Summary
Maintaining a clean and healthy email list for a mid-size nonprofit is crucial for sender reputation and deliverability, encompassing a multi-faceted approach. Core strategies include obtaining explicit permission and consent from subscribers with easy unsubscribe options, regular list scrubbing (removing inactive subscribers, correcting typos, and managing hard/soft bounces), active management of SMTP bounce codes, implementing soft suppression for non-engagers, avoiding spam traps through confirmed opt-in, segmenting based on engagement to enable targeted re-engagement campaigns, and utilizing email validation services like Kickbox or ZeroBounce for identifying invalid/risky addresses. Frequency of list cleaning should correlate with sending volume and activity. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and adherence to deliverability best practices round out a robust maintenance plan.
Key findings
- Permission & Consent: Explicit permission and consent are fundamental, coupled with easy unsubscribe options.
- Regular List Cleaning: Regularly scrub lists removing inactives, correcting errors and managing hard/soft bounces is essential.
- Bounce Code Management: Actively manage SMTP bounce codes, immediately removing hard bounces.
- Soft Suppression: Employ soft suppression to manage non-engagers automatically.
- Spam Trap Avoidance: Avoid spam traps via confirmed opt-in procedures.
- Segmentation & Re-engagement: Segment the list for targeted re-engagement campaigns to boost response.
- Email Validation Services: Use services like Kickbox or ZeroBounce to identify invalid/risky addresses.
- List Cleaning Frequency: Clean the list regularly based on volume and subscriber activity.
Key considerations
- BCP Structure: Establish a solid Business Continuity Plan for email operations.
- Engagement Threshold: Set a specific threshold for defining inactive subscribers (e.g., 6-12 months).
- SMTP Error Codes: Understand and properly handle SMTP error codes.
- Deliverability Impact: Monitor the deliverability impact of list maintenance and validation processes.
- Compliance: Adhere to deliverability best practices like list-unsubscribe headers to maintain a positive sender reputation.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Maintaining a clean and healthy email list for a mid-size nonprofit involves several key strategies. Regular list cleaning is essential, including removing inactive subscribers, correcting typos, and managing bounces (both hard and soft). Segmentation based on engagement allows for targeted campaigns and the identification of inactive segments. Re-engagement campaigns can help win back subscribers before removal. Employing double opt-in ensures quality from the start and helps with compliance. Using email validation services can identify invalid addresses and spam traps. BCP structure is also important. List cleaning frequency should be based on sending volume and activity.
Key opinions
- Regular Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list by removing inactive subscribers, correcting typos, and managing bounces (both hard and soft).
- Segmentation: Segment your list based on engagement to target active users and identify inactive segments.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Implement re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers before removing them from your list.
- Double Opt-In: Use double opt-in to ensure high-quality subscribers and help with compliance.
- Email Validation: Utilize email validation services to identify invalid addresses, spam traps, and disposable emails.
- List hygiene frequency: Clean list at least every 3-6 months, or more frequently if engagement rates are low.
Key considerations
- BCP Structure: Ensure a robust Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is in place for email marketing operations.
- Engagement Threshold: Establish a clear threshold for inactivity (e.g., 6-12 months) to determine when subscribers should be targeted for re-engagement or removal.
- Hard vs. Soft Bounces: Actively manage hard and soft bounces, removing hard bounces immediately and monitoring soft bounces for potential issues.
- Compliance: Ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR by obtaining explicit consent and providing easy unsubscribe options.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Validity suggests actively managing both hard and soft bounces. Remove hard bounces immediately and monitor soft bounces to determine if an address is permanently inactive. They suggest soft bounces can be an indication of a larger deliverability issue.
9 Mar 2024 - Validity
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains the importance of regular list cleaning, including removing inactive subscribers, correcting typos, and segmenting based on engagement. They also suggest using double opt-in to ensure subscriber quality from the start.
