INSIGHTS
- Getting creative with format, telling about improvements made, creating a sense of urgency and offering bonuses, making the message seasonal, reminding clients about offers, fixing technical problems, conducting surveys, making emotional appeals, providing with e-mail preferences' updates and using personalization are key 10 successful strategies used in re-engagement e-mails.
- Companies use actively bright colors and images in re-engagement e-mails while humor is rarely used.
- About 45% of re-engagement e-mail recipient read the subsequent message
OVERVIEW
There are ten successful strategies that companies use to get e-mail recipients to come back and re-engage with the company. Those are getting creative with a format, telling about improvements made, creating a sense of urgency and offering bonuses, making the message seasonal, reminding clients about offers, fixing technical problems, conducting surveys, making emotional appeals, providing with e-mail preferences' updates and using personalization. Most of the companies use bright colors and images to attract customers' attention. Some of them also use emotional appeals and even humor, but the number of such companies is comparably low. Approximately 45% of clients, who receive re-engagement e-mail, read the subsequent messages.
THE SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR REENGAGING EXISTING E-MAIL RECIPIENT CLIENTS
We began searching for information and insights into some successful strategies that companies use to get email recipients to come back and re-engage with them on sources such as pure360.com, Clickdimensions.com, smartfocus.com, infusionsoft.com, glowhorn.com, HubSpot, mailigen.com, emailmonks.com, impactbnd.com, Kissmetrics, and Salesforce. We supported each strategy with one or more examples of the companies that use those strategies. Here is what we found:
* We have provided screenshots with examples of 1-7 strategies.
1. Get creative with your format
Being creative is one of the best practices of attracting customers' attention, according to pure360.com (a website that provides marketing research on online advertising). Getting an e-mail with a screenshot of a funny conversation probably attracts more attention than regular formal e-mail. The great example is re-engagement strategy of Urban Outfitters with unusual format and humor. People use screenshots like this on internet memes so that this type of format resonates with the brand’s youthful demographic.
2. Tell client how you have improved
Many subscribers are no longer customers due to some technical problems on the website. Sending an e-mail that notifies a customer what changes have been made is a great strategy. The company Lowe’s uses this strategy, and we have provided the screenshot of its re-engagement e-mail too. The company included some significant changes that can be useful for each customer so that some part of them can resubscribe. Path is another app that sends re-engagement e-mails with new features and even provides with the "Update Now" CTA. Warby Parker introduces new collections in re-engagement e-mails.
3. Create a sense of urgency and offer bonuses
Time-limited offer is a great chance to engage a sleepy subscriber. The proposal should be high enough to attract customer's attention and last up to 1 week, according to pure360.com. The company Gap used this strategy in own re-engagement process. The company sent an e-mail to the non-active subscribers notifying about one week 40% off. On the other hand, the company can offer not limited in time discount but the one that requires a minimum purchase. The company Loft did so, offering $25 off the purchase of $75 or more. Grammarly is another website that sends an e-mail with a special price offer for sleepy subscribers. Design Within Reach also provides non-active users with freebies and discounts. Death Wish Coffee offers free points to customer's account.
4. Make your message seasonal
Some seasonal events can be used as an advantage to re-engage a subscriber. The website Lastminute.com sends an e-mail to subscribers offering them a "welcomeback" promo code of 10% off before Christmas. All customers and subscribers are more active before some seasonal events like Christmas, Valentine day and others so that they are more likely to use a promotion like that.
5. Remind clients what you have to offer
Subscribers are usually busy people, and they are not supposed to remember everything. The reason why some e-mail recipients become inactive is that they forget about company's benefits. The company can send an e-mail notifying about company's offers and advantages that customer could have overlooked. The company Chain Reaction Cycle fulfilled the strategy in its re-engagement e-mail. SurfStitch also provides clients with key features of the company in each re-engagement e-mail (free express delivery, return policy, and customer service).
6. Do not let technical problems get in the way
Gmail has three sections: Primary, Promotions, and Social. People mainly pay attention to Primary while other sections are often neglected. Sometimes, Gmail updates can turn an active user into non-active one. A company due to some Gmail updates can send e-mails that are delivered only in Promotions section. In this case, the company can send an e-mail asking for a new subscription that will allow sending e-mails into the Primary section directly. We have provided a screenshot of the company Saturday.com that used this strategy in its re-engagement e-mail.
7. Check you are getting it right
Many companies have variable target audience so that what is preferred by one part, is usually not preferred by another one. That is the reason why it is better for a company to check the gender/age/hobbies of a person to deliver only email, the person is interested in. This strategy was used by the company Office that asked its subscribers what their gender is. Besides, different short surveys not only re-engage clients but also give the insight why people became inactive, according to ClickDimensions.
8. Emotional appeals
E-mails like "We miss you," "Come back to us" and others are widely used as re-engagement e-mail type, according to Infusion soft. The website Paul Mitchell starts its re-engagement e-mail with "We hate goodbyes." Ticketfly uses animated gifts to attract customers' attention.
9. Email preference updates
The customer may have become inactive due to a frequency of e-mail receiving. Allowing customer to chose himself the frequency of e-mail sending is a great strategy that respects personal privacy, according to Infusion soft. Animoto uses this strategy giving the opportunity for customers to change their e-mail preferences through a prominent CTA button. Return Path is one more company that provides clients with the opportunity to choose the types of communications they want to have.
10. Personalization and friendly manner
Old Navy writes re-engagement e-mail to customers like an old friend would do. Boden uses personalization in its e-mails. Personalized e-mails are 50% more likely to get opened than ordinary ones, according to Mailigen. GoPro also uses personalization in all e-mails.
* According to Glowhorn, the most crucial part of re-engagement campaign is the use of key e-mail list metrics that include:
*According to Salesforce study, 63% of marketers that responded to a survey consider re-engagement campaigns as very useful. At the same time, 45% of e-mail recipients read the subsequent messages.
CONCLUSION
In summary, we have found ten successful strategies used by various companies presented above. The list of successful strategies includes getting creative with a format, telling about improvements made, creating a sense of urgency and offering bonuses, making the message seasonal, reminding clients about offers, fixing technical problems, conducting surveys, making emotional appeals, providing with e-mail preferences' updates and using personalization. Humor is not widely used in re-engagement e-mail while bright colors and images are trendy. About 45% of e-mail recipients read subsequent messages.