Best Practices for Digital Marketing Analytics

most b2b marketers obsess over the wrong email metrics. tracking opens and clicks is like measuring website visits when you actually care about pipeline and revenue. here's what actually matters (and why): 𝟭/ 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝘁𝗼-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 click-to-open rate = clicks ÷ opens. this tells you how compelling your content is *after* someone opens. campaign monitor data shows this is a better indicator of content quality than raw click-through rates. if your click-to-open rate is low, your email content isn't resonating. if it's high (10.5% is the cross-industry average), you've nailed the message-market fit. if you’re following advice to “write good content”, this is an appropriate metric to follow. 𝟮/ 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 (𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆) 95% delivery sounds great until you realise your emails are landing in spam folders or promotional tabs. what matters isn't just technical delivery, but actual inbox placement that drives engagement. 𝟯/ 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 most marketers fear unsubscribes. i'd argue its not to be feared. healthy list churn (under 2%) means you're sending relevant content to engaged people. if your unsubscribe rate suddenly spikes, it's an early warning your messaging is off-target before other metrics catch up. 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀: 💡 segment by engagement recency, not demographics. we've seen 3x higher conversion rates emailing "opened last 30 days" vs "job title = vp of marketing". aim to address intent. 💡 track conversion rate alongside open rates. we can borrow from b2c here: 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 (𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵) 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘵 1-6%, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬-𝘪𝘯-𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 5.84% 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 - way higher than broadcast campaigns. use nurture emails for contacts who have shown intent (reading your content, attending your webinars, etc.) the bottom line: measure what moves the needle. any other email metrics that you track that correlates with pipeline in your experience?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐐𝐋 That’s how I built a Multi-Channel Attribution Dashboard that tracks revenue back to the real drivers, across Google Ads, Facebook Ads, email, and organic traffic — without a single BI tool. Here’s how it happened - The Problem: The client was spending across multiple channels, but GA4’s last-touch model wasn’t giving the full picture. Marketing teams were flying blind, and every channel wanted credit. So, I set out to answer: "Which channels actually drive conversions, and how do they work together?" The Solution: SQL-Only Attribution in BigQuery Using only SQL in BigQuery, I built a dashboard that: ✅ Tracks first-touch, last-touch, and linear attribution ✅ Allocates revenue proportionally to every user journey ✅ Connects ad spend to conversions across sessions and sources ✅ Supports flexible filters by date, campaign, device, and region How I Did It (Simplified) 1. Unified All Touchpoints • Pulled raw GA4 events data, including session_source, user_pseudo_id, and event_name. • Mapped all key user interactions — from ad clicks to checkout completions. 2. Created a Conversion Timeline • Used LAG() and ARRAY_AGG() to reconstruct user journeys. • Tracked each session leading up to a conversion event. 3. Applied Attribution Logic - Wrote modular SQL views for: • First-touch • Last-touch • Linear Each logic had its own SQL CTE, allowing a quick switch for comparison. 4. Joined Spend Data • Brought in Google Ads + Facebook Ads costs from external tables. • Linked spend to sessions via gclid and UTMs. 5. Final Output - A single BigQuery table showing attributed revenue by: • Channel • Campaign • Source/Medium • Attribution model Bonus: I connected it to Looker Studio later for visualization, but the real power? It’s all SQL. Why This Matters • Marketing teams don’t just need numbers; they need trust in their data. • When you eliminate the black-box tools and own your logic in SQL, you unlock freedom and transparency. Curious to see the SQL behind it? Drop a “SQL” in the comments and I’ll share a simplified version. #SQL #BigQuery #Attribution #MarketingAnalytics #DigitalAnalytics #GA4 #DataEngineering #MarketingOps #LookerStudio

