It’s a well known fact that email marketing is one of the most powerful tools you can use to connect with your customers, drive sales, and grow your brand.

Think of it like fishing, where you need the right bait and lure to attract a fish. Similarly, you need the right email content to catch your audience’s attention.

However, sending out emails is only half the battle, as the real success lies in the engagement and interaction that follows. And that’s where the email Click-Through Rate (CTR) comes into play.

The Email Click Through Rate explained

In simple terms, the Email CTR is the ratio of the number of clicks to the number of emails sent. It measures how many recipients clicked on a link in an email compared to how many emails were sent. It’s a crucial metric because it provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your email marketing campaign.

Why do you send an email campaign? It’s probably to achieve a goal, right? Whether it’s to generate leads, promote a sale, or increase brand awareness, you want people to take action. And how do you know if they’re taking action? That’s right, by tracking clicks!

Clicks represent engagement, interest, and action.

Clickability is a core part of the DORC Methodology we employ for all emails we write (learn more here)

These four key steps mirror the actions a subscriber takes once they receive your email.

Deliverability ensures that your email reaches their inbox, Openability prompts them to click and read, Readability ensures they understand the message, and Clickability encourages them to take action.

We use the DORC framework to ensure every email has the max chance of achieving it’s objective – and clicks are a key part of that process.

The Email CTR allows you to determine whether or not your audience is responding to your email content and how interesting and effective it is.

Think of CTR as the bite you get on your fishing line. A high CTR indicates that your email is doing a good job of bringing visitors to your website, producing leads, and ultimately raising sales. On the other hand, a low CTR suggests that your email content may not have been relevant or engaging enough to capture the recipients’ attention.

Why do you need a Call to Action (CTA)?

A Call-to-action (CTA) is an important part of any email marketing campaign. It’s a way to encourage recipients to take action, such as clicking to visit her website, signing up for a webinar, or downloading an e-book (and thus has a big impact on the Clicks!)

Without a CTA, your recipients won’t know what action to take, and your email may not be effective in generating leads or driving sales.

Including a call-to-action can draw the recipient’s attention to the topic at hand and reduce the chance of getting distracted by other content or activities. This increases the likelihood that they will click through to your website or landing page.

Should every email have a Call to Action?

In short, yes. All emails should contain a clear and compelling call to action, even if the email itself represents the “value” it offers. For example, if you’re sending out a newsletter, you’re not promoting a specific product or service, but you’re asking your recipients to engage with your brand.

Every email you send should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages your subscribers to take action. A CTA can be anything from “Buy now” to “Learn more” to “Download our free whitepaper.”

The point is to give your subscribers a clear idea of what you want them to do and make it easy for them to do it.

But why do you need a CTA? Well, without a CTA, you’re essentially sending your subscribers a message with no clear purpose or direction. You’re not giving them a reason to engage with your brand, and you’re not making it clear what you want them to do next. This can lead to low engagement rates and a lack of ROI for your email campaigns.

Including a CTA can help move the recipient along the path towards conversion, even if it’s not an immediate sale. By encouraging them to visit your website or engage with your brand in other ways, you’re building a relationship and increasing the likelihood that they will eventually become a customer.

Why is Click Through Rate important?

OK, without stating the obvious, CTR is important… but why?  Here are 8 reasons why you need to focus on Click Thru Rate in your email marketing.

