Not All Email Clients Are Worth the Same
Wait. What’s an email client? An email client is simply the correct terminology that classifies how one would receive their email.
Gmail? Yes, that’s an email client – and the most popular web-based email client globally.
And I bring this up because its market penetration means that your email list, especially in non-profit and direct-to-consumer organizations, could be filled with over 50% of Gmail addresses.
Now Gmail is pretty liberal when it comes to emails. True, they’re usually very good at directing emails from Nigerian princes and oil tycoons into the Spam box; however, if you’re sending permission-based email marketing then you should be inboxing and getting your emails opened – be it in the Primary or another Tab.
Gmail (Probably) Dominates Your Email List
Having said that, Gmail makes a big impact on your open rate. If you would run into issues with Gmail, the chances are you would see a drastic drop in your open rate.
But what happens when Yahoo! Mail or Outlook.com open rates plummet?
While these email clients might only be around 10% of your total list size, it’s still a good chunk (and it’s really 20% of your non-Gmail email clients, too).
The fact is that there’s a good chance you won’t spot it.
Email Marketing Data Doesn’t Lie; It Never Does
Case in point: Look at the table below. In it, I present data basic data that illustrates this point:
Are Your Email Marketing Problems Getting Swept Under the Rug?
Now, when there’s an even spread (25% open rate) everything is fine. I know a Gmail subscriber is worth the same as any other email client. And when Gmail results plummet, I’ll see an issue (12.5% open rate) because it outweighs the other email clients, then I know right away there’s an issue.
However, in the next column, I present a slight drop in the open rate. In this example, all of the email clients have the same individual open rates, save for Yahoo Mail! Here, I present a scenario where Yahoo Mail! is sending all your email to spam. Now, in this case, you’re still getting a 22% open rate, so you probably won’t bat an eyelash.
Okay, but let’s say you do – then let’s look at the last example, where I show how one can get an even better open rate with a massive problem being swept under the rug at the same time!
And it’s not far-fetched.
Houston, We Don’t Have an Email Marketing Problem Anymore!
All it takes is for Gmail open rates to rise, which is not a bad thing. Plus, note that I’ve kept the bottom 4 rows at the same open rate. And still with Yahoo Mail! going the junk box, the overall open rate for the email rises to 30%.
Phenomenal!
When this happens, here are some fateful words that you’ll never hear: “Houston, we have a problem.”
The problem is a big one. Namely, all of Yahoo Mail! emails getting sent to the spam folder; however, I say no one will hear about this issue, because nobody will even notice – this problem just gets swept under the rug.
So, what do we do about it?
We have to dissect our top email clients with surgical precision and know where we stand with every one – because always remember that not all email clients are worth the same.
