The Dangers of Emailing an Inactive Email List

Hating on Spammers

Nobody wants their emails to be marked as spam, but it’s going to happen at some point.

The biggest mistake you can make is emailing a list you haven’t emailed in months or even over a year.

We are bombarded with emails multiple times per day. It’s easy to forget about a list you signed up for or a company you purchased from after a few months.

The chances an email you send out to a list over a year old being marked as spam are high. Unless you craft your email specifically to this segment.

Brand Negativity

Aside from being marked as a spammer and ruining your email reputation you have your brand to think about. Every message you send your customers reflects on you in some way.

If your subscribers don’t remember who you are and you send them a campaign that doesn’t provide them with any value they’ll have a poor impression of you.

Instead of helping your business, the campaign you just paid for is doing the exact opposite.

Consider this scenario…

You’ve built an email list and haven’t had the time to email your subscribers in the last 6 months. Consider first sending an inactive list campaign.

Inactive List Campaign

Create a new email list segment of all subscribers who signed up more than 6 months ago or those who haven’t opened any of your past email campaign (if you’ve mailed to them in the past).

Note: This group of subscribers should be removed from your list before you send this campaign.

What to include in an inactive email campaign:

  • Who are you? Remind them of who you are and how they signed up for your list.
  • Opt-in again. Allow them to subscribe again to your list so you know for sure they want to receive your content. Include a link to your email sign-up form and make it easy for them to sign-up again.
  • What’s in it for them? Tell them what you’re going to send them in future emails. Make a good case for them to give you a second chance.
  • Immediate value. Consider including a free download, special offer or some really beneficial content to prove to them you mean business and deserve their attention and time.

A big list means nothing if they aren’t engaging with your content.

Keep it Clean. Remove Inactive Subscribers Regularly

Every six months remove subscribers who haven’t opened your emails. Remember you generally have to pay for every subscriber on your list. Don’t waste your marketing dollars sending emails to people who are never going to become your customer

Happy emailing!

Sarah Shuda
Sarah Shuda
Designer. Mom. Wife. Loves Gilmore Girls, healthy living, and long walks in the country.

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