key performance indicators you should be tracking to ensure optimal email performance.

Understanding Email Deliverability

Email deliverability refers to the ability of an email to reach its intended destination, specifically the inbox of the recipient. Achieving good email deliverability is a complex process that involves several factors, including the quality of your email list, your email content, and your sender reputation. When your emails are delivered successfully, they have a much greater chance of being opened, read, and acted upon by your target audience.

One of the key factors that affect email deliverability is the quality of your email list. A high-quality email list consists of subscribers who have opted-in to receive your emails and have a genuine interest in your products or services. By contrast, a low-quality email list is made up of subscribers who have not given their consent to receive your emails, or who have little interest in what you have to offer. Sending emails to a low-quality list can result in a high number of bounces, unsubscribes, and spam complaints, which can damage your sender reputation and reduce your email deliverability.

What is Email Deliverability?

Email deliverability is simply the measure of how many of your emails successfully reach your intended recipients. There are several factors that can affect email deliverability, including spam filters, email server configurations, list quality, and sender reputation. When these factors are successfully managed, emails have a higher chance of reaching the intended target and being acted upon.

Another important factor that affects email deliverability is your email content. Emails that are poorly written, contain spam trigger words, or have a high ratio of images to text are more likely to be flagged as spam by email filters. To improve your email deliverability, it's important to create high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience and avoids spam triggers.

Why is Email Deliverability Important for Product Managers?

As a Product Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that your company's emails reach their intended recipient and achieve the desired results. Without good email deliverability, your emails may end up in the spam folder, unseen and unread, which can be detrimental for your business. Poor email deliverability can also damage your sender reputation and reduce the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

One way to improve your email deliverability is to monitor your sender reputation. Your sender reputation is a score that ISPs use to determine the trustworthiness of your emails. A good sender reputation can help you avoid spam filters and improve your email deliverability. To maintain a good sender reputation, it's important to follow best practices for email marketing, such as only sending emails to subscribers who have opted-in, regularly cleaning your email list, and avoiding spam triggers in your email content.

In conclusion, email deliverability is a critical factor for the success of your email marketing campaigns. By understanding the key factors that affect email deliverability and implementing best practices for email marketing, you can improve your email deliverability and achieve better results from your email campaigns.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Email Deliverability

Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) for email deliverability is crucial for ensuring that your emails are reaching their intended audience. By tracking these KPIs, you can gain insights into the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve your email deliverability. Here are some of the KPIs that you should be tracking:

Delivery Rate

The delivery rate is the percentage of emails that are delivered successfully to the recipient's inbox. It is calculated by dividing the number of emails that were successfully delivered by the total number of emails sent. A high delivery rate is an indication that your emails are successfully reaching your target audience. However, it's important to note that delivery rate doesn't necessarily mean that your emails are being read or engaged with.

To improve your delivery rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Cleaning up your email list to remove invalid or inactive email addresses
  • Ensuring that your email content is relevant and engaging
  • Using a reputable email service provider (ESP) with a good sender reputation
  • Avoiding spam trigger words and phrases in your subject lines and email content

Bounce Rate

Bounce rate measures the percentage of emails that were sent but were not delivered to the recipient's inbox. There are two types of bounces: hard bounces, which occur when an email is sent to an invalid or non-existent email address, and soft bounces, which occur when the recipient's mailbox is full or the server is temporarily unavailable. A high bounce rate can be an indication that your email list needs to be cleaned up to improve deliverability.

To reduce your bounce rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Regularly cleaning up your email list to remove invalid or inactive email addresses
  • Using double opt-in to ensure that subscribers are providing valid email addresses
  • Monitoring your email sending frequency to avoid overwhelming recipients' inboxes
  • Ensuring that your email content is relevant and engaging

Open Rate

The open rate measures the percentage of recipients who opened your email. It is calculated by dividing the number of unique opens by the number of emails delivered. A high open rate is an indicator that your subject line and email content are engaging enough to catch the attention of your target audience.

To improve your open rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Personalizing your subject lines and email content
  • Segmenting your email list to send targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers
  • A/B testing your subject lines and email content to determine what resonates best with your audience
  • Sending emails at optimal times based on your subscribers' time zones and engagement patterns

Click-Through Rate

The click-through rate measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link in your email. It is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of emails delivered. A high click-through rate indicates that your email content is relevant and compelling, and that your calls to action are effective.

