How to Tell if Your Emails Are Actually Making You Money

Look, I get it. You’ve probably got a hundred things on your plate today. Between managing the crew, sorting out invoices, and actually doing the work, the last thing you want to do is sit down and stare at a bunch of graphs in your email dashboard.

Most business owners I talk to in Brisbane do the same thing. They send out a blast, see a few people opened it, and think, "Yeah, that'll do."

But here’s the thing: most of those numbers are rubbish. They’re what we call vanity metrics. They make you feel good, but they don’t pay the mortgage.

If you’re spending time (or paying someone) to send emails, you need to know if it’s actually working. I’m talking about real results—more phone calls, more bookings, and more money in the bank.

So, let’s grab a drink, pull up a chair, and I’ll walk you through how to actually read your email reports without your head exploding.

Why most email numbers are a lie

First up, we need to clear the air.

For years, everyone obsessed over "Open Rates." You’d see a 30% open rate and think you were a marketing genius.

I’ve got some bad news. Open rates are almost entirely fake now.

Ever since Apple changed their privacy settings a couple of years back, their system basically "opens" every email automatically to check for privacy stuff before it even hits the user’s phone. So, your report might say 50% of people opened your email, but half of those could be robots.

Don’t lose sleep over your open rate. It’s a rough guide at best. If it drops from 30% to 5% overnight, yeah, you’ve got a problem. But otherwise? Ignore the noise.

We want to focus on the stuff that leads to a sale.

The only numbers that actually matter

When I sit down with our clients at Local Marketing Group, I tell them to look at three main things. Everything else is just fluff.

1. The "Click-Through" (People taking action)

Maybe they clicked to "Book a Quote," or they’re checking out a new product. This is your best indicator that your message hit the mark. If nobody is clicking, your email was probably a bit boring or you didn't give them a clear reason to take the next step.

2. The "Reply" (Real conversations)

If someone hits 'reply' to your email to ask a question, that’s a hot lead. It’s better than any click. It means they trust you enough to start a conversation. We always tell our mates to make sure their emails look like they came from a real person, not a big corporate machine, because it encourages people to actually talk back.

3. The Unsubscribe (The 'piss off' factor)

But if you send an email and 5% of your list hits the exit button at once? You’ve messed up. You’re either sending too much, or what you’re sending is annoying. Keeping an eye on this helps you figure out how often to email so you don't become a pest.

How to track the money (The DIY way)

This is where most people get stuck. They see a click, but they don't know if that click turned into a $2,000 job.

If you’re running a shop, you can track sales directly if your email tool talks to your website. But for most service-based businesses in Brisbane, it’s a bit more manual.

Here’s a simple way to do it:

1. Use a specific offer: Tell people to "Mention this email for 10% off your first service." When the phone rings and they say that, you know exactly where they came from. 2. Use a dedicated booking page: Send people to a hidden page on your site like yourbusiness.com.au/special-offer. If people land there, they definitely came from the email. 3. Just ask them: It sounds basic, but when you're quoting a job, ask "How'd you hear about us again?" If they say "Oh, I saw that email you sent about the storm season prep," mark it down.

"Stop obsessing over how many people saw your email; start obsessing over how many people actually did something because of it. A small list of people who actually buy is worth ten times more than a massive list of people who just ignore you."

— Lisa Nguyen, Digital Strategy Consultant

Step-by-Step: How to run a proper test

If you want to get serious about this, you shouldn't just guess what works. You should test it.

Let’s say you’re a plumber and you want to send an email about hot water system maintenance. You aren't sure if people want a "Free Safety Check" or "$50 Off a Service."

Don't guess. Split your list in half. Send the safety check offer to one half, and the $50 discount to the other.

Check back in a week. Which one got more phone calls? Which one led to more actual bookings?

This is how you stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work. You let your customers tell you what they want with their wallets.

The "Spam Folder" trap

None of these numbers matter if your emails aren't even getting to the inbox.

If you notice your clicks and replies have suddenly flatlined, there’s a good chance Google or Outlook has decided you’re a spammer. This happens a lot when people buy lists (never do that) or send dodgy-looking links.

If you're worried your messages are disappearing into the void, you need to learn how to land in the inbox instead of the junk folder. It’s usually a quick fix, but if you ignore it, your email marketing is basically dead in the water.

Is it actually worth the cost?

I’ve had blokes tell me they don't want to pay $50 a month for an email platform.

My response is always the same: "How much is one new customer worth to you?"

If one job brings in $500 profit, and your email tool costs $50, you only need one person to book every ten months to break even. Most of our clients see way more than that.

However, you do need to be careful about which tools you use. Some "free" versions end up costing you a fortune in lost sales because they look cheap or don't work on phones properly. It's worth looking into email platform costs before you sign up for anything long-term.

What you should do right now

Alright, enough talk. Here’s your homework for this week. It’ll take you 20 minutes tops.

1. Log into your email tool: Go to the 'Reports' section of the last email you sent. 2. Look at the Clicks: See which links people actually clicked. Was it your phone number? A blog post? A specific service page? This tells you what they care about. 3. Check your Replies: Did anyone actually email you back? If not, next time, try ending your email with a simple question like, "Does your roof need a look-over before summer? Just hit reply and let me know." 4. Calculate your ROI: Did those clicks turn into sales? Even if it's just a rough guess, try to put a dollar figure on it.

If you do this every time you send an email, you’ll quickly realise what’s a waste of time and what’s actually growing your business.

Marketing shouldn't be a mystery. It’s just about figuring out what makes your phone ring and doing more of that.

If you’re sick of trying to figure this out yourself and just want someone to handle the techy bits so you can focus on your actual job, give us a shout. We help Brisbane businesses get their marketing sorted properly without all the jargon.

Drop us a line at https://lmgroup.au/contact and let's have a chat about how we can get more people booking your services.