Now is the time to prep your email database for the holidays to make sure your get the most from your eblasts going into the busiest online shopping time of the year. We've put together a list of things you may want to consider, as well as a few ideas to build your list before the holidays.
Make Sure Your List Sparkles
Perform a simple data check to correct misspellings and typos to ensure your list has good hygiene. Check for any simple errors like @gmailcom or @yhaoo.com. This will help you avoid sending messages to invalid accounts, lower your risk of being flagged as spam and reduce your bounce rate.
Manage Your Undelivered 'Gifts'
Reviewing and understanding your undelivered mail is critical to successful email marketing and when done well may actually increase your ROI by not mailing to addresses that bounce. You don't necessarily have to decipher every bounced email, you just need to understand the difference between hard and soft bounces.
Emails that have a 'soft' bounce usually are a result of a full inbox or down server. You should consider resending to these addresses as there is a good chance they will be delivered after a second or third attempt.
A 'hard' bounce is a permanent deliverability problem, such as an invalid email address. Therefore, these emails will never be delivered and should be removed immediately. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) track the number of bounces you generate with each send and use it when determining your reputation. Too many bounces, and ISPs could block all your messages.
Trim Your Guest List
Deliberately removing subscribers from your list who haven't personally unsubscribed might seem drastic, however it is a current trend and best practice that savvy marketers are using to improve ROI. This way you are ensuring your lists only contain subscribers who are engaged. After all, if someone is only going to delete your message, why even send it in the first place?
However, before making this permanent decision you may want to consider a re-engagement campaign to rekindle their interest. One way to do this is offer a special incentive aimed at inactive users. Consider a 'We Miss You' or 'Welcome Back' promotion. If that doesn't work, simply ask them if they wish to remain on your list and include an easy way for them to opt out. If the subscriber remains inactive after a month or two then remove them from your list.
Remember: the success of an email marketing campaign should not be measured by the number of subscribers. Rather, it should be measured by the quality of the subscribers and the actions they take as a result of your email.
Spread the Joy
Whether it's at special events, on your direct-mail pieces or via a link in the email signature of your email correspondence, always drive people to subscribe to your list. As you continue to add people to your database you should see a growth in your list of active subscribers.
Keeping your email database fresh and clean is always advised but even more important before sending out your holiday marketing eblasts.
At San Diego Media we want to help you make the most out of your email marketing year round. MaxEXP clients should also take advantage of our fully automated emails that recommend products based your customer's transactions and interactions on your website.
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Is Your Email Database Ready for the Holidays?
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