This is the first entry in our series of 21 Tips for Email Outreach.

There are over half a million people in your district, and most of them use the internet.  How many are on your email list?

OK, 500,000 might be ambitious, but you should still set goals for your email outreach and determine metrics to measure your progress.  Take a moment to establish targets for your readership and subscription lists and block off time on your calendar for regular reports (in line with your newsletter cycle, for example).   Then, use these numbers to answer the question, “What works?” 

Here are some metrics to consider:

Track your list counts:

  • All emails vs. Opt-in lists: How many email addresses do you have and how many of those are subscribed?  What did you do in the last email to add subscribers and did it do the trick?  
  • Your VIP network: These are leaders in your community who could be useful in spreading your emails and growing your list. (More on VIPs to come).
  • Your targeted lists: By issue, location, etc… what audiences do you want to reach and what are your goals for those lists?

Track message performance:

  • Open rates: They read your brilliant subject line, but how many actually opened your email? 
  • Click-thru rates: Are your email links drawing traffic to your website?  Which links in particular?
  • Subscribe rates: Make it a priority to get more of your email recipients to subscribe.  These are your active readers and the ones you’ll be able to go on emailing during black-out periods.
  • Unsubscribe rates: Don’t forget to look at these.  Sometimes too many emails can drive your readers away.

These data are all available in real-time through Fireside Email™, providing you with the information you need to build your email strategy.