B2B email engagement is a constant hot topic since it has such a direct correlation to revenue. One of the most frequent questions we get is “what is a good open rate?” or “how do I compare to other senders” or “what are the averages for my industry?”.  While the latter is difficult to assess in the unique B2B media sending world (but we are working on it), below are averages for unique opens and clicks across a sampling of our senders. Since different types of emails see such dramatic differences, we separated the statistics based on newsletters versus third party/sponsored sends.

Q1 2018 Enewsletter Data

ClientDelivered %Unique Opens/DelivUnique Clicks/DelivUnique Clicks/OpensUnsubscribe
Client A99.1%10.5%2.2%20.5%0.10%
Client B98.2%15.5%1.2%7.9%0.16%
Client C98.6%19.8%4.3%21.6%0.10%
Client D98.9%16.1%3.7%23.3%0.06%
Client E99.1%15.4%1.0%6.7%0.08%
Client F99.0%15.3%3.8%24.9%0.05%
Client G99.1%17.8%2.3%13.1%0.09%

Q2 2018 Enewsletter Data

ClientDelivered %Unique Opens/DelivUnique Clicks/DelivUnique Clicks/OpensUnsubscribe
Client A98.0%8.8%1.3%15.0%0.08%
Client B98.3%14.5%1.0%7.0%0.13%
Client C97.7%19.6%4.1%20.8%0.09%
Client D99.0%16.4%4.0%24.5%0.05%
Client E99.2%14.7%0.9%6.0%0.07%
Client F98.6%14.9%3.6%24.2%0.04%
Client G99.2%17.0%2.2%12.8%0.08%

When reviewing numbers like this, two immediate questions come to mind:

Why are we seeing a slight decrease in open rates?

When comparing our open rates to other ESP’s published numbers over the past 6 months, we find that overall, we do track lower. Why?  A comparison of our B2B sending against the large consumer brands is not an apples-apples comparison. There is a wide variance across reported industry numbers, especially amongst the various ESP’s which can cover a wide range of industries and target audiences.

Except for one of the clients above, open rates did decrease slightly from Q1 to Q2. And, the client with the increase in open rates has been making a concerted effort to remove the un-engaged customers from their lists.  More on that on my next blog post!

Why such large differences in click rates across clients?

Each client’s enewsletter design, structure, and strategy can span a wide array. Is your intention to have more actual content in the newsletter to keep the eyeballs on the newsletter and the accompanying ads? Is your intention to only provide teaser copy and drive that click thru to your website where you can monetize that visit?

There is no right or wrong answer.  Your revenue drivers would set the rules for this.  But, let’s never underestimate your ability to test different formats.  In Omeda’s Email Builder (Omail), you can easily test different template formats to determine the correct path for your company.

Q1 2018 Third Party Data

ClientDelivered %Unique Opens/DelivUnique Clicks/DelivUnique Clicks/OpensUnsubscribe
Client A97.8%7.9%0.9%11.2%0.14%
Client B97.4%11.9%1.5%12.2%0.15%
Client Cn/an/an/an/an/a
Client D98.6%9.7%1.6%16.3%0.11%
Client E98.8%14.6%0.5%3.6%0.16%
Client F96.8%10.9%1.6%14.7%0.11%
Client G98.9%13.4%0.6%4.7%0.11%

Q2 2018 Third Party Data

ClientDelivered %Unique Opens/DelivUnique Clicks/DelivUnique Clicks/OpensUnsubscribe
Client A97.5%7.6%1.3%16.6%0.13%
Client B97.5%11.4%0.5%4.5%0.14%
Client C97.4%18.6%3.1%16.7%0.37%
Client D99.0%9.5%1.8%18.5%0.10%
Client E99.2%13.5%0.6%4.7%0.15%
Client F96.2%9.5%0.6%6.6%0.17%
Client G99.1%13.5%0.6%4.7%0.10%

Open and Click rates for third party/sponsored deployments certainly can vary.  In this instance, comparisons across clients and even within a client from quarter to quarter are difficult to make.  There are many factors that do influence these numbers.

  • Are you sending too many? Utilizing the Fatigue Calendar in Audience Builder (OnQ) will help you refine your audience better and reduce that fatigue factor
  • Test your subject lines. The A/B Testing module in Omail will allow you to send the best performing content of subject line to the majority of your list
  • Test using Triggers. Why not send a follow-up email to those that have not opened the email a few days later?

How do you compare?  Simply select the Summary Stats option in the navigation bar in Omail.  The Designation drop-down will allow you to isolate the newsletters versus the Third Party sends.

The Omeda team is always available to assist you in analyzing your numbers and offering suggestions for improvement.  Please reach out – helping our clients achieve success is the best part of our jobs!

Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on Unsplash