Open Rates Are a Vanity Metric. Focus Here Instead
Somewhere along the way, marketers fell head over heels for open rates. Like a moth to a flame, we've treated them as gospel: higher equals better. But in 2025, relying on open rates is about as useful as using a chocolate teapot.
The simple fact is this: open rates are a vanity metric. They make you feel good, but they don't grow your business. They're a polite applause, not a standing ovation. If your marketing strategy is obsessed with open rates, you're essentially counting how many people glanced at your billboard while speeding past on the motorway.
At Ultimate Marketing, we believe you deserve better. Better results, better insights, and a CRM that actually moves the needle—UltimateCRM. Let's bin the old way of thinking and focus on what actually drives revenue.
Why Open Rates Are Losing the Plot
Open rates are dodgy these days—and not just because Apple decided to throw a spanner in the works with Mail Privacy Protection (cheers for that). Now, emails "open" whether or not a real human ever sees them. And if you're banking your success on that?
You're chasing shadows.
Even before privacy changes, open rates were always a flimsy metric. They couldn't tell you:
If someone skimmed or savoured your content
If they actually took an action that mattered
If they even cared about your offer
It's like counting how many people smiled at your shop window without checking how many actually walked in and bought a sausage roll.
The Real MVP: Engagement
Here's the real ticket: engagement.
Did they click? Did they reply? Did they share it with someone else? Did they part with their hard-earned cash?
That’s the stuff that matters. Engagement shows intent. It reveals where you’re winning hearts (and wallets) and where you're shouting into the void.
At Ultimate Marketing, we don't get misty-eyed over "opens." We track:
Click-through rates
Time spent on landing pages
Conversions (the holy grail)
Responses and social shares
Because clicks lead to conversations, conversations lead to conversions, and conversions lead to loyal customers. Open rates lead to precisely nowhere if you stop there.
UltimateCRM: Your Secret Weapon
Fancy a tool that shows you where the money's hiding? That's UltimateCRM.
UltimateCRM doesn't just give you vanity stats to flash in meetings. It digs deep. It shows you:
Which contacts are genuinely interested
What content makes people take action
Where you're leaking leads like a sieve
How to automatically nurture prospects based on behaviour
Imagine knowing not just who "opened" your email, but who clicked, browsed, pondered, and purchased. That's the power of a proper CRM built for marketers who mean business.
With UltimateCRM, you can:
Trigger follow-ups based on engagement
Score leads automatically
Personalise every step of the journey
No more flying blind. No more hoping and praying. Just smart, strategic marketing that actually works.
Chasing Open Rates is Like Shouting into the Wind
It feels good when you see a big number. You might even screenshot it and send it to the boss with a "Look how well we're doing!" email.
But ask yourself: did it actually make a dent?
Did sales spike?
Did new opportunities flood in?
Did customers stick around longer?
If not, who are we kidding?
Focusing on open rates is marketing theatre. It's the equivalent of putting on a cracking show with nobody in the audience actually buying a ticket.
The real players, the marketers who laugh all the way to the bank, focus on conversions and customer relationships. Open rates? Nice to glance at, but not worth losing sleep over.
Where Smart Marketers Are Focusing Now
We work with brands that get it. They’re not seduced by flashy numbers; they’re focused on:
Engagement depth
Quality over quantity
Customer lifetime value
True return on investment
When you think bigger, your marketing strategy grows up.
They’re asking:
How many customers did this email create?
How many conversations did it start?
How much revenue did it unlock?
And with UltimateCRM in their corner, they're not just guessing—they're tracking it, tweaking it, and winning, week after week.
Beyond the Click: What Really Matters
Clicks are a stronger signal than opens, no doubt. But don't pop the prosecco yet.
A click alone is still just a "maybe." Real magic happens after the click:
Do they binge your blog posts?
Do they download your guides?
Do they get on a call?
Do they trust you enough to open their wallets?
The journey doesn't end at the click. It starts there.
And that’s where UltimateCRM shines—tracking those post-click behaviours and nudging your audience forward at just the right moment.
Marketing in 2025: Smarter, Sharper, Savvier
Modern marketing isn’t about casting a wide net and hoping for the best. It's about fishing with a spear.
Ultimate Marketing clients don't sit back and admire open rates. They:
Target the right audience
Craft the right message
Deliver it at the right time
Follow up in the right way
That’s what real marketing success looks like.
And when you have a CRM that's made for the job—not some clunky relic from the 2010s—you're armed and dangerous in the best possible way.
Time to Move On From Vanity
Here's the brutal truth: if you're still measuring success by open rates, you're playing a mug's game.
The businesses dominating their industries are the ones digging deeper. They're building strategies on hard data, real engagement, and meaningful results. They're investing in systems like UltimateCRM that turn every campaign into a money-making machine.
Stop being impressed by a fleeting glance. Start being obsessed with lasting loyalty.
The choice is yours.
Ready to leave vanity metrics in the dust and build real success? Book your FREE marketing strategy session today. Let's get your emails not just opened, but acted on.
