If you have a business, the phrase “bigger is better” certainly applies. Every decision, every move, every new concept is designed to do one thing… grow the business and expand the corporate brand. This author never misses an opportunity to add new email addresses to the ever expanding list, sending invites to the Facebook page, accept new Twitter followers, or deepening the LinkedIn network web. Unfortunately, far too many of us focus solely on that factor, ignoring other elements and components of the marketing formula that might be equally beneficial.
It is important to keep proper tabs on your email list performance metrics, since studies have shown that as much as 50 percent of your list may fall into the “unengaged” category, meaning they are a part of your list, but doing little more than taking up space and adding bulk. You should also understand the meaning of the term “unengaged”…some view it as a contact that has shown no response to your email marketing efforts over a period of time, but that description is only a part of the equation. Sometimes consumers may be unengaged with a product or products, but not necessarily unengaged with your brand. Unceremoniously dropping those customers may actually result in a drop in revenue, even though it appears the contact is doing nothing for you.
Before dropping someone, you should make a diligent effort to identify unengaged customers, recognizing that there may be reasons why they haven’t clicked on offers or browsed your site during a given period of time or made a purchase. Interaction across channels should be carefully examined to determine where the disconnect may be occurring. Perhaps the subject line is reminding a subscriber to go directly to a given page from their browser. If you are able to rule out activity from other venues, then you can safely determine that the user is unengaged.
Email, even though it has been surpassed by other, more current methods of communication, is still a great way to engage those unengaged users. Through the use of enticing subject lines such as “we miss you” or “haven’t seen you in a while” as well as attractive promotions like free shipping or “buy one get another half off”, you may successfully woo the lost sheep back to the fold. When it becomes obvious that the traditional route is not working, then the unorthodox becomes the preferred option. If you play your cars right, you may see as much as 15 percent of your unengaged contacts have new life breathed into them. If the campaign works, then you also have the option of setting it up to trigger on a regular, predetermined basis, including multiple touch points in order to increase efficiency.
Of course, there will always be those contacts that, despite your best efforts, will insist on remaining unengaged. It will not matter what nuggets you put before them, they simply will not respond. You may not want to delete them, but you may want to stop sending information to them. In some cases, the perk of no more unwanted e-mail may actually serve to pull them back into the fold.
If all else fails, then once or twice a year, you should probably purge your email list; doing so will keep it current and allow you to be more effective in maintaining contact with customers who are actively engaged with your corporate brand.
