Data driven decision making is a big part of how companies do business nowadays. Especially if there is any Six Sigma or Lean Business influences in your corporate culture.

Data driven decision making has the potential to have a really strong impact on marketing and email analysis if it is used properly. However like any other buzz word, “data driven” is often thrown around without people fully understanding how it works.

The success of an email marketing campaign can vary on many different things. For some companies, a high open rate means success. Others want to see a good click through rate. Others still want to see purchases as a direct result of their email marketing campaign. Yet whatever email marketing statistics are used to determine success one thing remains true, the goals need to be written so that they reflect measureable objectives. 
It is one thing to say “we want to see a higher delivery rate with our email marketing.” It is another to give that higher rate an actual number. “We want to see the delivery rate of our marketing emails increase by 15% over the next campaign as a result of our new email collection drive.”

The SMART Technique 

There are quite a few differences between the two goals. Both rely on an improvement in the same email analytics but the way they are written are completely different. The latter employs the SMART technique:

• Specific – Specific goals have a much greater chance of being reached.
• Measurable – Establish a criteria for success.
• Attainable – Make sure you have the tools to make reaching the goal possible.
• Realistic – Make sure your goals don’t over reach.
• Timely – Give your goal a time frame.

Using this system, or one that is similar, will help you set goals and objectives that provide tangible results for you to show how successful your marketing campaigns are.