12 Apr 2024 - Mailchimp
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
Maintaining a clean and healthy email list involves several expert-recommended strategies. Regularly scrubbing lists to remove inactive users, obtaining explicit consent, and providing easy unsubscribe options are fundamental. To identify and remove risky emails, consider using services like Kickbox to filter out low Sendex scores. Employ soft suppression to automatically stop emailing non-engagers while keeping them eligible to rejoin upon re-engagement. Utilize an ESP that properly handles bounce lists and diligently avoid spam traps by employing confirmed opt-in.
Key opinions
- Permission & Consent: Acquiring explicit consent and providing easy unsubscribe options are critical for a healthy list.
- Soft Suppression: Implementing soft suppression of non-engagers can automatically manage email frequency.
- Bounce Handling: Using an ESP that properly handles bounce lists is essential.
- Spam Trap Avoidance: Avoiding spam traps is crucial; confirmed opt-in helps prevent them.
- Email Validation Services: Using services like Kickbox to filter low Sendex scores improves list quality.
- Regular List Scrubbing: Regular list scrubbing helps to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers.
Key considerations
- Manual Examination: Manually examining results after automated cleaning processes can further refine list quality.
- Deliverability Impact: Monitor deliverability impact when revalidating and suppressing email addresses.
- ESP Capabilities: Consider the capabilities of your ESP for soft suppression and bounce handling.
- Sendex Cutoff: Choose a Sendex cutoff score based on your risk tolerance and list characteristics.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks recommends looking into ongoing soft suppression of non-engagers, which involves stopping emails after a certain period but keeping them eligible to receive emails again if they engage.
23 Jul 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of permission and consent in email marketing. She explains that acquiring explicit consent from subscribers and making it easy for them to unsubscribe are fundamental aspects of maintaining a healthy list. She also recommends regular list scrubbing to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers.
6 Oct 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Maintaining a clean and healthy email list is crucial for sender reputation and deliverability. Core strategies include proper handling of SMTP bounce codes (immediately removing permanent failures and retrying temporary ones), using confirmed opt-in, providing easy unsubscribe options (list-unsubscribe headers, prompt honoring of requests), regular list cleaning, avoiding spam traps, and segmenting based on engagement. Good sender reputation is directly tied to sending emails to engaged subscribers and actively protecting from spam traps and unengaged addresses.
Key findings
- Bounce Code Handling: Proper handling of SMTP bounce codes is essential for identifying invalid addresses. Remove 5xx errors immediately, retry 4xx errors.
- Confirmed Opt-in: Using confirmed opt-in is critical to avoiding spam traps and maintaining a healthy sender reputation.
- Easy Unsubscribe: Provide easy unsubscribe options, including list-unsubscribe headers, and honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
- Regular List Cleaning: Regularly clean your list to remove inactive and invalid addresses.
- Segmentation: Segment your list based on engagement, demographics, or purchase history to improve engagement rates.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is critical for email deliverability.
Key considerations
- SMTP Error Codes: Understand and correctly implement handling for SMTP error codes.
- Unsubscribe Process: The unsubscribe process should be simple and efficient for the subscriber.
- Segmentation Strategy: Develop a clear strategy for list segmentation based on relevant data.
- Compliance: Compliance with email marketing best practices is vital for protecting your sender reputation.
Technical article
Documentation from Google outlines the importance of maintaining a healthy sender reputation and avoiding spam traps. This includes using confirmed opt-in, providing easy unsubscribe options, and regularly cleaning your list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
30 Apr 2022 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Campaign Monitor suggests segmenting your list into specific groups based on engagement, demographics, or purchase history. This allows you to send more relevant emails and improve engagement rates, and also makes it easier to see which segments need work or even removal from your email marketing.
18 Nov 2022 - Campaign Monitor
Are email list cleaning services useful for improving email deliverability, and how do they work?
Do email list cleaning services effectively remove spam traps?
How can I accurately verify my email list and identify potentially harmful domains?
How do I validate email addresses and maintain a clean email list?
How should I validate my email list hygiene and what factors should I consider when choosing a list cleaning service?
Is CleanTalk a legitimate and effective tool for spam and lead signup protection?
