EDM Performance: Building Strong Foundations for Better Member Engagement

Whether promoting events, sharing club news or highlighting community initiatives, EDMs provide a direct line of communication. But how do you know if they're working?

The answer lies in understanding your performance metrics and building the right foundations to improve them over time.

Start with the Right Benchmarks

While every member club audience is different, these benchmarks can help you assess whether your EDMs are performing strongly:

• Open Rate: 35–50%
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): 3–10%
• Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR): 10–25%
• Unsubscribe Rate: Less than 1%.

These metrics provide valuable insight into how members are interacting with your communications.

Open rates show how many members opened your email. Click-through rates measure how many members clicked a link, while CTOR helps you understand how engaging your content was to those who opened the email. Unsubscribe rates can indicate whether your communications remain relevant and valuable to your audience.

However, metrics are only one part of the story. The real value comes from understanding what drives them.

Focus on What Members Care About

One of the biggest mistakes clubs make is sending every message to every member. For example, a social member may not be interested in bowls updates. 

The more relevant your content, the more likely members are to engage.

Simple segmentation based on membership type, interests, event attendance or venue activity can significantly improve engagement and ensure members receive information that matters to them.

Make It Easy to Engage

Members are busy, and attention is limited.

Clear subject lines, concise copy and prominent call-to-action buttons make a significant difference. Avoid overcrowding emails with too much information and focus on one or two key messages per send.

Remember, the goal of an EDM is not to tell members everything. It's to encourage them to take the next step, whether that's registering for an event, reading an article or visiting your website.

Use Reporting to Improve

The most successful clubs don't just send emails — they learn from them.

Review which stories receive the most clicks, which events generate the strongest engagement, and which subject lines consistently drive higher open rates. 

Over time, these insights help build a clearer picture of what resonates with your members.

Strong EDM performance isn't achieved through a single campaign. It's built through quality data, relevant content and a commitment to continuous improvement.

When clubs focus on delivering timely, valuable and engaging communications, email becomes more than a marketing tool — it becomes a powerful way to strengthen member relationships and deepen community connection.