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With the proliferation of SPAM and other unwanted email, getting your message to the inbox and opened has become a significant challenge. Once you've done all you can to craft a relevant, effective message and compelling subject line, the decision to open rests entirely on your recipient. Re-mailing is an effective and efficient tactic, giving your message a second chance at the elusive “open” without additional investment.
There are numerous reasons for a recipient to not open your message.
Volume – Put simply, the average inbox is inundated with messages, both legitimate and SPAM. Your “from name” and subject line may be afforded a fraction of a second for consideration…or perhaps none at all.
This elevated email volume fosters increased reliance on SPAM filters, which, in turn, translates into a number of false-positive trips to the junk folder.
Subject Line – The old adage about not pleasing “all the people, all the time” holds true for email marketing; the odds of finding one subject line to compel all recipients are astronomically unlikely. If twenty percent of contacts are enticed to open, then eighty percent weren't engaged by your subject matter or offer.
From Name – An unrecognized from name often earns an express ticket to the trash folder.
Content – There will inevitably be customers for which your message holds no interest. A great email about four wheel drive parts may not be worth opening for the guy who recently sold his Jeep. Too Busy – The problem of volume strikes again. Balancing the demands of work and family serves to further detract from time available for email. Couple the shorter time frame with an ever-increasing email volume and you've got a recipe for overlooked, un-opened messages.
Why You Need to Re-Mail
Savvy marketers know how strategically executed re-mails can significantly enhance their campaign ROI. Whether the goal of your message is driving traffic or selling widgets, targeting the non-openers drives conversions, many of which were potentially low hanging fruit.
Re-Mailing Explained
Re-mails are one of the easier concepts to append to your marketing tool kit. Re-mailing involves running segments to identify those recipients who did not open your message, altering the open/noopen decision factors you control, and sending the message again.
Critical Strategies for Re-Mailing
The value of a re-mail is exercising control over the factors which lead to your mail not being opened in the first place. Since your message will continue to receive opens for several days after being sent, it is important to schedule your re-mail far enough out. If ninety eight percent of your opens come in the first three days, the fourth day is a good candidate for a re-mail.
Altering the subject line is the most effective, and necessary, method for re-mail success. Most of the non-openers did not find your subject line to be compelling. There is a veritable trove of articles and blog posts about what makes a subject line enticing to readers. What's better, however, is the research in your hands: eighty percent didn't take the bait.
Perhaps it was too staid or didn't describe the message value – either way, try something different. Rather than “Back To School Sale Starts Today”, try something more fun, like “Parents Rejoice - Back To School Time Is Here.” If “Fall Sale – 75% Off” got ten percent to open, try offering more value: “6 Tips for Fall Fashion”.
It's also important to use the From Name on your message to your advantage. Avoid generic names such as Marketing Department or Product Team. When using the name of a specific person, consider the level of recognition in your audience. While Steve Jobs may not need introduction to the general public, John Smith of Wenders Widgets might. If your original message uses a name familiar to your recipients, by all means, keep using it. If not, consider making a change.
The final lever you can manipulate is when you send. If your recipients are mostly West Coast, sending at 8 AM EST may be causing your message to be lost in the shuffle of overnight SPAM. B to C marketers may find Sunday afternoons to be fertile ground for re-mail revenue with consumers enjoying a relaxed schedule and more time to handle email. Re-mails provide a valuable opportunity to experiment with different times during the day and week.
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