Your database is the lifeline of your business so it’s nice to think that all those subscribers are avid fans – but this isn’t always the case. Even if unsubscribes make up less than 0.1% per campaign (which is the norm), you need to be aware that emails might not be working for everyone on your list.

There is something called emotionally unsubscribed and these are the people who might be signed up to your database but rarely click to open anything you send them. If this is happening to your business then it might just be time for a spring clean of your email subscriber list.

Remember, just because people haven’t interacted with your emails for a while doesn’t mean they’ve lost interest completely. All it takes is the right offer or piece of information to land in their inbox to spark their enthusiasm all over again. So let’s take a look at what can be done to manage your unengaged subscribers so that your emails are worth the effort for everyone involved.

Tips for managing the emotionally unsubscribed

Measure customer engagement

Be meticulous in measuring your email response rate and tracking your database performance. Set clear targets when it comes to open rates, click throughs and responses. Track activity at different points of time and establish exactly what an inactive subscriber looks like.

Segment your database

Segment your database based on each subscriber’s interaction to date. This way you can develop different strategies and tailor email campaigns to suit the specific needs and interests of each market segment. This allows you to build up customer engagement and loyalty.

Switch it up

If you feel your subscribers are becoming emotionally unsubscribed then don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit. Try changing how often you send out your emails and with a bit of luck that reduced frequency might just trigger a response.

Re-engage offline and on-site

Offline communications (phone calls and direct mail) as well as on-site communications (login details and cookies) can be used to get up-to-date contact details to help you try to re-engage with your subscriber and start up the conversation all over again.

If you really want to nurture your database, then it’s also worth surveying subscribers for their preferences so that you can be spot on every time!