Re-Engagement Email Campaign for 270,000 Contacts: A Case Study

The Challenge

Imagine being handed a dormant email list of 270,000 contacts without data on the last send date or engagement metrics. No one knew when the contacts were last emailed. Now, you’re tasked with executing a re-engagement email campaign while validating this list and setting the client up on a brand-new email service provider. The kicker? You’ve got just two months before the company’s rebrand launch.

Why reawaken a dormant email list? 

Rather than spending resources chasing new leads, leveraging a dormant email list is a valuable tool for re-engaging former customers and driving revenue. When done right, it increases brand awareness and improves brand reputation without violating the CAN-SPAM Act.

Note: To maintain privacy, the client’s name has not been disclosed in this case study.

The Risks of Sending to a Dormant Email List

Sending to a dormant email list can lead to: 

• High bounce rates
• Increased spam complaints 
• Low engagement rates
• Potential blacklisting
• Damage to a sender’s reputation
• Compliance issues with email marketing laws 

And those last two are doozies, especially for a reputable consumer brand!

With all those risks looming, implementing a strategic plan that included list cleansing, segmentation, gradual re-engagement, clear opt-out options, and monitoring metrics was crucial to ensuring a successful rebrand launch. We tackled the challenge with a mash up of an email list cleanse, re-engagement email campaign and sending domain warm up.

Here’s how we tackled the challenge:

The Re-Engagement Plan

1. Initial Assessment and Strategy Development 

The first task was identifying the email platform best suited to the company’s needs. We chose a platform that offered robust list management tools, high deliverability rates, and advanced segmentation capabilities (lookin’ at you, Klaviyo).

Then we determined our strategy: slow and steady wins the race. 

2. Cleaning the Email List 

Given the size of the list and the lack of engagement data, we knew a thorough cleaning process was essential. Using industry-leading email validation tools, we:

• Removed invalid email addresses
• Eliminated duplicates
• Flagged and removed email addresses likely to bounce or initiate spam complaints

These steps ensured we had a manageable list that was as clean as possible and would not jeopardize the client’s sender reputation. After this step, the list dropped down to 219,000 contacts.

3. Segmentation and Email Cadence 

Next, we segmented the list to tailor our re-engagement strategies.

Without prior engagement data, we divided the list size into a randomized waterfall grouping. Our first send list included 5,000 contacts, the second 10,000, and so on. 

4. Designing Engaging Emails 

With our segments ready, we designed two compelling emails to re-engage the contacts. To do so, we focused on the following: 

• Subject Lines: We crafted intriguing subject lines to capture attention and encourage opens.
• Incentives: Each email included an incentive as a token of being part of the brand community.
• Clear Calls to Action: To drive engagement, we included clear, enticing calls to action. We even offered the contacts the opportunity to unsubscribe right away. (The cleaner the list, the better!)

5. Send. Monitor. Adjust. Repeat.

The next big step was to start sending emails. We sent Email #1 to Group #1, which had 5,000 contacts. After hitting send, we closely monitored the metrics. Since we were sending from a brand-new email service provider to a dormant list, we expected higher bounce, unsubscribe, and spam complaint rates, but the goal was to see engagement. If we saw healthy numbers, we would move to Group #2, which consisted of 10,000 contacts. We were encouraged by the results.

The first two rounds of sends went well regarding metrics, but the increased bounce rates for Group #3 (20,000 contacts) and Group #4 (50,000 contacts) were not as we’d hoped. Therefore, we knew we needed to pivot a bit.  

Before sending Email #1 to Group #5, we wanted the ISPs (inbox service providers) to know we were sending quality emails, especially because the first two groups were engaged. We also decreased the number of contacts for the next send.

These metrics help illustrate why and how we adjusted our strategy in terms of grouping.

Ultimately, we sent the emails to ten groups rather than the six or seven groups we planned for initially. We had to send Email #2 before all of the groups received Email #1 a lot earlier than expected. Most of the decision-making was based on our experience with warming up domains. If you have never done it before, Klaviyo has a helpful guide. 

Despite the daunting nature of the re-engagement email campaign challenges and the pivots we had to make, our strategic approach yielded good results. When the new brand launch came around, we had a clean list of 125,000 contacts who engaged with one or two of the re-engagement emails. This left us with about 89,000 contacts who hadn’t yet engaged but didn’t bounce or unsubscribe. The work to engage them would continue with the rebranding of all the new content we were working on for the launch.

A Successful Re-Engagement Email Campaign

Reawakening a dormant email list of this magnitude in a short time frame of two months was no small feat. However, we were able to mitigate many risks the client faced when emailing a dormant list with a new email service provider.

The Epilogue: How is the List Performing Now?

As of this writing, it is three months after the email list cleanse and re-engagement email campaign. So how are the client’s emails performing now?

You’ll notice each campaign is sent to the audience by engagement level. 

• Send 1: Engaged contacts who have opened or clicked previous emails
  • Currently 112,000 contacts
• Send 2: Contacts who have not yet engaged
  • Currently 98,000 contacts

Why? 

By segmenting the email list based on engagement levels, we can better determine what content resonates with clients who have engaged in the past, and continue producing content they find interesting and valuable. And, in turn, we can build better relationships and higher conversions. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you face a similar challenge or need help with your email marketing strategy. We’re here to help you turn your email marketing hurdles into triumphs.