You worked hard to amass a long list of subscribers only to see them leave a few weeks later. And the remaining subscribers don’t seem as lively as they used to be. They don’t engage and respond anymore. It could be time to reactivate your email list and re-engage potential customers.

I know it doesn’t feel good to cater to an email list that feels pretty much dead but think of this as an opportunity to take stock of what went wrong and how you can make it right.

Here’s the thing: if they are still hanging around in our email list, chances are that they like your brand but don’t get the good, relatable, value-added content that they want from you.

This is why it’s essential to take the time to focus on your subscribers, understand them, figure out what they are interested in and deliver on all the promises you made to get them to sign up. Then, before you delete them from your database, send a reactivate email blast to remind them why they signed up at the beginning.

There is a decent possibility that you may be able to regain their trust by reminding them of your worth and offering relevant material. Create a re-engagement campaign that deploys the right tactics to get people to sit up and take notice of all you have to offer.

>See also: Why email marketing is still crucial in 2021

Importance of re-engagement campaigns

Email marketers can overlook inactive subscribers, delete them from their email signup list or make all their hard work pay off and work on restoring them to their former glory.

Ignoring inactive subscribers won’t be easy since they’ll still be sent emails along with the rest of the list in hopes of getting a good outcome.

The most successful strategy to cope with inactive users is to use a re-engagement campaign to win them back. And there are several excellent reasons to do that.

For starters, remind yourself that your subscribers readily joined your email list because you gave them a very good reason for it. Your message resonated with them, and they liked what they saw. But they aren’t responding anymore because it’s likely that you’ve lost your way and no longer identify with the same value proposition as earlier. So it’s time for some introspection, perhaps.

Next, re-engaging them is the right thing to do. It just makes sense to retarget the same people who bought from you earlier and eagerly responded to your marketing messages. You already have them; now, all you need to do is measure, optimise, re-strategize, re-engage, reiterate your original message.

Finally, and more importantly, understand that each subscriber in your list is a profit centre. So, if you don’t win them all, you are likely leaving a lot of potential revenue on the table. And that’s plain bad for business.

Now that you get why it’s good to re-engage let’s figure out how to do it right.

#1 – Identify and segment inactive email recipients

Segmentation involves dividing email recipients by various parameters to provide a personalized email experience to each subset.

Let’s do the same for inactive subscribers.

First, identify them. They might be:

• Spectators – People who have never bought anything from you but visit your site often and even read your emails
• Customers –They purchased once but haven’t re-engaged with your site or emails since
• Downloaders – They signed up because they wanted the free resource you offered. And then they disappeared

Remember not to include any hard bounces (incorrect email addresses, etc.). Also, take this time to remove duplicates and spam emails.

Now that you know who the inactive users are, you can:

• Use an email marketing service provider, such as Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or Aweber to sort them out
• Create your own list using Excel or other spreadsheet software

Once you have done this, you can segment the list into different categories based on what kind of content they want or what type of customer they are.

#2 – Send personalised emails

It is critical to make your subscribers feel valued. Sending customised emails is one method to do this. When people notice the effort you’re making, they will certainly like to read and answer.

For instance, you may analyse your subscriber’s:

• Purchase history
• Browsing habits
• Buying habits

Then, via your reactivate email marketing campaign, leverage this information to make recommendations for related goods or birthday/anniversary discounts.

Such a re-engagement strategy will increase your click-to-open percentages, ensuring the effectiveness of email marketing.

#3 – Make your emails relevant

Several companies keep making the same mistake of merely sending offers and sales to their email list.

However, these repetitive emails may erode your subscriber’s interest. Making your emails extra pertinent will allow you to run a more productive email marketing campaign.

You may build your emails on current events or topics relevant to your readers, while also being relatable to the brand.

Offering something fresh to them each time will drive them to check your email. Moreover, subscribers will quit reading emails when it becomes clear that you’re always sending them offers.

So, if you want to keep your subscriber’s interest, provide eye-catching material.

>See also: The art of creating a successful newsletter

#4 – Rebuild the relationship

The broken connection between your subscribers and your brand must be repaired. And there are several ways to accomplish this.

For instance, running an email campaign which addresses your subscribers’ lack of interaction is sometimes a good idea. Declare it as the goal of your email campaign, something along the lines of “(brand name) keeps missing you!” Your subscribers will feel valued and noticed as a result of this campaign. Furthermore, its openness gives people every motivation to interact with it.

#5 – Exclusive discounts and offers

Nothing grabs attention like a limited-time offer. Therefore, using various tools, pinpoint all inactive subscribers and email them. It’d be best to offer discount coupons, a limited-time trial version, instant access to the latest products, or any other enticing incentive.

Also, you can offer your subscribers an exclusive discount coupon or code. If the offer is compelling enough, they will turn back towards you.

#6 – Ask for feedback

Asking your dormant email subscribers for feedback gives you information on how to improve your offerings.

For example, maybe some inactive subscribers are interested in buying a product but prefer a different method of communication or payment.

Or perhaps they want to receive certain emails only, or they are simply seeking a straightforward check-out process. Again, the only way to gain clarity and clear doubts is to inquire.

Implementing an email preference centre throughout your re-engagement campaign is one approach to finding out what your subscribers desire.

A preference center is a centralised platform that enables subscribers to get personalised emails. For instance, they may want to change their contact details, choose what sorts of emails they wish to get, change the frequency of their communications, and much more.

Remember, your subscribers will appreciate your efforts to understand their needs. Moreover, they may even suggest a better approach to connect with them.

Inactive subscribers can help your business

Every email marketer must deal with inactive subscribers. Whereas a re-engagement campaign may result in a smaller list, the current subscribers who stay will be more interested.

Improved engagement boosts the efficacy of your mailing list efforts, enhances your brand’s reputation, and provides you with an even more comprehensive portrayal of what works and what doesn’t.

Remember, you should never delete your inactive email subscribers as they may become a helpful asset. Instead, try to identify why they stopped buying from you or what caused them to switch to other brands.

Jay T Ripton is a freelance business, technology and marketing writer who’s written for the Guardian, BusinessInsider, and Entrepreneur.com. Follow him on Twitter @JTRipton

Further reading

Five email marketing mistakes your start-up is making – and five ways to correct those mistakes