{"id":45505,"date":"2022-03-29T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=45505"},"modified":"2025-10-08T16:58:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T20:58:22","slug":"defining-your-email-marketing-through-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/defining-your-email-marketing-through-data","title":{"rendered":"Defining Your Email Marketing Through Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
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This past year has been one of continued change\u2013and email marketing metrics<\/a> have not been an exception to that rule. When <\/span>Apple\u2019s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) came into effect last fall<\/span><\/a>, email marketers in all industries were made to reconsider their entire analytics strategy. We had advance warning that MPP would impact open rates, but we didn\u2019t know when or to what extent until it happened. Though many email marketers will readily admit that the open rate was always little more than a vanity metric\u2013we\u2019ve grown attached to that measure of email performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, we\u2019ve proudly shared increased open rates with teams and leaders\u2014and set the tone to position this easily explained and understood metric as indicative of the quality of our email programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We would have likely never given up our open rate addiction willingly\u2014but MPP has made it clear that it\u2019s not a reliable metric, or meaningful way to measure email performance. We may not have chosen this path\u2014but it\u2019s time to reexamine and redefine how we measure and report campaign success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a team leader of Litmus\u2019 marketing organization, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about what is truly important when it comes to email marketing\u2013and how to measure success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And since we hold email so near and dear to our hearts here at Litmus, I\u2019d like to share what I monitor on a regular basis\u2014and which factors don\u2019t necessarily measure the true success or value email marketing has to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Align your email metrics with business goals<\/h2>\n

Email marketing metrics<\/span><\/a> have little value if they don\u2019t tie to your business goals. Start by identifying what you are most focused on in your business\u2014which may be driving pipeline, generating quality leads and\/or closing sales. Then, work backwards. Apply <\/span>engagement metrics<\/span><\/a> that indicate which emails are driving attention and interest to your website, and data like MQLs to connect the dots that measure success.<\/span><\/p>\n

In my role at Litmus, I approach this by looking at high-level performance of the combined marketing efforts for a quick health check, and to avoid any unexpected hurdles. Then, I track the impact email had on specific goals and initiatives over the course of a set amount of time\u2014like a month or a quarter. From there, I can drill into specific subsets and campaigns, and performance of specific email newsletters. At Litmus, each of these efforts has its own unique audience, and the results can highlight overarching themes that are resonating throughout, or reveal surprising insights. Consistently evaluating changes and trends in this dynamic environment challenge us to stay creative and focused.<\/span><\/p>\n

The environment you\u2019re in will dictate the most effective approach:<\/h4>\n