Since email marketing became a legitimate marketing channel in the 1990s, email marketers have measured their results by two metrics: open rate and click-through rate.
Open rate measures the percentage of recipients who opened the email, which helps gauge the performance of the subject line and preview. Click-through rate (CTR) measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on the links in your email against the total number of subscribers who received the email.
This means that a low open rate can dilute your click-through rate, even if a large percentage of the recipients who opened your email clicked through to your website. With this in mind, click-through rate may not be the best indicator of engagement.
So how do you accurately measure the true engagement levels of your email campaigns? With the click-to-open rate or CTOR.
What is the Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR)?
Click-to-open rate (CTOR) measures the percentage of unique recipients who clicked on a link after opening the email. Most email marketers prefer to measure engagement based on CTOR because this metric only takes into account recipients who opened and read your emails.
How to calculate the CTOR
To calculate the click-through rate per open, the formula is simple: Start by dividing the number of unique clicks by the number of unique opens. Then multiply that figure by 100. The answer is your CTOR.
Let's take an example: You send an email to 5,000 subscribers. 80 subscribers open the email and there are a total of 40 clicks. This is how the CTOR is calculated: (40/80) x 100 = 50%. This would mean that your CTOR is very high, with most of the subscribers who opened the email clicking on the links.
When using this formula, it is important to count only unique opens and clicks. For example, if one of your subscribers opens your email in the morning and clicks on a link, and, later in the evening, returns to the email and clicks again. You don't want that subscriber to be counted twice, as that would alter the analysis. That's why CTOR should only count unique opens and clicks.
How to improve your CTOR
Whether you've been tracking your CTOR for a while or you're just getting started, there is always room for improvement. Here are some steps you can take to improve your CTOR:
1. Use CTA buttons
A good email has a few elements: compelling copy, attractive images and compelling calls to action. And in a text-heavy email, CTA buttons get a lot of attention.
You can use text-based CTAs, such as "Click here for more information". However, some data reports suggest that buttons can increase click-through rates.
It is important to place your CTA after presenting the offer, not before. Finally, it should be prominent enough to stand out, but not so large as to hinder the overall user experience.
2. Re-evaluate your offers
One of the reasons your click-to-open rate may be low is because your offers don't align with your audience's interests. Subscribers may open the message, but when they scroll down, none of the links are appealing to them.
We recommend here to segment your email list: this way you will be sure to send emails that really interest your subscribers.
3. Better a single CTA
There are a few tactics you can use when it comes to email CTAs. Some brands prefer to employ multiple CTAs in their emails, letting subscribers click on the one they find most interesting. This is often seen in commercial offer emails. The idea is that more CTAs equals more opportunities to increase CTR.
One drawback of this approach is choice overload. In other words: consumers have difficulty making a decision because they are faced with too many choices.
With this in mind, consider testing a single CTA. If there is only one desired action, you can increase your CTOR.
