For email programs, should you remove unsubscribes or bounced leads to ensure your program metrics in RCE are not skewed?

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Hi All!

Questions:

For email programs, should you remove unsubscribes or bounced leads to ensure your program metrics in RCE are not skewed?

For instance won't these types of "members" in your program really skew % Success (Total), % Success (New Names) and other similar metrics in reports like a Program Membership Analysis and Program Cost Analysis?

What should you watch out for and how should you make sure you are not skewing metrics?

Thanks ahead of time!

[Dan_Stevens_]

We run the following batch campaign each week (and a trigger campaign for new leads) that sets a custom field - called "Emailable" - to TRUE if all of the following conditions are true:

This makes our sends extremely efficient.  Even though Marketo automatically suppresses unsubscribes, keeping them out to begin with, is even better.

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Thanks Dan,

That is a good idea.  We will most likely implement that.  However, what about those program members that become unsubscribed or bounced in that program?  Those still would impact the metrics I discussed in the question above.

What are your thoughts on that?

[Dan_Stevens_]

For the email channel, they don't become members until they've engaged - for us, "clicked".

[Nate_Oosterhous]

When does someone become a member in an email program?  Is it at a standard point or is that something you can set?

[Nate_Oosterhous · Accepted solution]

Hi Dan,

I found the answer in this post:

List Membership and Program Membership - There's a Difference

[Jessica_Kao3]

Hi Nate,

You hit the nail on the head why I do not set a usable success step in email programs because it will skew your results.  I tend to stay away from having email blasts have their own programs with success steps.  You can still get to the data of who clicked, who opened, which email campaign got more engagement etc.  Without having to contaminate your RCE reports with skewed results.  If you want them to play a role in FT or MT, I like to use a nurture program or similar and have a status called member and engaged and define engaged with a higher bar.  Just know that whatever you decide to make success will take a piece of the pie of your attribution. 

[Nate_Oosterhous]

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your reply.  All insight is helpful!  I just do not share the same opinion on the fact that emails should not be a channel and have programs for emails.  Maybe I do not fully understand...

Best,

Nate