{"id":14,"date":"2020-07-15T14:14:21","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T14:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/2020\/07\/15\/start-the-year-off-right-clean-your-list\/"},"modified":"2020-07-15T14:14:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T14:14:21","slug":"start-the-year-off-right-clean-your-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/affiliate-marketing\/2020\/07\/15\/start-the-year-off-right-clean-your-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Start The Year Off Right: Clean Your List"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As digital marketers, we know that one of the most important metrics of business is the size of your email list.<\/p>\n

But hear this: email marketing is evolving.<\/p>\n

As the CEO of Sendlane<\/a>, I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to see a lot of email marketing data come through our hands (to the tune of over 7 billion emails).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting to see the different types of email list sizes and compare the actual activity that comes with them.<\/p>\n

And, I\u2019ve come to realize that the question is no longer the \u201csize<\/em> of your list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s \u201chow active<\/em> is your list.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yes, I\u2019m talking about your open and\u00a0click-through<\/a> rates.<\/p>\n

Because size doesn\u2019t matter as much anymore\u2026 engagement is what we are aiming for, right?<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s a quick disclaimer:\u00a0if you read something and worry about it going against what you\u2019ve heard in the past, don\u2019t let that deter you.<\/p>\n

This entire article is based on my experience with\u00a0Sendlane<\/a> and the data we\u2019ve analyzed over the life of the company.<\/p>\n

Basically, the information comes from email marketing that is happening right now in the REAL world!<\/p>\n

Now, I want to start off by debunking some MYTHS about \u201cCleaning Your List\u201d so let\u2019s dive right in!<\/p>\n

1. You need a service to clean your list<\/h2>\n

If you built your list the right way and have opted in subscribers (people who actually gave you permission) the idea of a \u201cclean up service\u201d is not the one for you.<\/p>\n

Clean up services were created for people who buy data \u2013 aka buy email lists.<\/p>\n

They will generally clean up known bounces, bad emails, spam traps, and more.<\/p>\n

But if your email is permission based (which it should be) this should not be a concern.<\/p>\n

So save your money \u2013 unless you REALLY want to spend it ?<\/p>\n

2. They will open my email eventually!<\/h2>\n

Back when I started in 2009, I remember building my first email list.<\/p>\n

I BABIED them.<\/p>\n

I was scared to email them.<\/p>\n

And when they stopped opening my emails, I started to get worried but I kept trying.<\/p>\n

But, inactive subscribers aren\u2019t just waiting for you to send the perfect email before they take action.<\/p>\n

Here are the facts \u2013 4 easy reasons why subscribers usually<\/em> become inactive:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. They no longer own or use the email (aka they changed emails)<\/li>\n
  2. They ignored enough of your emails (the email algorithm is now placing your messages in their spam).<\/li>\n
  3. They marked your email as spam (Ouch! I know, but it\u2019s human nature, either by accident or on purpose).<\/li>\n
  4. They are simply no longer interested (and too lazy to unsubscribe).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Look, these are not the ONLY reasons \u2013 but these make up MOST of the reasons why a subscriber may no longer be active.<\/p>\n

    3. It\u2019s my Autoresponder service<\/h2>\n

    If you are blaming your problems on your provider and thinking you have to move your list you might be right.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s true \u2013 not ALL Email Marketing Services (aka Autoresponders) are created equal.<\/p>\n

    But any reputable one, with a mass number of customers, will be pretty equal at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

    So, if you are bouncing back and forth between big providers (Sendlane, MailChimp, ConstantContact, etc.) expecting great results, you are doing yourself (and your marketing) a disservice.<\/p>\n

    Look, I wish I could sit here and tell you that Sendlane<\/a> is the absolute best, but that would be a myth\u2026<\/p>\n

    Your service doesn\u2019t<\/strong> determine your activity.<\/p>\n

    But I will tell you what does if you keep reading!<\/p>\n

    Now that we\u2019ve gone over those 3 myths, let\u2019s hone in on what is REALLY going on.<\/p>\n

    And luckily, these are also things you actually have the power to change.<\/p>\n

    So, here they are \u2013 5 things that really affect your delivery:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Your actual email \u2013 simply put, the words that YOU put in your email can cause spam. Avoid the spam and email \u201ccurse words.\u201d Really though, just\u00a0STOP using these words!<\/a>\n<\/li>\n
    2. Your links \u2013 You would be SHOCKED at how many links are blacklisted. Get a tool like ClickPerfect<\/a> and keep yourself protected.<\/li>\n
    3. Your FROM email address \u2013 This is something people overlook. Is your domain aged? Does it have a website attached to it? Does it have good reputation? Consider an email address that reflects you professionally.<\/li>\n
    4. The TIME you send your email \u2013 Simply emailing at different times of the day can EASILY affect your open and click rates.<\/li>\n
    5. Your list is INACTIVE \u2013 Yes, I said it. If Joe Schmoe from 2011 doesn\u2019t read your emails then it\u2019s time to let them go!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      And just as before, these are not the ONLY reasons for your delivery problems, but are 90% of why your emails are most likely not getting delivered.<\/p>\n

