GDPR has really refocused every business manager’s attention on the importance of maintaining a healthy subscriber list. It’s not only a legal requirement now, but an incredible boon for your business.
But, while the theory of a perfectly organised and updated email list sells itself, putting it into practice can be harder than you might think.
7 ways to increase the health of your mailing list.
- Choose an opt-in or double opt-in subscriber process. Aside from the facts that contacting people without their consent is immoral, and in many countries illegal – big enough deterrents in and of themselves – yields from purchased email lists or unintentional subscribers are low to non-existent. Consent based lists are the most engaged, because they actually want to hear from you. A double opt-in process ensures that you’re always preaching to the converted.
- Engage your audience. Once someone has signed up to your mailing list, it’s your job to keep them interested. So, be relevant, be useful, be engaging, send something people want to read. That way you will have fewer opt-outs and an increased chance of doing further business with your subscribers. If you can also send content that people will be happy to forward or share, then you’re doubly increasing your potential ROI.
- Email your list often. This feeds back into customer engagement. While you don’t want to go overboard, annoying people with multiple, pointless messages, reminding them that you’re there and what you do once or twice a week ensures that you’re their first contact when the goods/services you offer are required.
- Remove bounced emails, spam reporters and unsubscribers. If your email is not being delivered, or is marked as unwanted, not only is it pointless to keep sending to those addresses, but it will damage your sending reputation and increase your chances of being blacklisted by ISPs. Make sure that these addresses are immediately removed from your list and you never contact them again.
- Monitor unopened emails. If subscribers don’t open your emails for an extended period of time, consider removing them from your list. While not as hazardous as addresses in point 4, these subscribers don’t do your mailing reputation any favours.
- Use email verification tools. An accurate email verification tool that works in real time, like EmailVerifier.com, can improve your sender reputation by automatically taking care of all of the bounced, unsubscribed, spam reported and unread emails. It will deal with your opt-in process and can report on the health of your sending reputation. In the long-run, it can save you a lot of time, effort and money.
- Keep your readers sweet. Even the most loyal of customers can waver from time to time, so it’s good practise to offer an occasional freebie. People love getting something for nothing and a small gesture can make a big difference to your business.
Follow these steps, and you’ll soon see the difference that a healthy mailing list can make to your business’ profit.
Marios Italos is the Founder of EmailVerifier.com a product of Intergo Interactive Ltd, a Cyprus-based creator of award-winning SaaS technology products.
