SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FEEDDo You Really Only Want to Be Average?
Every time I speak at a conference, there is usually at least one person who raises their hand, or if there is no time for questions, they come up to me after the program and ask the inevitable question. It is not always the same question, but usually some derivative of, "What is the average ________?" You can fill in the blank with anything from open rate to click rate or delivery. I have never worked in an industry so fascinated by the concept of industry averages.
Perhaps it is because we are in a newer industry and few people know what to expect, but the desire to know what average is can wreak havoc on what may be a great email program. A quick search on the Web shows reports of average open rates being reported in the 20s, 30s and 40 percents. The bottom line is, while there may be a mathematical average, there is no "average." If anyone ever truly calculated the average open rate, for example, it would be made up of numbers in such a large range as to be virtually useless. So, does it really matter where that number falls in evaluating your email program's success?
View the full article at MediaPost.com
Perhaps it is because we are in a newer industry and few people know what to expect, but the desire to know what average is can wreak havoc on what may be a great email program. A quick search on the Web shows reports of average open rates being reported in the 20s, 30s and 40 percents. The bottom line is, while there may be a mathematical average, there is no "average." If anyone ever truly calculated the average open rate, for example, it would be made up of numbers in such a large range as to be virtually useless. So, does it really matter where that number falls in evaluating your email program's success?
View the full article at MediaPost.com