How to use email metrics to improve marketing efforts

According to a research paper from the Lund University Department of Computer Science, “In email marketing, every 1 USD invested yields an impressive average return of 36 dollars...Despite the cost-effectiveness and impressive ROI, the challenge arises from the sheer volume of emails sent daily... making it easy for emails to get lost or overlooked.”

Healthcare organizations can leverage email metrics to systematically improve their marketing strategies by using data-driven insights to refine content, targeting, and timing. Metrics such as open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates provide a clear picture of how recipients interact with email campaigns. For example, a low open rate may indicate that subject lines are not compelling or that emails are being sent at suboptimal times, prompting organizations to experiment with A/B testing subject lines or adjusting send times. 

High CTRs suggest that the content is relevant and engaging, while low conversion rates may bring to light issues with the landing page or call-to-action, signaling a need for further optimization. Tracking unsubscribe rates and spam complaints can reveal if the content is misaligned with audience expectations or if the frequency of emails is too high, allowing for immediate corrective actions.

Why email metrics matter

A Research Gate article ‘Marketing Metrics’ notes, “Marketing is how the firm secures its key objectives, ie how it sources the cash flow. On the widely accepted assumption that a firm is more likely to achieve what it measures, any board should review those indicators it considers to be the most significant milestones along its intended path.”

Email metrics are particularly relevant to healthcare organizations because they offer measurable indicators of patient engagement, communication effectiveness, and marketing ROI. In a sector where trust and privacy are needed, metrics help organizations ensure that their messages are both compliant and impactful. 

By analyzing open rates, CTRs, and conversion rates, healthcare providers can assess whether their communications are reaching and resonating with patients. Metrics also support resource allocation by identifying which campaigns yield the highest engagement. Monitoring unsubscribe and bounce rates helps maintain a clean and engaged email list.

Core email marketing metrics to track

As AALL Spectrum article ‘Enhance your library’s analytics and marketing with tracking pixels and URLs’ by David Whelan puts forth, “We need to share what we do, and what we offer. Just as important, we want to know if our marketing is working. One way to measure that is through engagement.” The metrics include: 

• Open rate: The percentage of recipients who open an email, indicating the effectiveness of subject lines and sender reputation.
• CTR: The percentage of recipients who click on links within the email, reflecting content relevance and engagement.
• Conversion rate: The proportion of recipients who complete a desired action (e.g., scheduling an appointment), directly measuring campaign effectiveness.
• Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of recipients who opt out of future emails, signaling content misalignment or over-communication.
• Bounce rate: The percentage of emails not delivered, which can affect sender reputation and deliverability.
• Spam complaints: The number of recipients marking emails as spam, indicating potential issues with consent or content relevance.
• Delivery rate: The percentage of emails successfully delivered to inboxes, necessary for maximizing campaign reach.

Using Paubox Marketing to collect email metrics 

Paubox Marketing brings together security and analytics in one platform, making email metric collection both robust and compliant. Its built-in tracking of delivery rates, open rates (views), and link clicks gives you immediate insights into how recipients interact with each message. Custom fields and audience segmentation let you test which patient groups respond best to particular subject lines or content, while drip campaigns and dynamic lists reveal engagement trends over time, who opens the second or third email in a series, and when. 

Marketing forms feed directly into your contact lists, so you capture conversion metrics right at the point of signup. Paubox’s API means you can stream metrics into your own dashboards or EMR system in real time, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring accuracy. Best of all, every click and open is logged under HIPAA safeguards, so you never have to choose between compliance and insight.

Using metrics to identify and fix problems

Poor email engagement metrics could be symptomatic of deeper issues in how electronic technologies are integrated into daily operations. According to the JMIR Medical Education journal article ‘Email Use Reconsidered in Health Professions Education: Viewpoint’, “It is imperative that health professionals have the ability to use and select electronic technologies appropriately in order to foster communication and civility among teams in the health care sector.”

Email metrics can serve as diagnostic tools that reveal bigger organizational issues beyond the scope of email marketing. For instance, a consistently low conversion rate may indicate problems with the online appointment scheduling system or landing page usability, prompting a review of digital patient pathways. High unsubscribe or spam complaint rates could signal deeper issues with patient satisfaction, communication frequency, or content relevance, suggesting a need for improved patient engagement strategies or service offerings. 

Bounce rates may uncover outdated or inaccurate patient contact information, highlighting deficiencies in data management or record-keeping practices. By analyzing these patterns, healthcare organizations can identify operational bottlenecks, gaps in patient education, or misalignments between services offered and patient needs. Addressing these issues can lead to improved patient experience, more effective communication across channels.

Segmentation & personalization based on metrics

According to the Journal of Medical Internet Research study ‘Clarifying the Concepts of Personalization and Tailoring of eHealth Technologies: Multimethod Qualitative Study’, “Segmentation is 'the degree to which the audience is divided into increasingly more defined, homogenous groups,’ a concept that originated in marketing. Segmentation takes place based on user characteristics such as lifestyle and the ability to understand health information or health status, creating groups ranging from very small (one person) to large (all women). Furthermore, based on these segmentations, customization of the content or design of an eHealth technology takes place.”

Segmentation and personalization in healthcare email marketing, informed by metrics, enhance engagement and efficacy by aligning content with recipient-specific needs and behaviors. Segmentation, dividing audiences into homogeneous groups based on demographics, health status, or behavioral patterns, enables healthcare organizations to tailor messages to distinct patient cohorts, improving relevance and reducing information overload. 

Campaigns targeting individuals with chronic conditions can deliver condition-specific education or appointment reminders, while preventive care messages can be directed at younger demographics. This approach increases open rates and CTR by ensuring content resonates with recipients’ immediate health priorities. Personalization further refines this process by adapting messaging elements such as tone, timing, and channel preferences (e.g., younger patients preferring digital communication) to individual profiles. 

Turning metrics into strategy

1. Metrics such as open rates, CTRs, and conversion rates should be evaluated against segmentation variables like demographics (age, gender), health status (chronic conditions, treatment history), and behavioral data (appointment attendance, email interaction frequency). Similarly, high CTRs in campaigns targeting preventive care could justify expanding related content or services.
2. A/B testing hypotheses derived from metric analysis allows organizations to validate strategies empirically. If bounce rates are elevated, testing different send times or verifying contact information accuracy can address deliverability issues. Behavioral metrics, like time spent reading emails, can inform content length and complexity adjustments.
3. Integrating these insights into broader organizational strategies, such as aligning email campaigns with public health initiatives or EHR-based patient outreach, ensures coherence across communication channels. By continuously iterating based on metric feedback, healthcare organizations can cultivate a culture of data-driven decision-making that enhances patient engagement.

Related: The detailed guide to HIPAA compliant email marketing

FAQs

Can patients initiate email communication?

Yes. If a patient initiates email communication, the provider may respond using email. However, the provider should still limit PHI shared and advise the patient on the security risks of using unencrypted email.

Do patients need to consent before receiving emails?

Yes. Under HIPAA, patients must provide written or electronic consent to receive unencrypted emails.

Can marketing emails be sent to patients?

Yes, but only with patient authorization if the email contains PHI or promotes a third-party product or service. HIPAA does not permit marketing without authorization.