5 Steps to Building an Email Re-engagement Campaign

Did you know that, on average, about 70-75% of your email list is inactive? I, too, jumped in surprise when hearing that from email marketing expert Per Caroe of Lyris  at MarketingSherpa’s recent Email Summit .

If the majority of your subscribers are not engaged, you should seriously consider launching a series of re-engagement campaigns. Now that mail clients are using engagement metrics to determine your reputation, improving the levels of activity is crucial not only for revenue growth but also for deliverability. As Tara Natanson of Constant Contact wrote , “If people on your list aren’t engaging, then the ISP will think your messages aren’t important to your subscribers and may place them in a spam or trash folder.”

We don’t want this to happen. So here is how you can go about a complete re-engagement campaign:

1. Wake Up the Zombies  

Create a filter for the people who haven’t opened your emails in 9 months and build a campaign geared towards them. Ask them if they are still interested. Prompt them to make a decision. Force them to take action. By including a provocative subject line and a personal message, you might be able to pull them in emotionally and retain their attention. There is a high probability you will get them to act.

2. Types of Re-Engagement Campaigns

What types of emails can you send them? Surveys, birthday e-mails and special promos are among some of the most popular campaigns. Separate the subscribes who responded to your first email and follow up with one of your best offers that they have previously neglected. Don’t be limited by what other companies have already done. Think outside the box and make sure you track the results.  

3. Purge the Dead Ones

After you launch the re-engagement campaign, you will see that some recipients remain inactive. If the list is actually dead, save yourself some money and remove these emails. Purging data tends to scare marketers since managers like to see big numbers. Don’t make the same mistake by treating quantity as quality.  

4. Perform More Accurate Testing

By removing the inactive ones and focusing on the active recipients, you will maintain a highly responsive list. That will enhance your familiarity with the list and let you perform more accurate testing. You might be surprised at how much more effective A/B split testing can get. Be ready for some interesting results!

5. Make On-boarding Process Stronger

While reengagement campaigns can be effective in some situations, they can also be pretty time-consuming and expensive. In order to limit them, you should strengthen the on-boarding process of email subscribers. As Jeanniey Mullen noted , “focus on the first 90 days of messaging.” Make sure your first communication with new recipients is relevant and respectful, prompting them to take instant action and remain engaged. “Turns out the smartest investment lies in making your on-boarding process as strong as possible,” wrote Jeanniey.

Have you worked on any out-of-the-box re-engagement campaigns? Share them with us in the comments below.

Photo credit:  H4NUM4N