1. It’s a reliable indicator of success or failure
   A campaign with a high CTR, shows that the audience is paying attention to the email’s content and is probably interested in the goods or services your business offers.
   A click is a positive action. It shows that your email has resonated with your audience and that they want to learn more or take the next step. This positive interaction can help build your brand’s reputation and increase customer loyalty
   However, a campaign with a low CTR signifies that the email content may not have been interesting or captivating enough to hold the recipients’ attention. A low CTR may suggest that your email needs to be revised, and its content needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of your audience.
2. CTR can help identify areas for improvement
   By tracking the CTR for different email campaigns, you can identify areas for improvement in your email marketing strategy. For example, you could send two email campaigns with similar content but different CTRs, analyse the differences and make changes to the less successful campaign to improve the CTR.
   By continually making small improvements and focusing on the DORC of your emails, you can optimise your email campaign for better results.
   This could involve changing the subject line, altering the layout, or refining the messaging to make it more engaging to the audience.
3. CTR can help optimise targeting
   CTR can also help optimise targeting by providing insights into the preferences and interests of your target audience. By analysing your CTR data, you can determine which segments of your audience are most engaged with your content and tailor future campaigns accordingly.
   For example, you could send an email campaign to two different segments of your audience, if one segment has a significantly higher CTR than the other, this means you can focus future campaigns on the more engaged segment improving overall email marketing performance.
4. It helps progress a prospect along a path towards conversion
   Email campaigns are usually part of a broader marketing funnel, where each step aims to move prospects closer to conversion.
   A high CTR indicates that your email has successfully captured the attention of your subscribers and motivated them to take the desired action. Whether it’s signing up for a free trial, downloading a report, or making a purchase, a high CTR shows that your email has moved your audience along the marketing path.
   By monitoring the CTR, you can see how many subscribers are progressing along the path towards conversion.
   By including a clear call-to-action and tracking the email CTR,this will allow you to identify the topics that are most interesting to the recipients and send follow-up emails with more content on those topics, reminders or additional information to encourage them to complete a specific action.
   This insight can help by enabling you to adjust your email content and marketing strategies to ensure you are providing the right information leading to more effective targeting and higher engagement rates.
5. It means your prospects are Focused on the Topic
   A high CTR indicates that your prospects are focused on the topic and content of your email. This is a positive sign as it means that your email is relevant to your target audience, and they are finding value in your content. By delivering relevant and valuable content to your audience, you are building trust and credibility with your prospects and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
   They are more likely to be engaged with the content on your landing page or website, resulting in higher conversion rates. A low CTR may mean that your email content is not aligned with the landing page or website content, leading to a disconnect between your audience and your brand.
6. Directs prospects to product pages
   Say your email campaign has a goal of driving sales, you can include links to specific product pages in the email content.
   The email CTR will help identify the recipients who are interested in a particular product and may be more likely to make a purchase. By segmenting these prospects, this will then allow you to send follow-up emails with targeted messaging or special offers to encourage them to make a purchase.
7. Moves prospects from unbranded to branded environment
   Clicking on a link in an email takes a prospect from an unbranded environment (e.g. their inbox) to a branded environment (e.g., your website). This increases the exposure of your brand and helps build brand recognition and loyalty.
   Your website or landing page should have the same look and feel as your email campaign, which reinforces your brand identity and strengthens your relationship with your subscribers.
   By including links to your company’s website or social media profiles, you can encourage recipients to engage with your brand and learn more about its products or services.
   By tracking the email CTR, you can identify the recipients who are interested in the brand and nurture them with follow-up emails or targeted messaging.
8. Encourages prospects to take action
   Sometimes, the goal of an email campaign is to encourage recipients to take a specific action, such as signing up for a webinar or downloading an e-book.
   By including clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) in your email content, you are encouraging prospects to click through and engage with your brand. This positive action can lead to increased conversions and sales.

Let’s get Clickable

Clicks lead to conversions. Whether it’s a purchase, a sign-up, or some other desired action, clicks are often the first step in the process. So, if you want to increase your conversion rate, you need to focus on getting more clicks.

So, how can you increase clicks in your email campaigns? Here are a few practical tips:

• Have a clear call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should be easy to spot, with clear and concise language. Don’t make your subscribers work hard to figure out what you want them to do. Use action-oriented verbs like “Buy,” “Download,” or “Register.”
• Optimise your email design: Your email should look good and be easy to read on any device. Use a clean and simple design, with a single-column layout, and include plenty of white space to avoid overwhelming your subscribers.
• Segment your email list: Don’t send the same message to everyone on your list. Use segmentation to send targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers. Personalization can make a big difference in increasing clicks.
• Test and measure: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different subject lines, CTAs, and email designs. Test your campaigns and measure your results to see what works best for your audience.
• Keep your list clean: Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers, spam traps, and invalid email addresses. A clean list will help you avoid bounces and improve deliverability.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, email marketing is like fishing, and the email CTR is like the bite you get on your fishing line. A high CTR indicates an engaged audience, and a low CTR means it’s time to improve your email marketing strategy. A clear and compelling CTA is crucial in every email campaign, even if it’s not an immediate sale.

Clicks are vital for several reasons. They are a reliable indicator of success or failure, identify areas for improvement, optimise targeting, help progress prospects towards conversion, and lead prospects from an unbranded environment to a branded one that you own.

It’s important to focus on increasing clickability in your email campaigns. Direct prospects to product pages, nurture prospects with relevant content, and encourage prospects to take action with a clear and compelling focus.

So cast your line, reel in your audience, and make sure you’re using the right bait.