5 Compelling Reasons to Clean Your Email List Regularly
As a fellow Shopify entrepreneur, I know how challenging it can be to effectively manage an email list.
I also understand how incredibly difficult it is to clean your list of inactive email subscribers who used to be loyal to you. It can feel like re-entering the dating world, where you invest a ridiculous amount of time getting to know someone, only to be ghosted in the end.
But here’s the thing: cleaning your email marketing list ACTUALLY improves your email deliverability, increasing the chances of that email campaign you poured your heart and soul into reaching the right inbox.
If anyone tells you to cling to your few disengaged subscribers for dear life, I’m here to tell you to ignore their advice. Holding onto those unengaged subscribers is hurting your business.
But, I don't have to clean my list often...Right?
Don’t shoot the messenger, but yes. Yes, you do. Email lists naturally decline by 20-30% each year, which means that up to one-third of your subscribers may never even open your meticulously crafted emails or click on your calls to action.
Email verification is essential in maintaining data quality by checking the validity and deliverability of email addresses, which helps reduce bounce rates and ensures better engagement.
Imagine putting in all that effort, only to have your email fall on deaf ears.
While it may be tempting to keep sending emails to these individuals, it’s crucial to remember that as a small business owner, your time and energy are limited. Stop giving your energy to those who don’t reciprocate, right? Preach!
I need more proof that I actually have to clean my list
No worries! Let me give it to you straight.
If you’ve noticed any of the following metrics increase in the past month or year, it’s time for a clean-up:
Unsubscribes
Spam Complaints
Bounces
Moreover, if your open or click-through rates are plummeting, that’s further evidence that you need to scrub that list ASAP.
What other benefit is there to cleaning your list, you ask? Let's discuss them...
Risks of Not Cleaning Your Email List
Not cleaning your email list can have severe consequences on your email marketing efforts. Let's talk about them:
High Bounce Rates Due to Invalid Email Addresses
Imagine throwing a party and sending out invitations, only to have a bunch of them returned because the addresses were all wrong. That’s exactly what happens when you send emails to invalid email addresses.
These bounces show up as red flags to your email service provider that you’re not maintaining a clean list, which can hurt your email deliverability. High bounce rates from invalid addresses can lead to your emails being flagged, reducing the chances of your messages reaching valid email addresses. It’s like trying to deliver a message to a ghost town – no one’s there to hear it.
Spam Folder Placement and Decreased Open Rates
Imagine pouring your heart into crafting the perfect email, only for it to end up in the dreaded spam folder. When you don’t clean your email list regularly, you risk sending emails to subscribers who are no longer interested.
When you neglect to clean your email list regularly, you run the risk of sending emails to subscribers who have long since lost interest. And trying to rekindle that interest? It's not that easy the second time around.
Decreased Trust from Email Service Providers
Email service providers (ESP) are like the gatekeepers of the digital world. They keep a close eye on your sending habits, and if they notice you’re consistently sending emails to invalid addresses or experiencing high bounce rates, they're quickly going to lose trust in you.
Obviously, this can cause your email deliverability to take a serious hit, making it harder for your emails to reach your subscribers’ inboxes. In severe cases, your ESP might even block your emails or shut down your account. While this is rare and has never happened to me or any of my clients, your best to be proactive and not reactive.
Benefits of Keeping Your Email List Squeaky Clean
Better Open and Click Rates Anyone?
When you kick those inactive subscribers to the curb, your open and click rates will skyrocket. Klaviyo, the email marketing gurus, say a healthy email list should have a unique open rate between 15-25% and a unique click rate between 1.5-4% for a campaign sent to around 50,000 people. But even if your list is smaller, aim high! Those benchmarks are your new best friends.
We're Not Here to Deal with Spam Complaints
Sometimes, people mark emails as spam because they have the memory of a goldfish and forgot they signed up (believe me – I'm one of them and get constant emails I literally do NOT and WILL NEVER care about).
But here's the thing: Gmail and Yahoo don't mess around with spam complaints. If you get too many, chances are your emails might start living in the spam folder for ALL your subscribers, not just the forgetful ones.
