How to manage your email list for better results

It's no secret that email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your customers and boost sales. But what if you're not achieving the results you want?

Maybe you're not managing your email list effectively. This can lead to a lot of wasted time and energy, not to mention money.

But what if there was a way to improve those statistics? Well, thanks to the power of some simple email list maintenance and A/B testing, it is possible to achieve better results from your email marketing campaigns. We'll show you how to do just that in this article. So keep reading for some helpful tips and tricks to manage your email list more effectively and boost your conversion rates.

1. Use double opt-in

The double opt-in process is essential when collecting email addresses from potential customers. This means that after someone signs up for your list, they will receive an email asking them to confirm their subscription. They will only be added to your list after they click on the link in that email.

This process helps to ensure that only people who want to hear from you are added to your list, and it also helps to reduce the number of spam complaints you might receive.

Due to GDPR laws in the European Union, double opt-in is mandatory. But regardless of whether you're operating in a jurisdiction that requires it or not, we recommend using double opt-in to help you build a clean and engaged email list. If you're using Maildroppa to collect emails, you don't have to worry about this step since double opt-in is built into the platform.

Double opt-in might seem like an extra step, but it's worth it in the long run. Not only will it decreases the chances of your emails being marked as spam, but it will help to improve your email deliverability and ensure that only people who want to receive your updates are on your list.

2. Allow subscribers to choose how often they'll hear from you

Many business owners struggle with how frequently they should send emails to their subscribers and depending on your product, or service, the answer will be different. This is why it's so important to understand your target audience.

One of the most crucial things when managing an email list is to give your subscribers the option to choose how often they want to hear from you. This could be done through a preference center or simply by asking them when they first sign up for your list.

If you send too many emails, you could run the risk of annoying your subscribers and driving them away. But if you don't send enough emails, you'll miss out on opportunities to engage with your audience and build a relationship with them. The key is to strike the right balance, and letting your subscribers choose how often they hear from you is a great way to do that.

3. Segment your list into different categories

Another way to improve the effectiveness of your email marketing is to segment your list into different categories. This means grouping together people who have similar interests, demographics, or behaviors. By doing this, you can send more targeted content that is likely to be of interest to each group of subscribers.

For example, you might have a list of customers who have purchased from your online store and another list of people who have signed up for your newsletter but have not made a purchase.

4. Use personalized welcome sequences

When someone new signs up for your email list, it's important to make them feel welcome. One way to do this is to send them a personalized welcome sequence that introduces them to your business and what they can expect from being on your list.

This sequence might include a series of emails that introduce your company, explain what type of content they can expect to receive, and offer helpful tips or resources.

Personalized welcome series tend to attract high open rates which sends positive signals to ISPs and can help improve your deliverability. They also give you a chance to build a relationship with your subscribers from the start and can increase the likelihood that they'll stick around for the long term, which can also lead to more engagement down the road.

5. Send targeted content to each group of subscribers

As we mentioned before, segmenting your list into different groups is a good way to send more targeted content. However, it's also important to make sure that you're sending different types of content to each group.

For example, if you have a coaching business, you might segment your list into three groups: those who have signed up for a freebie, those who have purchased a product, and those who are on your email list but haven't taken any action.

To each group, you would then send different content. To the first group, you might send a welcome email and some additional free resources. To the second group, you might send a discount code for another product. And to the third group, you might send an email asking them why they haven't taken any action and what's holding them back.

By sending targeted content to each group, you're more likely to get a higher open rate and click-through rate. Not to mention, you'll be providing value to each subscriber, which will help keep them on your list.

6. Make it easy to unsubscribe

It might not seem logical, but making it easy to unsubscribe from your email list can improve the effectiveness of your email marketing. This is because if someone isn't interested in receiving your emails, they're likely to just ignore them or mark them as spam.

Making it easy to unsubscribe allows people who aren't interested in your content to remove themselves from your list, which can help improve your deliverability. It's best practice to include an unsubscribe link in every email you send, preferably in a prominent location. And, every email you send with Maildroppa includes just that.

You can also make it easy to unsubscribe by providing a simple way to do so on your website or in your emails. For example, you could include a link to a preference center where people can update their subscription preferences.

By making it easy to unsubscribe, you can improve the effectiveness of your email marketing and keep your list clean.

7. Use a win-back email sequence

Even if you're doing everything right, there will always be people who unsubscribe from your list. It's just a fact of life. However, that doesn't mean you should just give up on them.

There's still a chance to win them back. All you need to do is send them a special email sequence designed to re-engage them and get them interested in hearing from you again.

This is called a "win-back" email sequence, and it can be extremely effective in getting people to come back to your list.

To create a win-back email sequence, start by sending a series of messages that focus on the reasons why someone might have unsubscribed in the first place. For example, if you run a podcast agency, you could send an email that talks about how someone might have unsubscribed because they didn't have time to start their podcast.

Once you've addressed the reasons why someone might have unsubscribed, you can then start to focus on getting them interested in hearing from you again. This can be done by sending them exclusive content, discounts, or early access to new products or services.

