Every year, your mailing list, like any other, loses up to 25% of its subscribers. The fact is that users lose passwords from their mailboxes, change jobs, their accounts are hacked, and they have to create new ones. So, you need to keep your database clean by removing inactive and fictitious accounts. Also, it is important that the remaining customers remember you and treat you with trust and loyalty to your product or service. As practice shows, focusing on regular customers is a much more effective move than looking for new ones and “growing” them. For this, re-engagement email is used as the best way to back customers.
We decided to prepare a guide in which we will tell you everything about re-engagement emails, how such emails are created and how often they are sent. Here are some of the best examples of successful campaigns that demonstrate that one “old” customer is better than five new ones.
How to Run an Effective Re-Engagement Campaign?
Not to be verbose, let’s go straight to a few re-engagement email examples. Below, you may find an email from Sidekick, in which the company politely, with some concern for staying calm invites subscribers to unsubscribe from the mailing list. At first glance, such a message has nothing to do with effective email marketing. How could such an e-mail be sent!? You will be surprised. But Sidekick knew what they were doing. Therefore, their marketers made the most of the holiday theme of Valentine’s Day, and thanks to the playful tone of the message, the effect was opposite to the request: transitions were made, purchases were made.
Runkeeper, on the other hand, has used its full marketing potential to call for continued collaboration. The letter contains step-by-step instructions on how to effectively use the company’s services.
“Hello! We noticed that you haven’t tracked your activity with RunKeeper yet. Do you need our help? Then check out our tips below or start using RunKeeper right away.
The saved data will be automatically synchronized with your RunKeeper.com account. Now you have everything you need to start moving! RunKeeper Team “
And here’s the look of Pinkberry’s email re-engagement.
In this case, there are no calls to return but an extremely touching phrase: “We miss you!”. All this is complemented by yogurt as a gift, which turned out to be an excellent incentive to persuade you to go back to the site and place an order.
But Chain Reaction Cycles, in its re-engagement email campaign, was so concerned about the need to stir up inactive subscribers that instead of one reason, they offered as many as 5 arguments. They practically “finished off” the customers with a £10 gift code, which was in addition. Moreover, the company drew the attention of users to how the service can be useful, which is an effective way to remind users of the value of the subscription in general.
Crocs went further by giving more than just a $10 discount incentive. Marketers have worked out the design carefully, changing the attitude of users to the brand for the better. And at the bottom of the letter, they indicated how many pairs of shoes they donated to their regular and active customers. This move creates the image of a “good” company.
If you don’t have the ability to re-engage users in the standard email newsletter, offer them an alternative to stay connected and updated. This is exactly what Habitat did by inviting subscribers to receive newsletters from the social network Facebook.
And here is another effective method to attract the attention of subscribers, and re-engagement emails from Earbits is a vivid confirmation of this, even despite the fact that the campaign is designed in a very ascetic style.
The first thing that worked was referring to the subscriber by name. Believe me, this technique is strong enough, because it does not attract attention at all, as much as it gives the user a feeling of its value and exclusivity for you. Even if the message was automatically generated, the reader will think that you have distinguished it from the crowd of other people. Well, the second thing that, for sure, pleased the subscriber, is an interactive media element in the form of a song. In the final part of the message there’s a promise to improve on condition that the client stays with them.
An excellent reason for re-engagement campaigns can be rebranding and redesigning the site. Struck Axiom neatly picked up on this idea by writing, before the main body of their newsletter, “We’ve redesigned for you!”
We hope that you have captured the main idea of re-engaging emails with these examples. And now , there are some specific recommendations.
Tips for Creating Effective Re-engagement Emails
We will give 5 of the most effective tips. Thanks to them you will not make mistakes and learn how to create really catchy campaigns for existing but inactive subscribers.
Tip # 1. Seasonal specials
On the eve of the holidays and during the sales seasons, it turns out to be not so easy to attract buyers who have already made purchases from you. The competition is off the charts. A bid for a click is mind-boggling. It doesn’t matter what kind of celebration it is, New Year or Valentine’s Day. At such times, the identification of users who have placed orders earlier is extremely important. With this technology, you can create engaging personalized newsletters. So, for example, your regular, but recently not very active, client Nick bought a necklace as a gift last Christmas. On the eve of this Christmas, invite him to complement the set with earrings. Send your message in a personalized form, writing something like: “Nick, we remember what a stunning necklace you bought from us last year. Make your loved one happy again by complementing the set with luxurious earrings in the same style! “
Tip # 2. New models of favorite products
Don’t forget about buyers who might be interested in products in the updated format. For example, a smartphone of a new generation or advanced software to protect against cyber threats. If we are talking about fashion retail, then a client who has bought best-selling sneakers in classic black may be interested in the same models, but in juicy colors of the spring.
In such cases, we recommend that you pay attention to re-engagement email subject lines, as well as focus on target users who have purchased a particular product. This strategy is not only effective, but also cost-effective: by focusing on the customer interested in improved modifications, you will not need to spend money on finding and attracting a new audience.
Tip # 3. Sell more with accessories and related products
For example, your client is a young photographer who purchased a premium camera from your online store 4 months ago and has not visited the site since. For the re-engagement trick to work, you need to offer something that a person can do without, but he shouldn’t. This could be a useful accessory, a new lens or a stylish bag.
Tip # 4. Converting offline to online
There is also a tendency for users to get to know a brand for the first time in a stationery store. For example, one of these buyers came to your place. He not only did the shopping, but also became a member of the loyalty program. And several months have passed since then. How will you return it to the store again? We advise to refer such a customer to an online store using personalized promotions. You not only remind him of your brand, but also show that you can make pleasant and affordable purchases without leaving your home.
Tip # 5. Stimulate and reward customer loyalty
A subscriber who was previously active and has now deleted your site address from the browser bookmarks bar may be involved again. To do this, use a reactivation email with an offer to purchase products that he was looking for on competitors’ websites. But make sure that your offer is more profitable. For example, a person was looking for thermal underwear. Offer him more advanced models with improved protection from the cold at a discount on the condition of buying inexpensive accessories such as socks, tights, leggings, etc. So your client will not only come once, but will come back again in the future, realizing that here he will always be rewarded for the loyalty and trust shown to the brand.
Re-engagement email sending: how often is it done?
For example, you have made a newsletter and want to set up b2b re-engagement emails. How to do it:
- first you need to wait until most of the interested audience opens the first letter (usually it takes up to 3 days);
- segment the category of subscribers who did not open the first email, change the subject and send a second email to inactive users;
- re-engagement can be done several times, but keep in mind that with each new attempt the effectiveness of the admission is greatly reduced.
Consider also the fact that re-engagement is highly individual. Thus, you can’t do without personalized mailings.
But what to do if your letters are opened and even read, but there is no reaction even from those that were previously active. Don’t be too assertive, this is annoying. Send an updated content or a special offer after 1-2 months and watch the reaction. If it is not there, and at the same time you have done everything to improve your campaign, then simply clear the base of such customers. There is no point in them, only extra costs.
Don’t forget about the hygiene of your customer base!
By verifying and cleaning your customer base regularly you can get rid of not only inactive accounts but also dead, temporary email addresses, spam traps and other interactive “junk” that affects your deliverability rates and sender reputation. Use a proven tool like the Proofy online validator to take care of your list’s hygiene quickly and efficiently for successful marketing campaigns. Our managers have more information about the conditions for connecting the verification services of subscribers list. For all new users, there are special conditions: 500 credits – free!
