The Four Most Important Invitation Software Statistics
Invitation software isn’t just a tool to manage your event’s RSVP process; it’s also a source of incredibly insightful data that when analysed correctly, can improve your attendance rates. That said, many event planners don’t know which statistics to pay attention to, and which to ignore. If you don’t know what you’re looking for in the first place, finding meaning in the numbers is impossible. In no particular order, here are the four most important invitation software statistics, as well as what you can glean from them:
1. Bounce rate
Your bounce rate – in other words – the email invitations that are blocked by the recipient’s IP, and sent straight back to you – indicates how many invitations are actually being sent. A high bounce rate could explain lacklustre attendance rates, as well as indicate that your email invites are being marked as “spammy”. This could be due to the fact that most servers – internal corporate intranets in particular – automatically block emails that are too image-heavy. You can remedy a high bounce rate by cleaning your database (this might have to be done manually), or by redesigning your invitations, removing any embedded images.
2. Decay rate
This is the rate at which your database becomes redundant. On average, 25% of an email database becomes redundant within a year. That’s ¼ of your guest list! In order to ensure that your email invitations reach all of your guests, it’s imperative that your invitation software continually updates your guest lists, and then saves this information in a central guest list management system. One way to ensure that your email database is as “healthy” as possible, is to have guests confirm their email address when arriving at your event. Our Guest Concierge Management System – with real-time updates – enables you to gather this information upon check-in.
3. Delivery rate
Just as telling as your bounce rate, your delivery rate indicates exactly that – the percentage of email invitations that successfully land in the intended recipient’s inbox. If your delivery rate is high, congratulations! Your email database is up to date, and your invitations are designed in such a way that they’re not blocked as spam, and are as intriguing as possible. A low delivery rate, however, indicates that your invites are too image heavy, or that servers are marking them as spam for another reason. Your invitation software should make use of a white-listing service, which ensures that your emails are delivered.
4. Open rate
If your delivery rate is high, yet your email invitations remain unopened, you’ll need to relook at the time of sending, as well as your subject line. Our inboxes are flooded with emails daily; which means that we only open the ones that stand out. A low open rate could be due to the fact that your invitation is lost amongst countless other mails – make sure you’re not sending them out in the middle of the day, when inboxes fill up at breakneck speed. Another factor that can facilitate a less than stellar open rate is your subject line; your wording may be too obtuse, or just plain boring. Make sure you clearly convey the benefit that a guest will enjoy. For example, a subject line that reads: “VIP access to a private wine tasting” is much more intriguing than “You’re invited to taste wine with us”.
When examined holistically, the statistics you glean from your invitation software should give you a clear indication of how your email invites are faring. If you’re not able to see how your guests are interacting with your invitations, you’ll only make the same mistakes over again. Ensure that your invitation software provides you with these statistics, and that it stores all of your guest list information in one central databank.
Find out more about why our Guest Concierge Management Software is one of the most sophisticated corporate event management services out there.
Email has evolved since the first electronic-mail was sent in 1971. The invention of the World Wide Web 20 years later saw email take off as widespread form of communication and the emergence of the first