If you put together a well-crafted win-back email sequence, there's a good chance you'll be able to re-engage a significant portion of your inactive subscribers. The key is to keep your win-back email sequence short and sweet. You don't want to bombard someone with too many emails, or you'll just end up annoying them.

Elements of an effective win-back email:

• A personalized subject line
• Address the reasons why someone might have unsubscribed
• Offer exclusive content, discounts, or early access to new products or services
• Include a call to action to re-subscribe

A win-back email sequence can be a great way to bring people back to your list, but it's not the only way. You can also use other strategies, such as sending out a survey to people who have unsubscribed or leveraging social media to get people interested in hearing from you again.

8. Purge your list regularly

Just because someone is on your email list doesn't mean they're interested in hearing from you. In fact, over time, most people will become less and less engaged with your emails.

This is why it's important to regularly remove inactive subscribers from your email list. An inactive subscriber is someone who hasn't opened or clicked on one of your emails in a long time. Depending on your product or service and business strategy, you should determine how long is too long.

For example, if you're an e-commerce retailer sending weekly emails, an inactive subscriber could be someone who hasn't opened or clicked on one of your emails in 3 months. If you're a B2B company sending monthly emails, an inactive subscriber could be someone who hasn't opened or clicked on one of your emails in 6 months

Before you purge your list, try sending a last-ditch win-back email campaign to inactive contacts asking if they want to stay on your list or be removed. If they don't respond, you can assume they're not interested.

There are a few ways to remove inactive subscribers from your list:

• Manually remove them yourself
• Use a tool like Maildroppa to automatically remove inactive subscribers

The best method will depend on your business needs, but the important thing is that you regularly clean up your email list. Inactive subscribers can drag down your email deliverability and impact your sender reputation, so it's important to keep your list healthy.

9. Don't buy third-party email lists

When you're first starting with email marketing, it can be tempting to add anyone and everyone to your list. After all, the more subscribers you have, the more potential customers you have, right? Wrong.

It might seem like a good idea to buy a third-party email list, but it's not. In fact, it can hurt your email marketing results and it violates data privacy laws like GDPR which could result in hefty fines.

The people on these lists are not interested in hearing from you. They didn't opt-in to receive your emails, so they're much less likely to engage with your content. They might even mark your emails as spam, and no one likes spam. Ultimately, this can damage your sender reputation and make it harder for your emails to get delivered.

So, save yourself the headache and don't buy a third-party email list. Not only is it annoying for the person receiving it, but it also reflects poorly on your business. After all, would you want to do business with a company that sends unsolicited emails? Probably not.

10. Use A/B testing to determine what content works best

Data is king when it comes to digital marketing and email marketing, is no different.

A/B testing, or split testing, is a method of comparing two versions of something to see which one performs better. In terms of email marketing, this means sending out two different emails to a portion of your list and seeing which email gets more opens, clicks, or conversions.

You can A/B test just about anything in your email, from the subject line to the call to action or even the time or day of the week you send your email.

By running tests on small segments of your list, you can determine what works best for your audience and then roll that out to the rest of your subscribers.

To get started with A/B testing:

1. Create two different versions of your email (Version A and Version B)
2. Send each version to a portion of your list
3. You can split your list evenly between the two versions, or you can send Version A to a smaller portion of your list (say, 10%) and Version B to the rest (90%)
4. Analyze the results to see which email version performed better
5. Send the top-performing version to the rest of your list
6. Test different aspects of your email to find what gets the best results

Not sure what to test first? Start with the subject line. It's often the most important part of an email, so it's a good place to start.

Other elements you can A/B test include:

• The “from” line (try using a personal name vs. your company name)
• The time and day of the week you send out your email
• The call to action (CTA)
• The email content
• The length of the email

Don’t go overboard with A/B testing. Too many tests can start to feel like overkill, and you might not have the resources to keep up with all the different versions.

Stick to testing one element at a time, and make sure you allocate enough time for each test to run before moving on to the next one.

11. Rinse and repeat

To see continued success with your email marketing, you need to be in it for the long haul.

Email marketing is not a “set it and forget it” channel. You can’t just create a few emails and then let them go out into the world on their own.

To see results, you need to consistently send emails, test what works and make improvements along the way.

Email marketing is an ongoing process, so make sure you have the resources in place to sustain it over the long term. This includes budget, staff, and reliable email marketing software like Maildroppa.

With a little time and effort, you can see some great results from your email marketing campaigns. Just remember to focus on quality over quantity, be consistent, and always be testing and iterating.

Summary

Managing your email list is key to getting the most out of your email marketing campaigns. This includes using double opt-in, validating subscriber emails, allowing subscribers to choose how often they hear from you, and segmenting your list into different categories. You should also use personalized welcome sequences, send targeted content to each group of subscribers, and make it easy to unsubscribe. Finally, use a win-back email sequence to re-engage inactive subscribers, and regularly purge your list of inactive subscribers. Don't buy third-party email lists, send too many emails, or neglect your list. By following these tips, you can improve your email list management and get better results from your email marketing campaigns.