Admissions offices are always seeking ways to be more effective. Especially when it comes to communicating with prospective students. With email still one of the most popular channels, how can you be sure that your email messages are effective and breaking through the clutter?

Measuring email effectiveness doesn’t have to be difficult; and Chris Chariton of MediaPost Publications identifies the most important metrics to evaluate when sending email communications. Chariton establishes which metrics matter most through three simple questions:

1. Is my list good? Make sure your list is up to date and accurate. It’s the foundation of good email communication. The metrics for review include — emails sent versus emails delivered and your soft and hard bounce count.

2. Is my content relevant? Chariton suggests you look at your open rate, click-through rate, forwards and unsubscribes to assess the relevance of your content. Any “red flags” among these metrics will require you to re-evaluate what you’re saying and to whom you’re saying it.

3. Is my offer strong? Review the click-through rate on the offer and monitor the conversion rate, identified by Chariton as the percentage of recipients who complete your call-to-action (like registering for an open house or signing up for an online chat).

“Remember when measuring your email effectiveness to pay attention to your metrics over time, making incremental changes that will generate improved results,” says Chariton. Good advice for the admissions marketer on-the-go. Reviewing the basics will help you make the most of one of your key channels of communication.

Read “How To Measure Email Effectiveness” by Chris Chariton on the MediaPost blog.

Read more about our authors.  Annemarie Nagle serves as the Marketing Manager for TargetX. Annemarie knew she had a passion for admissions and recruiting as a student tour guide. Since then, she has worked in higher education as an admission counselor and a dual role recruiting students and managing marketing communications.