Email List Hygiene
You’ve spent countless hours building up your email list only to see results dwindle over time. You wonder if this is normal (it is).
Over time, the quality of your email list will begin to decay. Subscribers or customers will slowly stop opening and engaging with your emails and some emails will even begin to bounce when they hadn’t in the past.
That’s where email list hygiene comes in.
This short post will cover everything you need to know about email list hygiene. What it is, why it’s important, the ins and outs of cleaning your email list and the best practices that will help you along the way.
What is Email List Hygiene
Email list hygiene is the process of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
The goal is to keep your list updated with contacts who are genuinely interested in your content.
A clean email list ensures higher engagement rates, better deliverability, and a stronger reputation for your domain.
Why is Email List Hygiene important?
Yes, building your total number of subscribers in your email list is important. But that’s not the only metric that you should be focused on as an email marketer. You need to be sure you’re sending your emails to the right people — the ones who will open and engage with your content.
That’s why maintaining a hygienic email list is so crucial. Here are some of the key reasons why email list hygiene is important:
Improved Deliverability: Regular cleaning your email list reduces the chances of your emails landing in spam or promotions folders.
Higher Engagement Rates: By targeting only your interested contacts, your emails are more likely to be opened and clicked (which also helps with deliverability).
Reduced Costs: Many email service providers charge based on the number of subscribers or contacts. Cleaning your list can save you money where you are no longer sending to contacts who would not have opened your email anyway.
Truthful Analytics: Accurate data on open rates and click-through rates helps in making informed marketing decisions.
Reputation Management: ISPs monitor how recipients interact with your emails. A clean list helps maintain a positive sender reputation.
As you can see, email list hygiene should not be an afterthought in your email marketing efforts. In fact, it should be a priority and a clean list will improve all of your other downstream metrics.
How should I clean my email list?
Now that you know why you should clean your email list, you’re probably wondering how exactly you can get started. Cleaning your email list involves several steps:
Remove Inactive Subscribers: Identify subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails over a certain period and remove them.
Remove Bounced or Invalid Email Addresses: Regularly check for and remove email addresses that bounce (Loops does this for you automatically).
Add a Double Opt-In Process: This ensures that new subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
Re-engage or Remove: Attempt to re-engage inactive subscribers with targeted campaigns before removal. Let them know that they will be removed and will need to re-subscribe if they miss the window to engage.
That’s it! Cleaning an email list doesn’t need to be difficult and the results from doing so will be well worth it in the long run.
How often should I clean my email list?
How often you clean your email list will vary based on your email marketing goals and the volume of emails sent.
A general best practice is to assess and clean your list every few (3-6 is ideal) months. There are very few companies that shouldn’t consider cleaning their list every year at minimum.
This frequency ensures your list remains updated without being overly disruptive to your email marketing campaigns.
Email List Hygiene best practices
Here are the best practices you should follow in order to keep your email list hygiene as clean as it can be:
Conduct Regular Audits and Cleanups: Perform routine audits of your email list. This involves removing inactive or unresponsive subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails over a specific period.
Remove Invalid or Bounced Email Addresses: Regularly purge email addresses that return hard bounces immediately. Soft bounces should be monitored and removed if they persist.
Implement Double Opt-In: This process requires new subscribers to confirm their email address after the initial signup. This ensures that the email address is valid and that the owner wants to receive your emails.
Segment Your List: Divide your email list into segments based on your subscribers interests, behaviors, or demographics. This allows for more targeted and relevant communications, which can reduce inactivity rates.
Re-Engagement Campaigns: Before removing inactive subscribers, try to re-engage them with a targeted campaign. If they still don’t engage, it's safer to remove them to keep your list healthy. They can always re-subscribe later if they realize they’re missing your content.
Use a Preference Center: Give your subscribers the option to manage their email preferences. This can include the frequency of emails and the types of content they wish to receive (product updates, account summary, etc).
Unsubscribe Mechanisms: When subscribers choose to unsubscribe, remove them ASAP to maintain a clean list.
Monitor Engagement Metrics: Keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Falling engagement can be a sign that your list needs cleaning.
Changing Email Addresses: Sometimes subscribers change their email addresses. Offer an easy way for them to update their contact information in your database.
Stay Compliant with Privacy Laws: Ensure your email list practices comply with data protection and privacy laws like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL. This includes obtaining proper consent to send emails. This will help reduce your spam complaints.
By implementing these best practices, you can maintain a clean and efficient email list. The minor reduction in total subscribers will actually lead to higher engagement rates, better deliverability, and a stronger return on your email marketing investments.
Key takeaways
Email list hygiene is the process of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
A general best practice is to assess and clean your list every few months. You should never wait more than a year.
A clean email list might mean a lower subscriber count but ensures higher engagement rates.
