You've seen your email subscribers slowly disengage, and you're wondering how to reignite their interest. Enter the world of win-back email campaigns. This campaign is a way to re-engage subscribers or customers who haven't interacted with your brand for a while.
These campaigns can be a game-changer, reminding your audience of your value and enticing them to re-engage with fresh and compelling content. Let’s dive in and unpack the essentials of a successful win-back email campaign.
What are win-back email campaigns?
Win-back email campaigns are targeted email strategies designed to get old customers or subscribers interested again. Over time, it's natural for some recipients to drift away due to changing interests or email overload.
These campaigns try to grab their attention and remind them why they initially signed up. These campaigns try to “win back” these dormant subscribers by using special messages or deals. The goal is to make them active, engaged, and loyal customers again.
How to create your own win-back email campaign
Determine who your inactive subscribers are
Inactive subscribers are individuals who don’t engage with your emails like they once did. Figuring out who they are and separating them from the rest is crucial. Over maybe a few months or a year (depending on how many emails you send), these are individuals who haven’t opened, clicked, or interacted with your email content.
By using your email marketing tool’s analytics, you can spot these patterns of disengagement. Then, create a list of these subscribers to target with win-back campaigns specifically. Recognizing and addressing this group is vital because reigniting their interest can be more cost-effective than acquiring new customers.
Decide when you’ll send your win-back emails
Scheduling your win-back emails demands strategic thinking. This step has two parts. The first is deciding at which stage of your email marketing campaign you will send win-back emails to subscribers. The second is figuring out which days of the week and times you’ll email them.
For the first part, establish a consistent pattern, maybe after a subscriber has been inactive for three or six months. Tracking a user’s inactivity over time will require a good email marketing tool like YAMM that allows you to track metrics easily.
The day and time of your sends matter too. Mid-week emails often see higher open rates. Space out your win-back attempts and cap the number of attempts to avoid overwhelming them. Properly scheduling balances persistence with respect for the subscriber's inbox.
Pick out some great win-back email subject lines
Great, thumb-stopping subject lines are essential. These kinds of campaigns benefit from this especially, as the audience has become somewhat disillusioned by the regular emails of your campaigns. This is why you must pick out enticing or alluring subject lines to get their attention.
Use curiosity, like "Missed us? Here's something just for you!" or value-driven lines such as "Exclusive offer inside: Come back and save!" Tugging at emotions works really well, too, like "We've missed you!" You can also utilize FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) with "Don't miss out on our latest updates!"
Personalization with their name is another way to increase open rates. Try something like, "John, we noticed you've been away!"
Write a compelling and personalized message
Personalization has to go beyond the subject line and reflect in your message, too. Remember, compelling content is why your audience subscribed to you in the first place. Now, you’ll have to remind them of that and give them a taste of something new.
You can start by acknowledging their absence, like "We've noticed you've been away." You can also tailor the content to their previous interactions or purchases: "Last time, you loved our spring collection; check out what's new!" Look at a few examples of great re-engagement emails.
Use friendly, conversational tones, making the email feel like a chat between friends. Include powerful visuals or stories to stir emotions. Moreover, use an email marketing tool like YAMM to personalize messages with their name, past behaviors, and preferences.
Craft the perfect call-to-action (CTA)
The CTA is the linchpin of your win-back email. You can have more than one CTA in marketing emails or newsletters. However, it’s best to stick with one CTA per email in win-back emails. This is because you don’t want to lose your audience’s attention at any cost.
Here are some more tips to craft a good CTA:
- Keep it clear and concise
- Avoid ambiguity. If you want them to shop, say "Shop now!"
- Use persuasive language, like "Discover your exclusive deal!"
- Make the CTA button or link visually stand out
- Incorporate urgency, such as "Limited offer" or "Only 24 hours left!"
Decide what email tool you’ll use.
The email tool you use can make or break your campaign. Look for a tool that integrates seamlessly with platforms you're already comfortable using, like Gmail or Google Sheets. This way, you can easily personalize and schedule emails without learning a new platform.
Having the ability to view the most important metrics easily and perhaps directly in one platform without juggling multiple applications can streamline your analysis process. Lastly, consider tools that let you send marketing emails directly from familiar interfaces, such as Gmail.
Send your win-back email campaign with YAMM
One tool that checks all the boxes is YAMM. YAMM is a Gmail add-on that lets you effortlessly personalize, schedule, and track your win-back emails. You can dive into real-time metrics and enjoy the simplicity of sending bulk emails straight from Google platforms
If you’re ready to reignite your audience’s interest and re-engage with your dormant subscribers, check out what YAMM can do!