{"id":1272,"date":"2018-09-04T12:29:18","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T12:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vr2.wpengine.com\/?p=1272"},"modified":"2021-01-12T11:19:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T11:19:25","slug":"5-indispensable-email-list-management-best-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/verticalresponse.com\/blog\/5-indispensable-email-list-management-best-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"5 indispensable email list management best practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

The email marketing world no longer revolves around sending mass emails to a huge list and hoping some take the bait. Instead, it\u2019s about\u00a0engaging email recipients<\/a>\u00a0with content they want and look forward to getting. To help you with your email list management, here are five best practices:<\/p>\n

1. Respect permission levels<\/h2>\n

There are a few layers for this part of list management. For one thing, if you haven\u2019t reached out to someone in a while, it can be worth it to regain permission to email them. This\u00a0prevents confusion and high bounce rates\u00a0by ensuring that the people you email want to\u00a0hear from you.\u00a0But if these people ask to be removed or don\u2019t respond to your attempt at regaining permission, it\u2019s best to remove them from your mailing list.<\/p>\n

Another thing\u00a0to consider is subscription management: Let people manage their email preferences, so they don\u2019t have to unsubscribe altogether just to reduce one specific type of content they don\u2019t want. Also, understand that there are\u00a0email laws<\/a>. And if you\u2019re sending to countries around the world, there\u2019s\u00a0special legislation\u00a0you need to be aware of<\/a>. The\u00a0passage of GDPR<\/a>, even though it applies mainly to Europe, also may affect communications with some of your recipients.<\/p>\n

2. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario<\/h2>\n

Make it easy for subscribers to leave. It\u2019s not ideal, but it\u2019s better in the long run to have a simple unsubscribe option, and it\u2019s definitely better than having your emails marked as spam. Put the unsubscribe button somewhere that\u2019s easy to find, such as in the footer of your email\u00a0or at the top in the preheader area. Don\u2019t\u00a0hide it in a long paragraph of terms and conditions.<\/p>\n

3. Know your audience<\/h2>\n

Consider surveying email recipients to understand how they like to receive information. If your subscribers prefer to receive information via written online content, like traditional blogs, you will not be able to reach them effectively with podcasts. Also, ask\u00a0them demographic questions that yield valuable insights into their age, location and the like. These questions will help you tailor content. For example, if you realize most of your email list is made up of 30-year-old investment bankers, you may use a different tone and voice than if your list is primarily young mothers.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: Although purchasing a third-party email list may be faster and easier on your end, the results are less than stellar. Not only have people from these lists likely never come in contact with your business, but they also didn\u2019t ask to receive emails from you. This significantly reduces your ROI (return on investment) and reduces the odds that they will even open your emails in the first place. Instead, for best email list management, build your list by letting people sign up from your website, blog and social media, and at in-person events<\/em>.<\/p>\n

4. Look for hard bounces<\/h2>\n

Hard bounces are emails that get returned because the email address is invalid. This\u00a0can happen because the recipient\u2019s email address has been mistyped or the account has been disabled or closed. It\u2019s a good idea to audit your contact list weekly, monthly or in between big email campaigns to remove any bounced email addresses.<\/p>\n

5. See what\u2019s working<\/h2>\n

Another idea for list management is to look at engagement metrics to see if people respond better to receiving multiple emails a week versus receiving two a month. Check out what kind of content gets higher open rates, and what time of day gets the most opens. This may seem obvious, but don\u2019t just glance at the metrics once in a while to say you did it. Dig into what the data means. Check out the hidden nuggets of information that can help you better your emails. Also,\u00a0try A\/B testing<\/a>.\u00a0Only change one thing at a time so you can pinpoint any differences in responses.<\/p>\n

Maintaining your email list is like maintaining your relationships. Put in the time to get it right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Email list maintenance may not sound as fun or rewarding as sending emails, but it’s just as important. Here are some best practices for you to follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[54,83,52],"class_list":["post-1272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-email-list-building","tag-opt-in","tag-spam","tag-unsubscribe"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 indispensable email marketing list management best practices<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn and apply these 5 indispensable email list management best practices. 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