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You’ve spent countless hours building up your email list only to see results dwindle over time. You wonder if this is normal (it is).
Over time, the quality of your email list will begin to decay. Subscribers or customers will slowly stop opening and engaging with your emails and some emails will even begin to bounce when they hadn’t in the past.
That’s where email list hygiene comes in.
This short post will cover everything you need to know about email list hygiene. What it is, why it’s important, the ins and outs of cleaning your email list and the best practices that will help you along the way.
What is Email List Hygiene
Email list hygiene is the process of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
The goal is to keep your list updated with contacts who are genuinely interested in your content.
A clean email list ensures higher engagement rates, better deliverability, and a stronger reputation for your domain.
Why is Email List Hygiene important?
Yes, building your total number of subscribers in your email list is important. But that’s not the only metric that you should be focused on as an email marketer. You need to be sure you’re sending your emails to the right people — the ones who will open and engage with your content.
That’s why maintaining a hygienic email list is so crucial. Here are some of the key reasons why email list hygiene is important:
Improved Deliverability: Regular cleaning your email list reduces the chances of your emails landing in spam or promotions folders.
Higher Engagement Rates: By targeting only your interested contacts, your emails are more likely to be opened and clicked (which also helps with deliverability).
Reduced Costs: Many email service providers charge based on the number of subscribers or contacts. Cleaning your list can save you money where you are no longer sending to contacts who would not have opened your email anyway.
Truthful Analytics: Accurate data on open rates and click-through rates helps in making informed marketing decisions.
Reputation Management: ISPs monitor how recipients interact with your emails. A clean list helps maintain a positive sender reputation.
As you can see, email list hygiene should not be an afterthought in your email marketing efforts. In fact, it should be a priority and a clean list will improve all of your other downstream metrics.
How should I clean my email list?
Now that you know why you should clean your email list, you’re probably wondering how exactly you can get started. Cleaning your email list involves several steps:
Remove Inactive Subscribers: Identify subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails over a certain period and remove them.
Remove Bounced or Invalid Email Addresses: Regularly check for and remove email addresses that bounce (Loops does this for you automatically).
Add a Double Opt-In Process: This ensures that new subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails.
Re-engage or Remove: Attempt to re-engage inactive subscribers with targeted campaigns before removal. Let them know that they will be removed and will need to re-subscribe if they miss the window to engage.
That’s it! Cleaning an email list doesn’t need to be difficult and the results from doing so will be well worth it in the long run.
How often should I clean my email list?
How often you clean your email list will vary based on your email marketing goals and the volume of emails sent.
A general best practice is to assess and clean your list every few (3-6 is ideal) months. There are very few companies that shouldn’t consider cleaning their list every year at minimum.
This frequency ensures your list remains updated without being overly disruptive to your email marketing campaigns.
Email List Hygiene best practices
Here are the best practices you should follow in order to keep your email list hygiene as clean as it can be:
Conduct Regular Audits and Cleanups: Perform routine audits of your email list. This involves removing inactive or unresponsive subscribers who haven't engaged with your emails over a specific period.
Remove Invalid or Bounced Email Addresses: Regularly purge email addresses that return hard bounces immediately. Soft bounces should be monitored and removed if they persist.
Implement Double Opt-In: This process requires new subscribers to confirm their email address after the initial signup. This ensures that the email address is valid and that the owner wants to receive your emails.
Segment Your List: Divide your email list into segments based on your subscribers interests, behaviors, or demographics. This allows for more targeted and relevant communications, which can reduce inactivity rates.
Re-Engagement Campaigns: Before removing inactive subscribers, try to re-engage them with a targeted campaign. If they still don’t engage, it's safer to remove them to keep your list healthy. They can always re-subscribe later if they realize they’re missing your content.
Use a Preference Center: Give your subscribers the option to manage their email preferences. This can include the frequency of emails and the types of content they wish to receive (product updates, account summary, etc).
Unsubscribe Mechanisms: When subscribers choose to unsubscribe, remove them ASAP to maintain a clean list.
Monitor Engagement Metrics: Keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Falling engagement can be a sign that your list needs cleaning.
Changing Email Addresses: Sometimes subscribers change their email addresses. Offer an easy way for them to update their contact information in your database.
Stay Compliant with Privacy Laws: Ensure your email list practices comply with data protection and privacy laws like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL. This includes obtaining proper consent to send emails. This will help reduce your spam complaints.
By implementing these best practices, you can maintain a clean and efficient email list. The minor reduction in total subscribers will actually lead to higher engagement rates, better deliverability, and a stronger return on your email marketing investments.
Key takeaways
Email list hygiene is the process of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
A general best practice is to assess and clean your list every few months. You should never wait more than a year.
A clean email list might mean a lower subscriber count but ensures higher engagement rates.