Hi everyone...and particularly Constant Contact tech folks. I have a question about what it really means when someone "opens" an email. I do not think it means what we all think it means. CC says I have 25,000+ "Most Engaged" folks. The definition is that people "regularly open and click your emails." (I cannot paste an image into this message. Only text is permitted.) Of those 25,000, over 1,000 do not satisfy that definition; and 5,000+ barely satisfy it. One guy opened 99% of the last 165 (163) emails sent but clicked NONE of them! Opened 163 but clicked none?!?!? That's not possible...if "open" means he manually clicked on the email in his Inbox to open it. So what does "open" really mean in a CC context? And what algorithm does CC employ that reports someone opening 163 emails yet clicking none of them? Clearly, no such person exists... Thanks. Stu
What Does "Open" really Mean?
Stu, thanks for your question about open rates and click rates! It's a great one to understand when diving into email marketing.
Opens tell us how many people actually peeked inside your email. Constant Contact uses a tiny, invisible pixel (like a single dot) embedded in each email that gets activated when it's opened. Think of it as a silent signal that lets us know someone took a look.
Clicks happen when someone interacts with your email by clicking on a link. Maybe it's a link to your website, a special offer, or even just a "learn more" button. Each click shows an extra level of engagement with your message
Constant Contact tracks who opens and who does not and uses that information to segment your email list into people who engage the most...and those who don't. Should someone consistently delete the email without opening it, they would likely fall into the non-engaged segment.
I know how frustrating it can be when your email program is not delivering the results you're looking for. If you'd like to explore ways to ensure email best practices, please reach out.
David Fischer
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