I just downloaded Validity’s 2023 Email Deliverability Benchmark Report which found that over 16% of emails from nonprofits either go to spam or don’t get delivered at all. Meaning many of you still aren’t maintaining healthy email lists even though we’ve been talking about this for over 3 years now.
This is concerning any time of year, but believe it or not, year-end giving is right around the corner and a clean email list is essential for making it through the more rigorous filters inbox providers put up to handle the influx of holiday messaging.
Here are 6 things you should do NOW to have your best chances for a successful year-end email campaign:
1. Try to re-engage lapsed subscribers.
- 6 Messaging Options for Email Re-Engagement Campaigns
- We Are Running an Email Re-Engagement Campaign and People Have Feelings
- Creating a Re-Engagement Campaign [Free Online Course]
- We Want You Back! How to Re-Engage Inactive Email Supporters
2. Delete or suppress those who haven’t engaged in AT LEAST 90 days.
- Is a Bigger Email List Always Better? Nope.
- Why Deleting People from Your Email List is a Good Thing
- When to Stop Snail Mailing and Emailing People, Part I
- Should You Contact People Who Unsubscribed from Your Email List?
- Managing a Healthy, Engaged Email List [Online Course. All-Access Pass Required]
3. Run some list building campaigns to get new subscribers.
- Nonprofits Should Try Some New Email List Building Techniques
- 3 Email List Building Pop-Ups for Your Website
4. Think of different ways to segment your list.
- Powerful Segmentation Ideas for Year-End Online Fundraising Campaigns
- You Need to Fix Your All or Nothing Email List
5. Create (or freshen up) your welcome series.
- Email Welcome Series Best Practices
- Do You Have an Email Welcome Series for New Subscribers? Probably Not
- Creating an Email Welcome Series [Free Online Course]
6. Test your automation processes
Create test email accounts from various inbox providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Apple, etc) to check the subscription/unsubscribe process works like it’s supposed to and to make sure your emails are getting through and look right.
I know it’s September, but taking the time to do this now will make life so much easier in a few months!