      Now that you\u2019ve heard the 3 myths and their breakdown, let\u2019s jump into the actual logic of properly cleaning your list!<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s time to start talking about the actual task of\u00a0CLEANING your list, the proper way.<\/p>\n

      List cleaning is actually much SIMPLER than it sounds \u2013 but also scary to a person who may or may not be accustomed to the idea.<\/p>\n

      If you\u2019re using any email platform (such as Sendlane<\/a>, MailChimp, Aweber, Get Response, Constant Contact, etc.), you\u2019ll have simple and powerful segmentation tools available to you.<\/p>\n

      These will help clean\u00a0your list painlessly.<\/p>\n

      The cleaning itself is\u00a0generally done using the \u201cSegmentation\u201d tool.<\/p>\n

      Using Google,\u00a0Wiki or a search in your AR tool\u2019s\u00a0help desk will reveal how simple it is to create a segment for your inactive or active list.<\/p>\n

      Now before you start, here\u2019s the ONE basic rule of thumb:<\/p>\n

      \u201cIf a person has not OPENED an email from you in the last 120 days (4 months) \u2013 It is time to delete them from your list.\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

      Listen, I know that seems \u201cshort\u201d but on the Internet, it is a LONG time.<\/p>\n

      If in 4 months they haven\u2019t paid attention to your emails, what makes you think they will 121 days later?<\/p>\n

      Scroll above and read MYTH 2 again ?<\/p>\n

      The age old question \u2013 one that everyone who is CLINGING to their email list asks.<\/p>\n

      I\u2019m going to give you the hard truth again.<\/p>\n

      If the person on your list has been IGNORING YOU for 120 days and you send an email saying, I\u2019m going to delete you\u2026 and they open that\u00a0email, does that really make them an active subscriber?<\/p>\n

      In the day and age where each subscriber costs you money (in the form of the monthly subscription to your autoresponder service) AND each subscriber can affect your overall delivery, why are you looking to re-engage someone who hasn\u2019t OPENED an email in 120 days.<\/p>\n

      It\u2019s the harsh reality and even if it sounds crazy, it\u2019s time to let them to go.<\/p>\n

      You only want people on your email list that are ACTIVE and want to listen to you.<\/p>\n

      If you have a segment of your list that hasn\u2019t open an email in ages, there\u2019s still lead potential to be had.<\/p>\n

      You can upload it into your custom audiences on Facebook or Google and create advertisements for them.<\/p>\n

      They are a warm lead as they opted in with\u00a0you AND they were at one point active with\u00a0your newsletter.<\/p>\n

      So take advantage of that!<\/p>\n

      Create a targeted ad and\u00a0get them to buy or opt in to your list again.<\/p>\n

      This is one of those articles people will either love or hate.<\/p>\n

      Those that love it will understand the importance AND benefits of cleaning your list.<\/p>\n

      Those who hate it, only hate it because they know what they NEED to do and the thought of removing people from your list is very scary.<\/p>\n

      But here are the 3 things you will achieve with a proper list cleaning:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. You\u2019ll have a more active and engaged list, one that will want to hear from you more often, buy from you, and respond to you.<\/li>\n
      2. You\u2019ll save money. Each subscriber adds another tick mark to your list size. That list size determines how much you pay monthly. Don\u2019t pay for dead weight.<\/li>\n
      3. Your OPEN and CLICK rates will increase. This happens for people every time I recommend it, and even in regard to my own list. Because you\u2019re delivering LESS email and it\u2019s getting HIGHER engagement, the ISP (like Gmail, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, etc.) will favor your emails for the engagement and push it into the inbox.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        So today is the perfect day to start!<\/p>\n

        In the comments below, let me know which one of my tips were your favorite and if YOU plan to clean your list after reading my article!<\/p>\n

        \n
        \n
        \n
        \"Jimmy<\/a><\/div>\n
        \n

        Jimmy Kim<\/a><\/h3>\n
        \nJimmy<\/a> is not only our founder and the CEO here at Snaptactix, but also the CEO of
        \n        Sendlane<\/a> and COO of
        \n        KNYEW<\/a>. Over the past 8+ years, Jimmy’s influence as an Internet Marketing Consultant and Coach have helped over 30,000 students start their own online businesses in over 68 different countries.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
        \n
        \"Jimmy<\/a><\/div>\n
        \n

        Latest posts by Jimmy Kim (see all<\/a>)<\/span>
        \n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

        \t
        \n <\/p>\n

        <\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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