If you’re in B2B marketing, you’ve probably stared at a pile of email analytics and wondered what any of it actually means—and what you’re supposed to do about it. Tools like Litmus promise sharp insights into how your emails are performing, but the dashboards can feel like a firehose of numbers and charts. This guide is for anyone who’s sent a campaign, opened Litmus, and thought, “Great, now what?”
Let’s cut through the noise and get practical: here’s how to actually read Litmus analytics, figure out what matters, ditch the vanity metrics, and make real improvements to your B2B email results.
Step 1: Get Oriented — What Litmus Analytics Shows You
Before you can act on Litmus data, you need a handle on what you’re looking at. Here’s a quick rundown of the main metrics and what they actually mean for B2B email:
- Opens: How many people opened your email. Thanks to Apple Mail Privacy Protection and similar privacy features, this number is less reliable than ever.
- Clicks: Who actually clicked something in your email. This is still your most useful action metric.
- Read Time: How long people spent with your email open. “Read” usually means 8+ seconds; “skimmed” is less.
- Device/Email Client: Where and on what kind of device your emails are opened.
- Geography: Sometimes useful for global businesses, but usually less actionable for most B2Bs.
- Spam/Blocked/Unsubscribes: Early warning signs that your emails are annoying or not landing.
What to ignore (mostly): - Opens as a standalone metric. Privacy features skew the numbers. - “Forwards” and “prints.” Cool in theory, but rarely accurate or actionable.
What to pay close attention to: - Clicks and click-to-open rates (CTOR) - Read/skimmed times on key emails - Device/client breakdowns for compatibility
Step 2: Set Up Tracking Correctly (Don’t Skip This)
It sounds boring, but garbage in = garbage out. If your tracking setup is messy, nothing else matters.
- Make sure Litmus tracking is enabled in your ESP or sending platform. If you use multiple systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo), double-check your integration.
- Tag your links with UTM parameters if you want to attribute clicks back to campaigns in Google Analytics or your CRM. Litmus won’t do this for you.
- Send test emails using Litmus to make sure analytics are flowing in. Don’t wait until after a big campaign to find out you missed a step.
Pro tip: If you’re sending sensitive or internal emails, check your privacy policy and legal team before enabling tracking. Tracking pixels can be dicey in some industries.
Step 3: Find the Real Signals in the Noise
You’ll see a lot of charts and heatmaps. Here’s how to spot what actually matters for B2B:
1. Clicks Are King
Ignore the open rate arms race. In B2B, your main goal is to get people to take an action, usually clicking through to a page, event, or resource. Focus your analysis on:
- Which links are getting clicked?
- Is the main CTA button getting attention, or are people distracted by secondary links?
- Click-to-open rate (CTOR): Of those who actually saw your email, how many clicked? This tells you if your content and CTA are working.
2. Read Time Tells You Engagement
If people spend less than a few seconds, they’re not reading. For longer B2B emails (whitepapers, event invites), check:
- Are most people skimming or actually reading?
- Where is the drop-off in heatmaps? Are people bailing before the CTA?
3. Device and Client Breakdown
B2B audiences are still heavy on desktop and Outlook, but always check:
- Are your emails breaking in Outlook or Gmail?
- Do mobile users bail faster? If so, your email may be too long or poorly formatted for phones.
4. Unsubscribes and Spam Complaints
If these are spiking, stop and reassess. You’re either hitting the wrong people, sending too often, or your content isn’t relevant.
Step 4: Turn Insight Into Action
Here’s how you can actually use what you’re seeing to get better results:
1. Improve Your CTAs
If your main button or link isn’t getting clicks: - Make it bigger, clearer, and above the fold. - Cut down on distractions—limit secondary links. - Use action language (“Download the report” vs. “Learn more”).
2. Test Shorter vs. Longer Emails
If read times are low and clicks are flat, try sending shorter messages. B2B folks get a ton of email. Get to the point and see if clicks go up.
3. Fix Rendering Issues
If Litmus shows a lot of opens on Outlook, but barely any clicks, preview your emails in Outlook and fix formatting weirdness. B2B buyers often use clunky corporate email clients.
4. Segment Ruthlessly
If you’re seeing high unsubscribes or complaints, narrow your audience. Stop blasting everyone and send targeted emails to people who actually care.
5. A/B Test Your Way to Better Results
- Test subject lines, but don’t obsess over open rate—look at CTOR and clicks.
- Try different layouts: single CTA vs. a menu of links.
- Switch up send times (Litmus can show you when people are opening).
6. Don’t Obsess Over Vanity Metrics
Don’t chase open rates—they’re unreliable. Don’t sweat “unique devices” unless you see a huge shift. Focus on what drives business (leads, meetings booked, demos requested).
Pro tip: Don’t let “heatmap envy” drive you crazy. The prettiest scroll map in the world doesn’t matter if no one’s clicking.
Step 5: Build a Simple Reporting Habit
You don’t need to build a 30-page slide deck for every campaign. Here’s a basic routine:
- After each send, check:
- Clicks on main CTA
- CTOR
- Read vs. skimmed rates
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Unsubscribes/spam
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Once a month, review:
- Device/client trends (in case something’s breaking)
- Top performing emails (what actually moved the needle)
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Underperformers (and why)
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Share only what matters. Your boss doesn’t care about the number of Gmail users. They care about leads, pipeline, or customer engagement.
Step 6: Learn, Adjust, Repeat
Email isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. The best teams use Litmus not as a final exam, but as a feedback loop.
- If a test works, roll it out wider.
- If clicks drop, dig in—don’t just send more.
- If you’re not sure, ask a real customer: “Did you see our email? What did you think?”
Pro tip: Your first instinct is usually right—if the email looks too busy or confusing to you, it probably is.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overthink It
Litmus analytics can be a lifesaver—or a time sink. Stick to the signals that matter for B2B: clicks, CTOR, real engagement, and device issues. Ignore the fluff. Use what you learn to keep things clear and useful for your audience. Then, try something new, check your results, and keep going. Simple beats complicated every time.
Now go make your next email better than your last. That’s all the “optimization” you really need.