What is the Hard Bounce Rate and how to interpret it?

Nowadays, email campaign mailings are one of the most popular marketing tools. They allow us to reach our customers with important information, promotions and news. However, sending emails can encounter some problems, such as incorrect email addresses or full recipients’ inboxes. That’s why it’s important to monitor metrics such as Hard Bounce Rate, which helps us understand what our results and campaign effectiveness are.

Definition of Hard Bounce Rate

Hard Bounce Rate is one of the most important indicators that measures the percentage of failed email deliveries. This means that the message was not delivered to the recipient due to an invalid or non-existent email address.

In practice, if we receive a large number of hard bounces, it means that our contact list contains many wrong email addresses. This can have a negative impact on our reputation as a sender and the effectiveness of the campaign.

How to interpret the Hard Bounce Rate?

Hard Bounce Rate is an important indicator to monitor because it translates into the quality of our contact list and the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. A high rate may suggest that:

• We have incorrect email addresses in our contact list. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to audit and get rid of the incorrect email addresses.
• Our contact list is out of date. If we receive a lot of hard bounces, it is possible that some of our recipients have changed their email addresses. It is a good idea to update our contact list regularly.
• Our ISP (Internet Service Provider) or ESP (Email Service Provider) limits our ability to send. If you are receiving a lot of hard bounces, it is a good idea to consult with your email service provider to understand if there are any limitations or technical issues.

Monitoring the Hard Bounce Rate helps us identify problems and take appropriate action. This allows us to improve the effectiveness of our email campaigns, increase message deliverability and build better relationships with our customers.

It is worth remembering that the Hard Bounce Rate should be monitored in the context of other metrics, such as Open Rate or Click Through Rate. Only then can we understand the full picture and effectively optimize our email campaigns.

Please visit our SARE website for more information on omnichannel marketing and effective email campaign sending.