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econsultancy_xml

Analyse your list The first step is to take a look at your list to determine what percentage of subscribers are inactive i.e. they haven't opened or clicked on your emails for some time. The threshold for this will be different for each company, but many will consider subscribers as inactive if they have ignored ten successive emails. Try to re-engage subscribers before it is too late The last thing you want to do is to keep sending emails to recipients who are uninterested in them, so you should identify these subscribers as early as possible, before it gets to the point where they will hit the 'report spam' button. Special offers Offering free delivery, discounts etc may be enough to tempt some inactive subscribers to start clicking on your emails again. Alter frequency <a href="/blog/1338-strategies-for-finding-the-right-email-frequency">Email frequency</a> is a key factor; send emails too often and people may be put off, while not sending often enough can make them forget why they signed up in the first place. Experimenting with frequency can help to re-activate some lapsed subscribers. Send on different days / times Open and click rates can vary depending on the day and time they are sent out. For instance, many surveys find that <a href="/blog/1867-email-open-rates-drop-3">sending emails earlier in the week</a> generates the best response. Make emails more relevant If subscribers aren't responding to your emails, perhaps this is because they aren't relevant to their interests. If you have obtained information on interests and preferences when they subscribed, use this to target your emails more effectively. Survey subscribers Try asking inactive subscribers why they are not opening your emails. Of course, many may not respond, but the information gained from those that do could be valuable. Try out different subject lines Perhaps your <a href="/blog/504-email-marketing-tips-on-subject-lines">subject lines</a> aren't doing enough to make recipients click on your emails. Consider including the brand/company name in the subject line, make them shorter if they are too long, and track which are most effective. Related research: <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-industry-census-2008">Email Marketing Industry Census 2008</a> <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-briefing-march-2008">Email Marketing Roundtable Briefing - March 2008</a> Related articles: <a href="/blog/2599-three-authentication-systems-that-can-help-boost-email-delivery-rates">Three authentication systems that can help boost email delivery rates</a> <a href="/blog/2497-firms-failing-to-send-welcome-emails">Firms failing to send welcome emails</a>

<FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Analyse your list</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>The first step is to take a look at your list to determine what percentage of subscribers are inactive i.e. they haven't opened or clicked on your emails for some time. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>The threshold for this will be different for each company, but many will consider subscribers as inactive if they have ignored ten successive emails. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Try to re-engage subscribers before it is too late</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>The last thing you want to do is to keep sending emails to recipients who are uninterested in them, so you should identify these subscribers as early as possible, before it gets to the point where they will hit the 'report spam' button. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Special offers</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Offering free delivery, discounts etc may be enough to tempt some inactive subscribers to start clicking on your emails again. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Alter frequency</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Link URL="/blog/1338-strategies-for-finding-the-right-email-frequency" Window="Self">Email frequency</Link> is a key factor; send emails too often and people may be put off, while not sending often enough can make them forget why they signed up in the first place. </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Experimenting with frequency can help to re-activate some lapsed subscribers. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Send on different days / times</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Open and click rates can vary depending on the day and time they are sent out. For instance, many surveys find that <Link URL="/blog/1867-email-open-rates-drop-3" Window="Self">sending emails earlier in the week</Link> generates the best response. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Make emails more relevant</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>If subscribers aren't responding to your emails, perhaps this is because they aren't relevant to their interests. If you have obtained information on interests and preferences when they subscribed, use this to target your emails more effectively.</Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Survey subscribers</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Try asking inactive subscribers why they are not opening your emails. Of course, many may not respond, but the information gained from those that do could be valuable. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Try out different subject lines</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>Perhaps your <Link URL="/blog/504-email-marketing-tips-on-subject-lines" Window="Self">subject lines</Link> aren't doing enough to make recipients click on your emails. Consider including the brand/company name in the subject line, make them shorter if they are too long, and track which are most effective. </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Related research:<LineBreak /></Emphasis> <Link URL="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-industry-census-2008" Window="Self">Email Marketing Industry Census 2008</Link> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-briefing-march-2008" Window="Self">Email Marketing Roundtable Briefing - March 2008</Link> </Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Related articles:</Emphasis> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="/blog/2599-three-authentication-systems-that-can-help-boost-email-delivery-rates" Window="Self">Three authentication systems that can help boost email delivery rates</Link> <LineBreak /> <Link URL="/blog/2497-firms-failing-to-send-welcome-emails" Window="Self">Firms failing to send welcome emails</Link> </Paragraph> </FormattedContent>

2008-07-16T10:53:00+01:00

econsultancy_xml

Inactive subscribers are those that have not opened or clicked on an email over a certain period of time. There may be a number of reasons for this; disinterest, spam filters, poor subject lines and more. With some inactive subscribers, the best approach may be to remove them from your list as they can be most likely to report emails as spam. However, it can be useful to try and reel a few back in. Here are some tips on dealing with inactive subscribers...

<FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Inactive subscribers are those that have not opened or clicked on an email over a certain period of time. There may be a number of reasons for this; disinterest, spam filters, poor subject lines and more.</Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>With some inactive subscribers, the best approach may be to remove them from your list as they can be most likely to report emails as spam. However, it can be useful to try and reel a few back in.</Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Quote>Here are some tips on dealing with inactive subscribers...</Quote> </Paragraph> </FormattedContent>

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For further information about email marketing, download Econsultancy's <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-census">Email Census</a> (based on a survey of digital marketers) and the <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-buyers-guide">Email Marketing Platforms Buyer's Guide</a> (particularly relevant for the UK market). See also the <a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/email-marketing-statistics">Email Statistics Compendium</a>.

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How to retain inactive email subscribers false

2008-07-17T08:30:00+01:00

how-to-retain-inactive-email-subscribers

2009-04-29T12:43:08+01:00

2009-10-13T09:42:58+01:00

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