Look, if you’re running a business in Brisbane, you’ve probably got a list of customer emails sitting in a spreadsheet or some software you barely touch.
Maybe you send the occasional blast when things are quiet. Maybe you don’t send anything because you don't want to annoy people. But if you’re looking at your reports and wondering if a 20% open rate is good, or why nobody is clicking your links, you’re asking the wrong questions.
I’ve sat down with enough business owners in Paddington and Milton to know that "benchmarks" usually feel like fluff. Who cares what a global software company in Silicon Valley gets? You want to know if your emails are going to result in more bookings for your trade business or more sales for your shop.
Let’s cut through the rubbish and look at what’s actually happening in the Australian market right now.
The Numbers That Actually Matter
Most agencies will bore you to tears with "industry averages." They’ll tell you the average open rate for a retail business is 22%.
Honestly? That number means nothing to you.
If 22% of people open your email but they’re all just looking for the 'unsubscribe' button, you’re losing money. We focus on two things: are people clicking, and are they buying?
In Australia, across the small businesses we work with, here is the reality:
Tradies and Services: You should see higher open rates (30-40%) because your emails are usually about a specific job or a seasonal reminder. If you're below this, your subject lines are probably boring. Retail and E-commerce: It’s a dogfight. You’re lucky to hit 20% because everyone’s inbox is flooded with discounts. The win here isn't the open; it's the repeat purchase.
- Professional Services: If you’re an accountant or a lawyer, your open rates should be high, but your click rates will be low. People read your advice, but they only click when they have a problem.
Why Your Open Rates Are Probably Lying to You
I’ll let you in on a secret: Apple changed the game a couple of years ago. Now, a lot of iPhones "open" emails in the background to check for privacy stuff. This inflates your numbers.
If your software says you have a 40% open rate, the real number might be closer to 25%. This is why we tell our clients to stop obsessing over opens and start looking at the cash.
Are people picking up the phone? Are they using the discount code? If not, the email failed, even if the "stats" look pretty.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is businesses using cheap or free tools that end up in the spam folder. You might think you're saving a few bucks, but if your emails aren't being delivered, you're invisible. It's worth looking into email platform costs before you commit to a system that doesn't actually get the job done.
A Real Example: The Tradie Who Stopped "Blasting"
We had a client—a local electrical mob—who used to send one big email to 2,000 people once a quarter. They’d get maybe two jobs from it.
We changed their approach. Instead of a generic "We do air con" email, we split their list. We sent one email to people who had an old system and a different one to people who just needed a service.
Open rates jumped, but more importantly, the phone started ringing immediately.
"Stop treating your email list like a megaphone and start treating it like a series of one-on-one conversations with people who already know you."
— Angus Smith, Founder & Marketing Director
That’s the difference. When you segment your audience, you stop being a nuisance and start being helpful. People buy from people who are helpful.
The "Click" Problem
If people are opening but not clicking, you’ve usually got one of three problems:
1. You’re asking for too much. Don't ask them to read a 1,000-word blog post. Ask them to book a quote. 2. The link is broken. You’d be surprised how often this happens. 3. It looks terrible on a phone.
Most of your customers are reading your emails on the building site, in the car, or while waiting for a coffee. If they have to zoom in to read your text, they’re gone. We see a massive jump in results just by making sure links actually work and the text is big enough to read without glasses.
What Should You Expect to Pay?
Let’s talk brass tacks.
If you’re doing this yourself, you’re paying for the software (anywhere from $30 to $300 a month) and your time. Your time is the expensive part. If you spend five hours a month messing around with layouts and it only brings in one small job, you’re losing money.
If you hire an agency like us to handle it, you’re looking at a monthly fee, but the goal is to make that money back five times over in new bookings.
For most small businesses, you don't need to send an email every week. Once or twice a month is plenty, provided what you’re sending is actually useful. If you try to do too much, you’ll burn out, and your list will stop caring.
How Long Until the Phone Rings?
Unlike SEO, which takes months, email marketing is fast. If you send an email at 10:00 AM on a Tuesday, you’ll know by 2:00 PM if it worked.
But here’s the catch: it only works if you’ve built a list of people who actually want to hear from you. If you bought a list of random Brisbane emails off the internet, you’re wasting your time. Google will flag you as spam, and your actual customers will never see your messages.
Your 3-Step Plan for This Week
If you want to move the needle on your numbers, don't worry about "benchmarks." Do this instead:
1. Clean your list. If someone hasn't opened an email from you in a year, delete them. You’re paying for them to sit there, and they’re hurting your reputation with Google. 2. Fix your "From" name. Don't send emails from "Info" or "Admin." Send them from "John at [Your Business]." People open emails from people, not departments. 3. One clear goal. Every email should have one button. "Book Now," "Claim Discount," or "Call Us." Don't give them five choices; they’ll pick none.
Marketing shouldn't be a mystery. It’s about getting the right message to the right person at a time when they’re ready to spend money.
If your current email setup feels like a chore that isn't paying off, it’s probably because you’re following old rules that don't apply to a local business in the real world.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about industry averages. We care about your bottom line. If you want to stop guessing and start seeing more enquiries from the customers you already have, let’s have a chat.
No jargon, no fluff, just a plan to make you more money.