Reengage Campaign

[beckydixon]

I'm creating a nurture campaign for our unengaged audience to try and "reengage" them. The campaign will be three emails. Does anyone have any best practices around how often to send emails to an unengaged audience? 

[alludoalex]

There's some best practices I would suggest beyond just frequency, without having further context of the content you're planning to re-engage with, so I'll just give broad context.

• If you're re-engaging an audience, be sure to remove them from the re-engagement nurture when they engage based on whatever metric you're driving towards so they don't receive stale messaging. 
• If the unengaged audience is large as a percentage of your regular overall send volume, consider breaking up the sends into smaller groups over time. 
  • Google and Yahoo/AOL have introduced new thresholds, so you don't want to exceed a 0.4% spam rate on any given day, or a 0.2% rate average.  
• If the unengaged segment is also quite dated, consider using an e-mail validation service to scrub the list before sending to reduce the chance of hitting spam traps, or addresses that have been deprecated and no longer valid.
• Check with your legal department around data retention policies to ensure you're not running afoul of local privacy regulations and what standards your company has decided to adopt. (7 year old email addresses showing no purchase activity and no Marketo activity is probably better left alone.)   
• As for frequency, there could be a lot of different suggestions based on what other data you have available (if any data). Try to match the frequency to the motion.
  • You'll likely see better results if you can personalize the content based on the context of their journey.
    • Are these non-purchasers? Customers of old products? If so, how long is the product life span? Newsletter subscribers that haven't opened in a long time? How long have the been unengaged relative to your sales cycle? Are they showing any web activity at all?
    • Each of these scenarios could have different cadences and content, the matching frequency could range from under a week to several weeks depending on the scenario, your message, and what your CTA is.
      • ex: a monthly cadence for a inactive monthly newsletter subscriber OR a weekly cadence for a weekly promo.
    • There's no hard and fast rule, but it should be reasonable based on what could be expected from your business.

[Kristof]

Let me add some more insights on frequency recommendations and specific cases.

When planning the frequency of your reengagement emails, consider the following:

Frequency Recommendations:

1. Weekly Cadence:

• Best for: Recently unengaged users or those who used to engage frequently.
• Reasoning: A weekly email keeps your brand top-of-mind without being too intrusive. For instance, if you have a segment of newsletter subscribers who haven't opened in the past month, a weekly touchpoint can gently remind them of what they're missing.

2. Bi-Weekly Cadence:

• Best for: Users who have been unengaged for a longer period but have shown sporadic interest in the past.
• Reasoning: A bi-weekly schedule is less aggressive and gives these users enough breathing room while still attempting to rekindle their interest. This could be suitable for customers who bought something a while ago but haven't interacted since.

3. Monthly Cadence:

• Best for: Very cold leads or those who haven't engaged in a long time (e.g., over six months to a year).
• Reasoning: A monthly email can serve as a gentle nudge without overwhelming these users. It’s particularly effective for past customers who might need a reminder about your brand or a new product launch that might interest them.

Case-Based Recommendations:

1. Non-Purchasers:

• Scenario: Users who signed up but never made a purchase.
• Frequency: Start with a weekly cadence, gradually shifting to bi-weekly if engagement remains low.
• Example: Offer introductory discounts or showcase bestsellers to entice them.

2. Inactive Customers:

• Scenario: Past customers who haven't purchased in a while.
• Frequency: A bi-weekly cadence to remind them of new products or special offers.
• Example: Highlight new arrivals or special promotions relevant to their past purchases.

3. Dormant Newsletter Subscribers:

• Scenario: Subscribers who haven’t opened emails in the last few months.
• Frequency: Begin with bi-weekly, then reduce to monthly if necessary.
• Example: Share engaging content such as popular blog posts, upcoming events, or industry news to reignite interest.

4. Seasonal Shoppers:

• Scenario: Customers who typically shop during specific seasons or events.
• Frequency: Monthly updates leading up to their typical shopping period, increasing to weekly as the season approaches.
• Example: Previews of seasonal collections or early access to sales.

General Tips:

• Monitor Engagement: Regularly review engagement metrics to adjust frequency as needed. If you notice increased opens and clicks, you might consider maintaining or slightly increasing the frequency.
• Avoid Overloading: Be mindful not to overwhelm your audience. High-frequency emails can lead to higher unsubscribe rates if not done thoughtfully.
• Content Quality: Ensure that each email provides value to the recipient. Relevant and engaging content can justify a higher frequency.

By tailoring the frequency to the specific needs and behaviors of your audience segments, you can improve the chances of reengaging them effectively.

Follow-Up Questions:

• Have you tried different content types for various segments to see which resonates best?
• What engagement metrics are you tracking to determine the success of your reengagement emails?
• Are there any seasonal trends in your engagement data that could inform your reengagement strategy?

These questions can help you fine-tune your approach and discover more effective ways to reconnect with your audience.

[alludoalex]

A question of if the business is focused more around a buy-once (loan/financial service) vs buy-multiple (eComm) model is really relevant here when applying it to a use case.

I wasn't thinking seasonal shopper, but this gives some helpful time frames around many scenarios.