That's a surefire way to tank your leads and sales. By ditching the subscribers who are likely to mark you as spam, you're protecting your deliverability and keeping your emails out of spam purgatory.
Bounces? Invalid email addresses? Yea, no thanks.
Email bounces are like the unwanted party guests of the email world. They show up because of full inboxes, changed email addresses, or technical issues. And just like spam complaints, too many bounces can seriously hurt your sender reputation and email deliverability.
Regularly cleaning your list is like having a bouncer at the door – it keeps the riffraff out.
More Money, Less Problems by Removing Inactive Subscribers
Most email marketing services charge based on how many emails you send or how many subscribers you have. By giving the boot to those unengaged subscribers, you're saving cash and boosting your email marketing ROI.
It's like finding money in your couch cushions, but better.
Note: here's a little secret. You can actually lower your Klaviyo plan by estimating the monthly volume you need AND NOT the amount of profiles you have.
Make Decisions Based on Data
Cleaning your email list gives you a more accurate picture of your own email campaign performance and marketing campaigns' performance. With a cleaner list, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your strategy and better serve your engaged audience.
So...How Do You Give Your Email List a Deep Clean?
First things first, understanding how to clean email lists is crucial for maintaining a successful email marketing strategy. Segment your list into those who are engaged and not engaged. Klaviyo actually has some great examples of how you can segment your lists here.
While your engaged list can be used for newsletters, product updates, and other engaging content, try using your unengaged subscribers for more promotion-specific email campaigns like sitewide sales or Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
You can also try hitting them with a re-engagement campaign before giving them the axe. A fresh approach or an offer they can’t refuse might just reignite the spark. But if they’re still giving you the cold shoulder, suppress or remove them from your active lists. Just don’t forget to export those contacts first – they might come in handy for PPC retargeting ads later on.
Next, take a look at your previous campaigns to find out why your emails bounced. Common culprits include typos, invalid email addresses, or temporary server issues. Fix any obvious mistakes and kick those duplicate email addresses or names with different email addresses to the curb.
Sure, most email providers like Klaviyo or Omnisend handle some of this stuff automatically, but don’t get complacent.
Also it goes without saying, but please never purchase an email list. Emailing a full list of contacts you’ve never emailed before is a sure fire way to tank your email deliverability.
Lastly, if you’re using Shopify, you’ll likely have tons of subscribers who entered their email at checkout, but never purchased. While these emails are AMAZING for abandoned cart flows, you should think about suppressing them every 6 months or so. Otherwise, you’ll just be racking up a list of emails that will gradually become ineffective and hinder your email marketing efforts.
Keeping Up With the Times
Congrats, you’ve given your email list a deep clean! But the work doesn’t stop there…sorry!
To keep your list healthy, make sure you have a killer welcome email series to hook those new subscribers from the get-go.
You can also use segmentation to tailor your abandoned cart emails to different customer groups, based on factors like their browsing behavior, past purchases, or demographic information. By sending more personalized and relevant messages, you’ll increase the likelihood of customers engaging with your emails and returning to their carts.
Finally, don’t forget to optimize your checkout process to reduce cart abandonment in the first place. Ensure your checkout is simple, intuitive, and mobile-friendly, with clear calls-to-action and minimal distractions. Offer a range of payment and shipping options to cater to different customer preferences, and be transparent about any additional costs or fees upfront. By creating a seamless and trustworthy checkout experience, you’ll reduce the number of customers who abandon their carts and improve the overall effectiveness of your abandoned cart flow.
At the end of the day, a clean email list is non-negotiable for a successful Shopify business. By focusing on engaged and active subscribers, you’ll boost your conversion rates and your email marketing performance, forge stronger customer relationships, and watch that revenue soar. So, set aside some time regularly to review and clean your list – your business (and your sanity) will thank you for it!
Hi! If we haven't already met, I'm Laura! Founder of Dolgify and author of this little blog. I help small to mid-sized merchants build stores and stories their customers deserve. If you liked this post and want to learn more, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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Cheers,
Laura
