3 Ways to Wake Up and Reengage Your Neglected Email List

email list
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“How do you move a “cold” email list to a “warm” list?”
— Viewer from Market, Launch, and Sell Your Next Big Thing

So, you haven’t emailed your list in a while? You’re not alone. Many business owners work to grow an email list only to let it lay dormant. Maybe you’re afraid of emailing your people, maybe you’ve had to take some time away from the business, maybe delivering your product or service has just been taking up too much of your time.

Unfortunately, that probably means you’ve hit a period in your business where the leads have stopped coming and you’re looking to find new customers and make some sales. It’s time to send an email.

How do you warm up a list that’s gone cold? I’ve got 3 ideas that can help you do just that.

1) The first rule of warming up a list is: don’t talk about warming up your list.

When you write your first email to your list after a dry spell, please, don’t start it with “It’s been a long time since I wrote.” You’re only drawing attention to the problem.

It’s not a customer-centered message and it may not even be relevant to many people on your list, especially those most likely to open your email.

2) Offer something irresistible.

It could be a mysterious subject line, a freebie, a tutorial, or a promotion. Anything that feels extra clickable is a good fit for your first email back. Essentially, the goal with that first email is to get people to not delete or spam it.

And of course, you also want to prime your audience for all the great content you can offer them over the coming weeks and months. Don’t just send out something juicy, send something that gives your readers a starting point for the conversation you’ll be having with them over time.

3) Plan a conversation that re-introduces people to your brand.

Sending that first email is a victory, to be sure. But it can’t end there. You need to develop a regular habit of emailing your list. The best way to do that is to have at least a loose plan before you start emailing again.

You can re-introduce your audience to your brand over a few weeks. To do that, think about what matters most to the people you’re writing to about the problem your product solves or the frustration your business alleviates. Start there. Then draft a series of emails that tells a story between that idea and the product or service you want to make an offer about.

In my last CreativeLive workshop, Market, Launch, and Sell Your Next Big Thing, I offered an email marketing plan that can do just that.

Once you’ve warmed up your list, don’t stop emailing! Remember that 27% of consumers say the companies they love should invest more in email marketing. This is your opportunity to give people more of what they want!

Tara Gentile FOLLOW >

Tara Gentile is a creativeLIVE instructor, business strategist, and the creator of the Customer Perspective Process.