To improve your click-through rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Ensuring that your calls to action are clear and prominent
  • Using compelling and relevant images and graphics in your email content
  • Sending targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers based on their interests and behaviors
  • Testing different types of content and offers to determine what resonates best with your audience

Conversion Rate

The conversion rate measures the percentage of recipients who took a desired action after clicking on a link in your email, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. It is calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the number of clicks. A high conversion rate is a strong indicator that your email marketing campaign is successful.

To improve your conversion rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Ensuring that your landing pages are optimized for conversions
  • Using clear and compelling calls to action on your landing pages
  • Offering relevant and valuable incentives to encourage conversions
  • Testing different landing page designs and offers to determine what resonates best with your audience

List Growth Rate

The list growth rate measures the rate at which your email list is growing. It is calculated by dividing the number of new subscribers by the total number of subscribers. A growing email list is a good sign that your email marketing campaigns are resonating with your target audience.

To improve your list growth rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Using compelling lead magnets and incentives to encourage sign-ups
  • Promoting your email list on your website and social media channels
  • Partnering with other businesses or organizations to co-promote your email list
  • Running targeted advertising campaigns to attract new subscribers

Spam Complaint Rate

The spam complaint rate measures the percentage of recipients who mark your email as spam. A high spam complaint rate can damage your sender reputation and lead to poor email deliverability. It's important to ensure that your email content is relevant and engaging and that you're only sending emails to subscribers who have opted in to your list.

To reduce your spam complaint rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Ensuring that your email content is relevant and valuable to your subscribers
  • Using double opt-in to ensure that subscribers are providing valid email addresses
  • Providing a clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe link in every email
  • Avoiding spam trigger words and phrases in your subject lines and email content

Unsubscribe Rate

The unsubscribe rate measures the percentage of recipients who choose to unsubscribe from your email list. A high unsubscribe rate can be an indication that your email content is not meeting the needs of your target audience or that you're sending too many emails. It's important to monitor your unsubscribe rate and make adjustments to your email marketing campaigns as needed.

To reduce your unsubscribe rate, you can take several steps, including:

  • Segmenting your email list to send targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers
  • Sending emails at optimal times based on your subscribers' time zones and engagement patterns
  • Providing valuable and relevant content in every email
  • Offering a clear and easy-to-use preference center to allow subscribers to customize their email preferences

Strategies to Improve Email Deliverability

Improving email deliverability requires ongoing effort and attention. Here are some strategies that you can use to improve the deliverability of your emails:

Building and Maintaining a Quality Email List

One of the most important factors in improving email deliverability is to ensure that your email list is of high quality. This means regularly cleaning up your list and removing invalid email addresses, spam traps, and inactive subscribers. It's also important to use email list building best practices, such as clearly communicating your email frequency and ensuring that subscribers have opted in to receive your emails.

Crafting Engaging and Relevant Content

Your email content plays a significant role in improving email deliverability. Make sure to craft engaging and relevant content that meets the needs of your target audience. This can include using personalized content, clear calls to action, and visually appealing email design.

Optimizing Email Design and Layout

Optimizing the design and layout of your emails can also improve email deliverability. This includes using a mobile-responsive design, ensuring that emails load quickly, and using appropriate formatting, such as headers and bullet points, to make your email content easy to read and navigate.

Ensuring Sender Reputation and Authentication

Your sender reputation is a critical factor in email deliverability. It's important to maintain a positive sender reputation by following email marketing best practices, such as only sending emails to subscribers who have opted in and avoiding spammy email content. Additionally, using email authentication tools, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, can help improve email deliverability and build trust with email providers.

Testing and Monitoring Email Performance

Regularly testing and monitoring your email performance is critical for identifying areas for improvement. This can include A/B testing subject lines and email content, monitoring email engagement metrics, and regularly reviewing your email list for invalid email addresses and inactive subscribers.

Conclusion

Email deliverability plays a critical role in the success of your email marketing campaigns. By tracking the key performance indicators outlined in this article and implementing strategies to improve email deliverability, you can ensure that your emails reach their intended audience and achieve the desired results. Remember to continually monitor and adjust your email marketing campaigns to maintain optimal email deliverability and maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.