Smartlead and Instantly.ai integrating inbox spam tests has changed how we are monitoring email deliverability at Growth Engine X. Here’s an overview of what we are doing. First, for those that don’t know, an inbox placement test is when you send a test email to a group of emails that will report back to you where the email landing. Primary, Promotions, or Spam? Now it’s not perfect because your spam filter learns from what emails you mark as spam and obviously these inboxes have never marked anything as spam. So you should know that but I still find these tests useful enough to run now that they are integrated with the platforms. We are now running a test daily at 11 pm EST on all active campaigns and getting the inbox placements. Then, every Tuesday and Friday we will use an internal API to call to list out all inboxes that landed in spam, remove them from campaigns, and tag them so we don’t use them again. We always keep extra inboxes warming for our customers so we will push in the extra fresh inboxes as we remove the ones landing in spam. Everything can be done automatically except selecting the inboxes we will use to replace the ones in spam which I’m not sure is even worth automating. Hopefully, this gives something to think about for those that also don’t use open tracking and need a way to track email deliverability in their cold email campaigns!

One day, your open rates drop. Replies slow down. Your best-performing sequences suddenly stop working. By then, your sender reputation is already damaged. Recovery takes weeks—if not longer. Most cold emailers don’t realize their mailboxes are getting flagged until it’s too late. Instead of fixing burned mailboxes, prevent them from getting flagged in the first place. Why mailboxes get burned If you’re seeing lower open rates, more bounces, or emails landing in spam, one of these could be the problem: ✖️ Sending too many emails too fast A sudden spike in volume raises red flags with spam filters.   ✖️ Low engagement rates If people aren’t opening or replying, algorithms assume your emails aren’t wanted. ✖️ Spam complaints & bounces Too many invalid emails or spam reports damage your reputation.   ✖️ Poor domain & IP reputation If your domain or IP has been flagged before, every email you send is at risk. How Maildoso protects your mailboxes from getting flagged ✅ Daily reputation monitoring Tracks your sender reputation in real-time, so you catch issues before they kill your campaigns. ✅ IP rotation to avoid spam filters Automatically switches sending IPs to prevent spam flagging. ✅ Daily inbox placement tests Checks if emails land in primary, promotions, or spam (their inbox placement is 95%+ !) ✅ Retire burned mailboxes early Identifies & replaces flagged mailboxes before they hurt deliverability. The real cost of ignoring email health: ⇢ 50% of cold emailers check deliverability only after campaigns fail. ⇢ Inbox issues take weeks to fix, slowing your pipeline. ⇢ Manual mailbox setup takes hours (Maildoso < 5 minutes) Cold email isn’t just about sending. It’s about sending smart. Most sales teams focus only on email copy and volume - but if your sender reputation is bad, none of that matters. Maildoso gives you the infrastructure to scale outbound safely, so your emails keep landing in inboxes while your competitors are stuck in spam. Get it here → https://buff.ly/hxAbjBu

Your emails might not be reaching the inbox - here’s how to fix it Most brands don’t realize they have a deliverability problem until it’s too late. You’re still sending emails. You’re still seeing opens. But behind the scenes? More emails are landing in spam or promotions. Here’s how to protect your inbox placement: 📡 Sending Reputation – ISPs (Gmail, Yahoo) score you based on engagement. ✔️ Warm up new domains, avoid sudden volume spikes. 🛠 Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) – Without these, providers don’t trust you. ✔️ Set up proper records & align them correctly. 📩 Inbox Placement ≠ Open Rate – A 25% open rate doesn’t mean you’re in primary. ✔️ Test with tools like MailGenius or GlockApps. 🚀 Volume & Frequency – Sending too many emails too fast kills reputation. ✔️ Scale volume gradually & stay consistent. 💀 Dead Weight on Your List – Low engagement signals providers to filter you. ✔️ Suppress inactive subscribers after 90-120 days. Email isn’t just about what you send - it’s about whether it even gets seen. When’s the last time you checked your inbox placement? If you’re not monitoring it, you’re flying blind... #emailmarketing #ecom #ecommerce

