Email marketing is a powerful tool, but what happens when your carefully crafted email campaign doesn’t get the open rates you expected? Is it time to resend it? In the world of email marketing, this is a hotly debated topic. Let’s delve into the pros and cons, and the best practices if you decide to give your email campaign a second chance.
The Case for Resending
1. Increase in Open Rates
Arguably, the most compelling reason to resend an email campaign is to increase open rates. If your email gets lost in the shuffle of a busy inbox, resending it can give recipients a second chance to see it. And a second send can indeed result in more opens, potentially boosting your overall open rate.
2. Reach Different Time Zones
If your audience is spread out across different time zones, it’s possible that your email didn’t arrive at an optimal time for some recipients. Resending the email at a different time can help ensure it hits more inboxes at a more convenient time.
3. Overcome Technical Issues
Sometimes emails don’t get opened because of technical glitches, like an issue with the email client or a temporary problem with the recipient’s email server. Resending the email can help overcome these issues.
The Case Against Resending
1. Risk of Spam Complaints
Resending an email campaign can lead to an increase in spam complaints. If recipients see the same email from you multiple times, they may get annoyed and mark your email as spam. This can damage your sender reputation and affect the deliverability of future emails.
2. Diminishing Returns
While resending an email campaign can boost open rates, the increase is typically marginal. You may see a big drop in the open rate for the second send, which might not justify the potential drawbacks.
3. Overwhelming Recipients
Overloading recipients’ inboxes can lead to email fatigue. If recipients feel bombarded by your emails, they may start ignoring them or even unsubscribe.
If You Choose to Resend, Here’s How to Do it Right
If you’ve weighed the pros and cons and decided to resend your email campaign, here are some best practices to follow:
1. Only Resend to Non-Openers
Resend the campaign only to recipients who didn’t open the first email. Most email marketing platforms let you segment your list based on open behavior, which can help you avoid annoying those who already opened your email.
2. Wait a Few Days
Don’t resend the email immediately. Wait at least 48 to 72 hours to give recipients a chance to open the original email.
3. Change the Subject Line
Consider tweaking the subject line for the resend. This can help the email feel fresh and new, and it may appeal to recipients who didn’t find the original subject line compelling.
4. Measure and Learn
Keep a close eye on the metrics from your resend, including open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, and spam complaints. Use this data to inform future decisions about whether and how to resend email campaigns.
In conclusion, while resending an email campaign can be a useful tactic to boost open rates, it’s not without risks. It’s crucial to approach this strategy thoughtfully, always keeping the preferences and experience of your recipients at the forefront of your decision-making.
As with any aspect of email marketing, the key is to test, learn, and refine your approach over time. What works for one audience or type of email might not work for another, so stay flexible, be willing to experiment, and always keep an eye on your metrics to guide your decisions.
