When you ask someone if they enjoy cleaning you normally get one of two reactions: I’d rather be doing ANYTHING else or I LOVE getting my space in order. The thing is no matter where you fall in that spectrum, cleaning is necessary and, on some level, we have to do it (either ourselves or by enlisting help).
The same goes for your email list. It doesn’t matter if you like it, you need to keep it fresh and healthy with regular cleaning. BUT before you go running for the hills, there’s GOOD NEWS!
You can keep your email list clean with a few easy practices and automations in ActiveCampaign*.
Start with a healthy opt-in
It might seem easier to grow your list and weed out bad emails as you go, but this can cause high spam rates and low deliverability and open rates.
Instead, setting up a few key components from the start can save you a world of trouble and in some cases/places are legally required. You can read more on this topic in this blog.
2-week Auto Removal Automation
As the name implies, set up an automation that checks if a contact has opened any emails in the first two weeks of them being added to your list. If not, remove them. This helps most with bot account sign-ups in your opt-in form.
However, there is a caveat - you need to be sending multiple emails in those first two weeks or else there is nothing for them to engage with. We're sure you are doing this because you already know the importance of having a welcome/nurture series as soon as someone joins your list….right….
Inactive clean-up automation
Similar to the above automation, you’ll create a second one that checks for activity and engagement of contacts after they first engage with your content and website.
After X amount of time with no engagement, you’ll more than likely want to remove them. This timeline will differ based on a few factors. One is how often you email them or in other words how often you give them the chance to interact with you. For example, if you send emails weekly, then 3 months with no interaction is a standard cutoff. Whereas, if you are only sending emails monthly, then 6 months is a better cutoff. Factors such as how often someone might be looking for your offer or service will also play a role in when you make this unsubscribe cutoff.
Unsubscribe Button
While you may be doing the minimum requirement of having the unsubscribe button in your emails, is it prominent and easy to find? Or buried in some text and off-color? No judgment here, as many of us were using this practice years ago. However, when it comes to keeping things 💯 and making sure you aren’t coming off as shady to your audience, keep that button easy to find.
If someone wants to unsubscribe it’s better to lose them than risk the spam button being clicked or receiving angry emails (you'll still get some, but not as many!)
**Removes dish gloves**
We did it! Can you smell the lemon cleaner and see the glisten of the clean countertops? That’s your email list feeling healthier and better already!
Looking for help with your ActiveCampaign? We’d love to chat! Book a free call here.
-The Soc·Somu Team
*This article is an overview of best practices. It does not serve as a complete guide for your specific location, industry, etc. where there may be specific laws you have to follow. You will need to do additional research and/or hire support to be sure you are in compliance.
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