Hey email marketers, guess what? Apple has made a few changes (again) 🤨 Want to find out how the new iOS 17 impacts your email links? It's not all doom and gloom for email links yet, so that's a start! 😅 But you still need to note these changes. Why should you care? Allow this statistic to percolate: Almost three out of every five emails are opened on Apple Mail (58%). That’s more than twice of Gmail (28%), and over seven times that of Outlook (4.2%)... Do you see why keeping an eye on Apple's changes needs to be done? 👀 Midway through September this year, Apple released their new operating system update for iPhone - iOS 17. Many email marketers panicked, expecting some spectacular changes like those impacted by the release of Apple's Mail Privacy Protection which impacted the tracking of open rates in a big way on Apple devices. You may have heard of iOS 17's Link Tracking Protection (LTP), which is one of the privacy enhancements that Apple has released with this update. This enhancement is the main cause for concern amongst email marketers. Allow me to explain and allay your concern, and give a a pointer or two on how this update could impact your email efforts: → 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀: Apple's LTP essentially strips some variables and parameters from shared URLs 🔗 This means removing certain tracking information from links that users share in Messages and Mail, as well as removing the same tracking information from links when these are accessed in Safari in Private Browsing mode. The good news is that UTM parameters aren't being impacted (for now). That doesn't, however, mean that this is good news for conversion tracking... → 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If you're using custom tracking parameters, you may have a problem getting an accurate depiction of your conversions 📉 Sometimes these tracking parameters in URLs are used to understand who clicked on links and to measure campaign success. Because these are now removed, it becomes tough to attribute website visits or conversions back to specific campaigns. This is your major concern, however, if you use UTM parameters, you can mitigate some of the impact this has on your conversion tracking. With Apple, no email marketer is ever really out of the woods. What do you need to do? ☝️ Monitor any future changes or updates ✌️ Test and adapt your emails as a constant practice 👌 Find smart ways to obtain data directly from your audience You'll make things far easier for yourself by keeping a close eye on this. There are links to great resources by Litmus and Bloomreach in the comments for deep dives into iOS 17 and how this impacts marketers. And there's the (Apple) tea ☕ Have you seen any impact of iOS 17 on your email strategy yet? Happy November 💌

We've audited over $50M in DTC revenue this year. ↳ Almost every brand had emails going straight to spam. (+ none of them knew it was happening) These weren't small brands. They were 7 and 8-figure companies silently losing $10K-30K monthly. Why? Because 30-40% of their emails never reached the inbox. The worst part?  Their ESP dashboards showed "delivered" stats of 98%+. Here's what we consistently uncover: 1. Misconfigured sending infrastructure → Unverified SPF/DKIM records → Unverified branded sending domain (still?!) 2. Toxic engagement ratios → Consistently sending to unengaged contacts → Even your best customers stop seeing your emails. 3. Hidden spam traps → Lack of exclusion segmentation hurting placement → Not filtering out signups from certain APIs     (TikTok shop emails I’m looking at you) → Each send to fake contacts severely damages reputation 4. Send frequency blindness → Sending daily "because competitors do"    (without the engagement metrics to support it) → Find your audience's sweet spot 5. Zero list hygiene protocol → Keeping subs who joined 365+ days ago + never purchased → Keeping unengaged bloat in hope that one day they purchase    (they won’t…) This isn't theoretical. We're seeing spam placement rates as high as 60%. Fix your deliverability: More emails in inbox ↓ More eyes on your offers ↓ More clicks on your CTAs ↓ More earning potential 

