Did your last email win-back campaign miss the mark?
If so, do you know why? Let’s take a look at the likely culprit and how to get you moving in the right direction.
You’re Emailing Ghosts!
Based on our work at FreshAddress with hundreds of leading marketers, we’ve found that the leading factor resulting in inactive (“ghosted”) subscribers is simply that you’re emailing them at email accounts they no longer read.
- Approximately 30% of an email list goes stale on an annual basis;
- BUT most customers/donors don’t update their accounts with their preferred stores or nonprofits when they change their email addresses.
Accordingly, the biggest problem with most win-back campaigns is that companies develop interesting programs with attractive promotions – yes, money does talk – but then email their campaign to old, dead addresses.
Move Your Email Win-Back Campaigns From Zero to Hero
Want to shift the odds in your favor and win back some lost sheep? Here are 5 tips to get you moving in the right direction.
Tip #1: Don’t Delete Inactive Addresses
To ensure you’re not wasting your money on win-back programs that generate minimal returns, a successful win-back strategy needs to incorporate an Email Change of Address (ECOA) service to ensure that the creative and offers you’re sending are reaching people at their preferred email addresses, rather than simply falling on deaf ears.
Tip #2: Ensure any list you or your service provider is sending to is SafeToSend®
It has to be deliverable and free of toxic addresses like:
- Spamtraps & Honeypots;
- Heavy spam complainers; and
- Role accounts.
Tip #3: Make sure your win-back offer is attractive and aggressive
You might only get one more bite at the apple so make it good. Here’s a great example:
Tip #4: Perform A/B testing on your subject lines
Combine this with real-time multivariate testing of the different levers in your creative. This is a surefire recipe to maximize your open and click-through rates.
Tip #5: Know your goals up front
Perform the analytics after each win-back campaign and use the results to optimize future campaigns.
Win-Back Campaigns are Difficult, Not Impossible.
Getting your customers to fall in love with you all over again isn’t easy. Neither is winning the Presidency but a new President gets elected every 4 years.
Related Articles:
- The Terrors Lurking in your Email Database
- Spamtrap 101: What is a Spamtrap & What Happens if You Send to One
