Best practices is a term thrown around all too often in the email space. It’s a universal term used to describe something that is considered to be the best thing to do. But in reality, what one person considers as best practice, another person may think of as risky (or safe).

So what’s an email marketer supposed to do?

Two simple words: test and measure.

Test: Don’t just take our word for it

Working for an Email Service Provider (ESP), I can tell you that when we say something is a best practice, we’re generally talking about something that is suitable for the mass.

We have thousands of marketers that look to us to obtain a certain standard of information, and as such we tend to take a rather conservative approach towards best practices. Mark Brownlow from Email Marketing Reports summarises this approach rather aptly as ‘Safe practices’.

But safe practices are only half the picture. Our recommendations will put you on the road to email marketing success; but it’s a long road and one that you’ll mostly have to navigate yourself.

Furthermore, only you know your destination (what success looks like) and what obstacles you’re likely to face along the way (your industry challenges and competition).

So don’t just take our word for it when we say something is a best practice. Challenge it and ask yourself, “Is it going to work for me?” Or in other words, test it.

Measure: Don’t forget to aim high

In the Australian Email Metrics Report we provide a range of data that can be used as a guide to your industry benchmarks. But don’t fall into the trap of measuring your email practices against a benchmark.

It’s important to test your email practices and measure them against your own performance. Remember, what works for you can be an absolute disaster for someone else.

And don’t forget what a benchmark is. It’s an average. Consider it in academic terms. If you test an email practice and it turns out that you’ve achieved the same open and click rates as your industry benchmark, then you just scored yourself a C grade.

It’s hardly anything to brag about. You want a B; or better yet an A when you show your email report card to your boss.

So make sure you’re aiming high and measuring against your own performance. If for example you’re testing to see if personalizing your subject line increases your open rates, then measure the results against your previous email campaign and not just the industry benchmark. If you are under the benchmark though, certainly try some other practices to improve your open rates.

So, are email best practices the holy grail of email? I’d say no, but they’re certainly not to be understated. Test them and see what works well for your business. Aim high and constantly challenge your practices until you do discover the holy grail of email.

And if you do, I’d love to hear about your success story and journey. (marketing@vision6.com.au)

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

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