Summary
Whether for an e-mail, a newsletter or an e-mailing campaign, the key to success in terms of deliverability is rigorous monitoring of KPIs. These performance indicators enable you not only to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, but also to anticipate and correct any shortcomings before they damage your results.
These metrics will give you an overview of the health of your campaigns, enabling you to identify and correct errors before they harm your deliverability rate.
Why are KPIs so important?
KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are key values that enable you to track your main performance objectives. They must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).
By measuring them regularly, you gain the information you need to make informed decisions and adjust your strategies according to the results obtained. It also enables you to compare your performance over time and improve the success rate of your campaigns.
KPIs to monitor to improve deliverability
If you’re feeling a little lost among the many KPIs out there, don’t panic! Here are the most essential indicators to guarantee the deliverability of your e-mails.
Inbox placement rate (IPR)
Inbox placement rate (IPR) is without doubt one of the most accurate indicators of the success of your campaigns. This KPI represents the percentage of emails that arrive in the inbox, rather than in junk or spam folders.
Unlike the delivery rate, which simply tells you whether an email has been accepted by the recipient’s server, the RPI focuses on the final destination of your message. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) don’t communicate this rate directly, so we use specialized tools like GlockApps. These tools send a copy of your email to a test list and calculate the percentage of messages that reach the inbox.
A good RPI is 80% or more. If your rate is lower, this may indicate several potential problems, such as :
- Irrelevant content: If your message doesn’t match your recipients’ expectations, they are more likely to mark your emails as spam.
- Reputation of your IP or domain: A bad reputation can lead ISPs to send your e-mails to junk folders.
- Invalid email addresses: Regularly sending emails to invalid addresses can also harm your RPI.
To improve your RPI, here are a few things you can do:
Email authentication: Make sure your emails are authenticated with protocols such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. These protocols help inboxes identify your emails as legitimate and not spam. If you’d like to find out more about these protocols, you can read our dedicated article on email authentication.
Keep your list clean: Clean your contact list regularly to remove inactive or invalid addresses. This will not only improve your RPI, but also your open and click rates. To find out more about how to effectively clean your list, check out our guide to email list cleaning.
Segmentation: Divide your email marketing list into segments based on specific criteria such as region, industry or interests. This allows you to personalize your campaigns and make your e-mails more precise for each segment. If you need help with segmentation, don’t hesitate to contact us for an audit of your email marketing strategy.
Distribution rate
The delivery rate indicates the proportion of e-mails accepted by recipients’ servers. Although it’s a good indicator of your domain’s reputation and infrastructure configuration, it doesn’t guarantee that e-mails will reach the main inbox. It is essential for evaluating the success of your campaigns.
Sender reputation plays a crucial role in this KPI. A delivery rate of over 97% is considered good. On the other hand, if your rate falls below this threshold, it’s time for an in-depth analysis of the various metrics to identify and correct any potential malfunctions.
Spam placement rate
The spam placement rate evaluates the proportion of your e-mails that end up in recipients’ spam folders. This KPI is particularly critical, as a high rate can seriously damage your communication efforts.
To calculate this rate, divide the number of e-mails arriving in the spam folder by the total number of e-mails sent. A rate in excess of 40% is alarming, and calls for an immediate review of your content, your sending practices, and the quality of your contact list.
Engagement rate
Engagement rate groups together several key indicators such as open rate, click-through rate (CTR), and click-to-open rate (CTOR). These KPIs give you a clear idea of how your recipients interact with your emails.
Tracking them is essential to understanding whether your campaigns are attracting the attention of your audience. A low engagement rate, for example, may indicate that your content is not sufficiently attractive, or that your calls to action are not sufficiently convincing.
Email open rate
The open rate is one of the most basic but also one of the most revealing indicators. It measures the ratio between the number of e-mails opened and the total number of e-mails sent.
An above-average open rate shows that your subjects are of interest to your recipients. To improve this KPI, consider testing different subject lines and sending your e-mails at optimal times.