JBA Central Blog System

Even in the dead of winter, it's never too early to start some spring cleaning...of your email list, that is! If your list has become overrun with weeds, it's time to give it some new life by re-engaging inactive subscribers, or those who haven't been opening or responding to your email marketing campaigns in a while. Here are some guidelines to get your started:

• Use your email marketing software to segment your email list into active and inactive subscribers. Do this based on your desired criteria (i.e., people who haven't opened and/or interacted with your newsletter in the past six months).
• Get to know your inactive demographic. Perhaps they all have something in common. Maybe the majority of them are men and lately your content has been more geared toward women, or maybe they all belong to a certain age group. Or, perhaps they all opted in to your free email marketing newsletter in order to take advantage of coupons or a one-time special offer.
• Try different email marketing templates and formats. For example, try sending inactives a text version of your email that is simple but has specific links and call-to-action. Some people might just be overwhelmed by all the bells and whistles.
• Test different subject lines. A creative subject line could be one of your most effective re-engagement strategies, especially if you've been using the same style/tone of subject line for some time.
• Modify content. Consider packaging your content in a new or different html email marketing template for your list of inactives. Use testing strategies and analysis to uncover trends that might lead you to provide dynamic content based on specific subscriber profiles or preferences.
• Play around with day, time & frequency. If you always send at the same day and/or time of day, consider adjusting distribution times and the frequency with which you distribute to see what spurs the most response.
• Send a postcard. Retailers might consider sending inactives a postcard with a "we miss you" incentive such as free shipping or a discount. B2B marketers might offer a free webinar or white paper to re-engage and motivate inactive recipients.
• Ask subscribers to update their email preferences and profiles. Use incentives to drive them to update account information, format preferences, interests and demographics. This will help you to better target them in your email marketing newsletters.
• Survey your subscribers from time to time. What better way to find out what your recipients think than to ask them? Ask for feedback on the content of your email marketing newsletter as well as the services you offer. This may help you gain some insight into why some people no longer seem interested in your communications.
• Update active/inactive subscriber lists. As inactives begin to respond to your newsletter again, whether opening it, clicking a link, making a purchase, etc., change their list status to "active." This way you can target them a bit differently next time.