Email Reporting Overview

Finally, to improve email performance you need the right data. There are 3 metrics you should measure on every email:

• Sends
• Open Rate
• Click-Through Rate

These features allow you to optimize:

• Subject lines
• CTAs
• Email variety
• Send Frequency

In this post, we will review email reports and use that data to inform and enhance the performance of the 3 email metrics.

Optimizing Open Rate

Reporting at both the Regional and Property level can inform and improve Open Rate (OR) performance. Starting with the first report type, Property A has an OR of 8.99% - this is very low. Property B has an OR of 31.83% - this is quite high. The OR range between these properties is very drastic. Let's look a little deeper at Property A and Property B.

When looking at Report Type 2, you see Property A sent a total of 9 emails in the month of June while Property B sent 6 emails. Property A's average OR was 8.95%. Property B's average OR was 31.01%. Both properties primarily sent Offers.

Below you see the individual email campaign reports from Property A and Property B. Note the subject lines and OR for both.

Property A's subject line: 'Hello from Property A' and an OR of 7.79%.

Property B's subject line: 'July 4th Special Offers Inside!' and an OR of 25.55%.

Undoubtedly, subject lines impacted the OR of these two campaigns. Property A's subject line is generic. It does not indicate the content of the email, nor does it excite the user. Property B's subject line is far more engaging, more energetic, and gives insight into the email's content. Additionally, the property chose to target the subject line around the upcoming July 4th holiday. Despite the lack of email variety, in that both properties primarily sent Offers, the engaging subject lines improved Property B's OR.

Optimizing Click-Through Rate

Similar to OR, Click-Through Rate (CTR) can also be improved through data. In addition to having the lowest OR, Property A also had the lowest CTR at 1%. Property C had a CTR of 2.33%. Let's compare Property A and Property C.

Again, Property A sent 9 emails throughout June, while Property C only sent 4. Both properties only sent Offers. More importantly, is the CTRs of each campaign. None of Property A's campaigns had a CTR higher than any of Property C's campaigns.

Let's look at the individual emails. Below you see two images for each property. On the left is the email campaign report. On the right is an image of the email. Property A's campaign has a CTA that reads 'Visit our Website' with a CTR of 0.96%.

Property C's email has a CTA that reads 'Schedule a Tour' with a  CTR of 3.55%.

Between both properties, it is clear which campaign was more cohesive. Property A's CTA has no real relevance to the goal of the email, which, based on the content, is to get prospects to schedule a virtual tour. Simply changing the CTA copy to be more relevant to the goal of the message would greatly improve the CTR. Property C on the other hand closely relates their CTA and message content. Each field discusses an offer and how the prospect can take advantage of it. Finally, the CTA prompts the prospect to tour. All fields correspond, the email is image-centric, and the CTA relates to the goal of the email.

Optimizing Send Frequency

The final metric to consider is the number of unsubscribes. This metric strongly correlates with send frequency. Below you see the Property email report for all properties. Let's look at the send frequency between Property B and Property C. Property B had a total of 52 users unsubscribe during June and Property C had 21.

Property B's unsubscribe rate was significantly higher than Property C's. Property B sent 6 emails over 27 days. Property C sent 4 emails over 5 days. Property B's higher send frequency prompted a lower CTR.

Optimization Wrap Up

Ultimately, all of these metrics influence each other. OR is dependent on engaging subject lines that give the user some insight into the context of the email. It is also important to send a variety of email types--not just Offers. Both variables will improve OR. CTR is highly dependent on strong CTA copy and message cohesiveness. When the subject line, message copy, and CTA copy all relate CTR will be much higher. Finally, frequency matters. Not only do you want the content to relate but it is crucial that you have a consistent, yet conservative send frequency. In multifamily, the ideal frequency is 1-2 times a week. Any more than that you risk higher unsubscribe rates. Sending emails less than 1-2 times a week does not properly engage users.

Following these practices and regularly reviewing the data will greatly improve email performance across all properties.