There is no doubt that good hygiene is important. But it doesn’t just apply to brushing your teeth and showering—your email marketing needs some TLC, too.
The concept of “email hygiene” may sound strange, but it’s actually an integral part of your email marketing strategy.
Email marketing is a permission-based form of marketing, meaning you only want your contacts to be those who have asked to receive your content and still want to. Sending an email to someone’s inbox is more personal than seeing it on their social media homepage. You want to maintain a symbiotic relationship with your audience, and good email hygiene can help you do just that.
What is List Cleansing?
List cleansing is a specific form of email hygiene. Think of it as email scrubbing. It’s a process in which you go through your contacts and scan for cold or invalid addresses. Sending emails to inboxes that never open them or don’t find them relevant anymore isn’t necessarily going to help you. Removing unengaged subscribers can improve your insights and even save you money. Some email service providers (ESPs) have pricing plans based on the number of subscribers you have, which means you could be paying for these invalid or unengaged addresses.
Email Hygiene 101
- Check for Email Engagement
The first step is making sure your subscriber list is composed of those who actually want to receive messages from you. Try sending a re-engagement email to get feedback directly from your contacts.
- Find the “Why” Behind a Lack of Engagement
It’s important to evaluate why these contacts have gone cold or disengaged.
- Are you sending too many emails?
- Are you not sending enough emails?
- Are you creating value for the consumer?
This is valuable information to your email marketing strategy that can help you improve and maintain an engaged list.
- Keep Email Content Fresh & New
Once you have done the work of list cleansing and figuring out how you can improve, it’s time to put it all into action. Keep up with email hygiene and don’t be afraid to experiment with your emails.
- Share original blog posts
- Offer exclusive discounts
- Try incorporating videos
It’s crucial to avoid only sending promotional or sales messages—you want to provide value to your customers as well.
Prioritize Email Hygiene
Proper email hygiene may start with list cleansing, but it doesn’t end there. Just like any other marketing strategy, email hygiene a process. Knowing how to effectively engage with your list can elevate your emails into a profitable channel for your business and help grow important relationships.
Cecelia LeBus