Google and Yahoo have rolled out new email requirements, and if you're sending email, you are quite surely sending a lot of mail their way. So, it's crucial to get yourself compliant with their rules and monitor your email performance to ensure you *stay* compliant. Here's what to focus on: 1️⃣ Bounces: Enforcement is being rolled out in a phased approach, starting with non-compliant emails facing delays in delivery. Eventually, these will result in rejections, so ensure compliance to avoid disruptions in delivery. 2️⃣ Opens: Track open rates, especially at the provider level, to gauge performance accurately. A drop post-compliance could signal reputation issues. 3️⃣ Unsubscribes: While a spike post-implementation is expected, monitor for sustained trends, indicating potential recipient fatigue or list hygiene issues. 4️⃣ Spam Complaints: Maintain spam rates below 0.1%, aiming even lower for consistent inbox placement. Monitor closely, as complaints can adversely affect deliverability. 5️⃣ Overall Reputation: Evaluate your sender reputation using metrics like StreamScore. Consistent positive engagement indicates compliance and enhances deliverability. Additional Tips: ➡️ Leverage tools like #Google Postmaster Tools and #Yahoo Sender Hub for deeper insights into sender reputation, complaint rates, etc. ➡️ Conduct seed testing to assess inbox placement, focusing on Google and Yahoo addresses. Although use this directionally, as false positives are common. ➡️ Ensure you're compliant with authentication standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) using tools like the Google Postmaster Tools compliance dashboard and About My Email, built by Steve Atkins from Word to the Wise. Late to Comply? Well, get movin'... like, today! Then keep a close eye on delivery, bounces, and engagement metrics. Address your compliance gaps promptly — focusing on your most important mail streams like transactional mail first — to mitigate potential damage to recipient trust (and your sender reputation!) Ultimately, compliance, best practices, and performance monitoring are key to a successful email program...not only because these are required by Google and Yahoo, but also because they're the right thing to do for the sake of your email recipients! Remember they are who we are really here to please, not the mailbox providers. I'm sure I'm missing some great tips, so please back me up by adding them in the comments, you nerd. 😉 Also, reach out for support whenever needed! I've been living and breathing this topic for months, and more importantly — I'll be chatting directly with representatives from Google and Yahoo in a webinar on April 10th! I'd be happy to ask them questions on your behalf. 💌 #emailmarketing #deliverability #compliance

Every day, I see talented marketing teams pour immense effort into crafting seamless customer journeys—only to have them undermined by outdated consent experiences built for lawyers, not customers. The result? Frustrated customers, abysmal opt-in rates, and data strategies and marketing efforts that consistently fall short of their full potential. But with the launch of Ketch Progressive Consent, Maxwell Anderson and team have fundamentally reimagined how brands can approach data collection and customer engagement: ➡️ Embedding privacy choices contextually within customer journeys ➡️ Transforming consent from a blocker to an engagement opportunity ➡️ Creating value exchanges that make data sharing beneficial for customers ➡️ Enabling A/B testing to optimize for both compliance and conversion The marketing leaders I work with seek solutions that balance performance with responsible data practices. This approach represents the kind of innovation our industry needs. Take a look at what Ketch has built. Whether you implement their solution or not, forward-thinking marketing teams should follow this path. #marketing #innovation #customerexperience super{set}

Fact: You’re probably messing up your email marketing by not paying attention to what your customers really want. Want to stop bleeding cash and start seeing some real engagement and sales from your emails? Follow these steps 👇 Step 1: Truly understand your customers Stop guessing. Start paying attention to the signals your customers are throwing at you. Which emails do they open? What time are they in their inbox? Use this data. It's gold. Match your email send times and content to their habits, not your convenience. Step 2: Cut out anything generic Nobody cares about your "Dear Valued Customer" emails. Get real. Dive into what your customers are into. Segment them based on their actions, purchases, and interests. Make your emails feel like they're coming from a friend who knows them, not a robot. Step 3: Ask, listen, act The most ignored step: actually asking your customers what they think about your emails and then using that feedback. It's simple. Send a survey, ask for feedback directly in your emails, and use what they tell you to make your emails better. Bottom line? Your emails could be making you more money, building loyalty, and driving sales through the roof. But only if you stop being lazy with your approach. Understand your customers, personalize like a pro, and use their feedback to dial in your strategy.