Open rates are done. Email CTR is a far more reliable indicator of campaign success. Optimize it any chance you get: Grow a healthy emailing practice with CareCloud Email Designer, A/B Testing, and an analysis app.

THE CLICKS THAT MATTER

Today, the open rate is hardly relevant for campaign analysis. People may open the email, but do they click the links? To find out the real success of your campaigns, start with the click-through rate (CTR)!

It shows the percentage of people who clicked the link from your email campaign. CTR provides valuable insight, revealing your campaign’s triumphs or shortcomings. According to campaignmonitor.org, a healthy email CTR is between 2% and 5%, with a retail average of 0.7%.

Let’s take a look at ways to supercharge email CTR.

MAINTAIN YOUR DATABASE

CTR measures clicked links against all the emails sent. Therefore, it’s time to re-evaluate who you send emails to. Keeping the database as clean as possible ensures higher CTR. A low sender reputation can turn your emailing into spam-fest if you’re not careful.

Most importantly, segment your recipients based on their engagement data or RFM segment. Engaged and loyal customers will likely click and convert — don’t waste time on cold customers. 

CDP & CRM CareCloud lists Data Quality Management, which checks the validity of the data you gather. Every contact gets filled automatically, cleaned, and standardized for automation and segmentation. Then, you can move on to the campaign itself.

REFINE SUBJECT AND PRE-HEADER

The email got into the mailbox: now what? The subject line is the real dealbreaker regarding CTR optimization, with the pre-header being a close second. Follow these simple guidelines:

1. Make the subject short and snappy. Limit the word count to 3 to 6 words. A simple and catchy subject draws in customers and excites them. Don’t worry; you don’t have to summarize the whole topic/theme of the email, but you do have to hook the recipients. 
2. Inform with a pre-header. With it, you can now introduce the topic properly and give customers a reason to stay with a proactive, inviting, or urging tone. The pre-header should be informative, credible, and free of useless words. 80 to 90 characters should do nicely. 
3. Use emojis carefully. If your brand image allows you, go for them. However, keep them relevant to your theme/topic. Use only one per subject: anti-spam filters flag multiple emojis as spam.

OPTIMIZE CTA

Your call to action is the direct gateway to conversion, whether a button (preferably), an image, or a simple link. Put sufficient thought into its placement, word choice, button design, and number to motivate the click. Also, follow these guidelines:

1. Place the CTA button in the first third of the email. Whether on mobile or PC, the recipient shouldn’t scroll to reach it. Put an article or two between the respective CTAs or separate them by color if you have more.
2. Make it visible and distinct. Imagine your email blurry or in silhouettes. Even with squinted eyes, the CTA will still be visible. Use a color contrasting with the rest of the email. 
3. Respect the hierarchy of CTAs. The most important CTA should be the most significant attention magnet. 
4. Focus on wording. “Buy now” or “Click the link” will not be enough. Create a sense of urgency and try to answer the question, “Why should I click?” If you have more CTAs, never settle for the same wording.

A/B TEST EMAILS TO PERFECTION

A/B Testing is the best way to improve your campaigns! You should always test the alternatives, whether you struggle with the subject, pre-header, or email content. Try making minor changes to better distinguish which aspect went wrong.

Create alternative campaign versions, and CareCloud’s automatic A/B will do the rest. It will split the audience, send alternative email versions, and analyze the results. The winning performer will inform other campaigns.

GROW CTR WITH CARECLOUD

Read reports in context. Do not limit your analysis to CTR; contrast it with deliverability and other available metrics. CDP & CRM CareCloud automatically reports on all email (or SMS and Viber) campaigns you send, including CRT, deliverability, conversion, revenue, or audience analyses.

Moreover, CareCloud’s Email Designer lets you put all the marketing wisdom into practice: Dark mode conversion, mobile device optimization, personalization widgets, an intuitive interface, and many more tools at your disposal.