Why doesn't anyone click on the messages you send by email?

Marketers are not only challenged to get customers to open and read their messages. They need customers to interact with their brand.

This is why the click-through rate of your mailings is so important, as it reflects how well you are able to engage your customers.

Click-through rates can be abysmally low. But don't be discouraged, there are many reasons why a reader may not click on a link in your message:

• Content is not relevant.
• The copy is impersonal.
• The CTA (call to action) is hard to find or there are too many of them.
• The offer is not attractive to the receiver of the message.

For a better understanding of the subject, it seems appropriate to delve deeper into this concept and to specify how it differs from the opening rate.

What is click-through rate?

The click-through rate of a message is calculated on the number of users who were sent a message with a link to a call to action and measures how many of them actually clicked on the link.

It is also possible to measure the click-to-open rate (CTOR), which is a ratio, since it expresses what percentage of the total number of people who opened your message went on to click on a call to action. Therefore, the open rate will necessarily be higher than the click-through rate because the people who opened your message took the first step and, of these, some will take the second: click on the link.

Simply put, the open rate shows only the number of people who opened your message.

That means that the open rate is usually considered as an evaluation of the subject line, personalization, data cleansing and the popularity of your brand. The click-through rate, on the other hand, shows whether readers find your content and offers useful and relevant.

While the open rate measures how many people think your message is worth paying attention to, the click-through rate shows that your message has made people take an action.

What would be a good click-through rate?

According to studies from various sources, the click-through rate on targeted or mass promotional messages averages 2.5%. Some industries, such as those related to hobbies, media and government, have click-through rates of up to 4.5%.

That said, it is important to establish benchmarks based on your own performance, rather than taking those of others in your field.

Considering that consumers receive many messages and advertisements from dozens of other media in their inboxes every day, gaining their attention is paramount.

How to improve your click-through rate

If your customers aren't opening your messages, it's because they don't care about them. It's that direct and simple.

This means that they didn't like the offer you sent them, that they didn't find the content relevant, that they came across an impersonal message or something they found spammy.

So, how to reverse this unfavorable scenario?

a) Segmenting

Manage your customer database well to group contacts with similar attributes. By segmenting your contact base, you can send appropriate content to these smaller groups that, as a whole, they will find interesting.

b) Customizing the content

No one is attracted to irrelevant offers, even from their favorite brand. In the age of people-based marketing, customers expect content to be tailored to their needs and desires. That's why it's imperative to leverage your data and supplement it with third-party demographic data to better understand customers and send them personalized content and recommendations.

c) Improving your call to action

Make sure your call to action (CTA) is clear, so your customers know exactly what they are being asked to do. Alternatively, consider adding more links to give customers more opportunities to click.

d) Discarding all irrelevant content

Make sure the body of your message includes only the essentials, apply creativity to its text and image, and omit everything that is superfluous. Make sure your message has a clear purpose and that all elements lead customers to click on the CTA.

e) Reconquering customers

Your followers will fall off and your list will be eroded. It's at this point that you should turn to bounce-back campaigns. Motivate customers to come back (and click on your messages) with an attractive offer.

f) Learning from past experiences

Every message you send is an opportunity to learn, not only to communicate and achieve conversions. Review the metrics and draw conclusions, establish what worked and what didn't, with whom and when. That experience is learning that will allow you to improve your click-through rate.

g) Testing, testing and ... testing

Sending a message, crossing your fingers and praying is a thing of the past. Why do that if you can first send two versions of your message to two small segments of your total base and evaluate which one got a better result to send to the rest of the base.

Low click-through rates can be frustrating. Fortunately, using the right techniques and the right data, they can be reversed.