Summary
Strategic email list management involves a holistic approach that blends proactive engagement with rigorous hygiene. While validating actively engaged lists might be questioned, targeting inactive segments with validation tools and spotting typo domains remains relevant. Segmentation, based on demographics, behavior, and engagement, enables personalized content delivery. Prioritizing explicit consent, managing bounces, and running re-engagement campaigns nurture a healthy list. Implementing sunset policies and lead scoring optimizes engagement, while continuous monitoring of sender/IP reputation, handling list bombing attacks, and avoiding spam traps ensures high deliverability. Central to it all is the focus on delivering desired and valuable content.
Key findings
- Validation Selectivity: Question the utility of validating actively engaged lists but use it on inactive segments.
- Engagement Centricity: Prioritize identifying and nurturing engaged subscribers through tracking metrics.
- Segmentation Power: Segmentation enhances relevance and personalization, improving deliverability.
- Permission Imperative: Explicit opt-in and transparent practices are critical for list health.
- Proactive Hygiene: Continuous list hygiene, beyond occasional cleaning, is essential for deliverability.
- Sunset Policies Value: Sunset policies help boost sender reputation by removing inactive subscribers.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor sender and IP reputation to address deliverability issues proactively.
- Attack Defense: Have mitigation strategies in place for list bombing attacks.
- Lead Scoring Precision: Lead scoring accurately identifies the most engaged and qualified leads.
- Automation Efficiency: Automation streamlines segmentation and engagement processes.
Key considerations
- Validation Targeting: Target validation efforts toward inactive segments and typo domains.
- Data Tracking: Implement comprehensive data tracking to understand subscriber behavior.
- Personalization Depth: Tailor content to resonate with specific segments for optimal engagement.
- Consent Compliance: Adhere to ethical and transparent email acquisition practices.
- Hygiene Rigor: Maintain a schedule for regular list cleaning and maintenance.
- Inactivity Thresholds: Set clear inactivity thresholds for sunset policies.
- Spam Trap Awareness: Implement practices to avoid spam traps and safeguard sender reputation.
- Attack Preparedness: Establish plans for quickly reacting to list bombing attacks.
- Tool Integration: Integrate validation services and monitoring tools into email marketing workflows.
- Content Relevance: Focus on delivering valuable and desired content to retain subscribers.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Strategic email list validation involves a multifaceted approach that goes beyond simply removing invalid addresses. It includes proactively identifying and engaging active subscribers, segmenting lists based on engagement levels, and implementing permission-based marketing practices. Alternative strategies emphasize focusing on 'who to email' rather than 'who to drop,' utilizing re-engagement campaigns, sunset policies, and lead scoring to prioritize valuable leads and maintain a healthy sender reputation. Avoiding spam traps and addressing typo domains are crucial hygiene practices. Automation also plays a part, where the process of identifying active vs. inactive users is automated through the use of customer data.
Key opinions
- Validation Tools: Validation tools can be used on inactive email lists to identify and remove invalid addresses.
- Engagement Focus: Focusing on 'who should I email?' via segmentation and real engagement is valuable.
- Segmentation: Segmentation based on engagement, purchase history, and demographics allows for targeted messaging.
- Permission-Based Marketing: Prioritizing explicit opt-in and ethical email acquisition methods is key for a healthy list.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Re-engagement campaigns can help identify and win back inactive subscribers.
- Sunset Policies: Implementing sunset policies removes inactive users, improving sender reputation.
- Spam Trap Avoidance: Avoiding purchased lists and utilizing double opt-in minimizes the risk of spam traps.
- Lead Scoring: Lead scoring helps prioritize and focus efforts on the most engaged and qualified leads.
- Automation: Automation supports engagement, segmentation, lead scoring, and validation processes.
Key considerations
- Cost vs. Benefit: Evaluate the cost of validation services against the potential benefits of improved deliverability.
- Data Privacy: Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations when collecting and processing email addresses.
- Segmentation Criteria: Define clear and relevant segmentation criteria based on business goals and customer behavior.
- Re-engagement Strategy: Develop compelling offers and valuable content to effectively re-engage inactive subscribers.
- Sunset Policy Threshold: Determine an appropriate inactivity period before implementing sunset policies.
- Spam Trap Monitoring: Regularly monitor sender reputation and implement measures to avoid spam traps.
- Typos: Be aware of and manage typo domains to prevent deliverability issues.
- Validation Service Choice: Carefully evaluate different email validation services to choose the one that best fits your needs.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their strategy of using validation tools on sets of emails that have stopped receiving messages due to inactivity. Invalid emails are opted out, and risky emails are spot-checked, and they also maintain a list of typo domains to opt out. They also note frustration about ESPs not hard bouncing typo domains.
25 Sep 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Emailonacid.com discusses strategies for avoiding spam traps, which are email addresses used by mailbox providers and anti-spam organizations to identify spammers. They recommend practicing proper list hygiene, avoiding purchased lists, and implementing double opt-in to minimize the risk of sending emails to spam traps.
10 Dec 2022 - Emailonacid.com
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
Experts emphasize a strategic, continuous approach to email list management. While validation might not be beneficial for actively emailed, deliverable addresses, identifying and removing inactive subscribers (especially those inactive for over a year) is crucial to avoid spam traps. Continuous list hygiene, beyond occasional cleaning, is essential. Permission-based marketing and handling list bombing attacks are critical aspects for maintaining a positive sender reputation and deliverability. The core focus should be on whether recipients genuinely want your emails.
Key opinions
- Active Validation Questioned: The utility of validation for actively emailed, deliverable addresses is questionable.
- Inactive Removal: Removing inactive subscribers, particularly after a year, is important to avoid spam traps.
- Continuous Hygiene: List hygiene should be an ongoing process, not just a one-time clean-up.
- Permission is Paramount: Explicit consent and the ability to unsubscribe are more critical than technical aspects.
- List Bombing Defense: Awareness and mitigation strategies for list bombing attacks are necessary.
Key considerations
- Relevance of Validation: Consider whether validation is truly necessary for actively engaged subscribers.
- Inactivity Threshold: Define a clear threshold for subscriber inactivity before removal.
- Hygiene Frequency: Implement a regular schedule for list hygiene activities.
- Consent Verification: Ensure clear and verifiable consent from all subscribers.
- Security Measures: Establish security measures to protect against list bombing attacks.
- Focus on Value: Prioritize delivering value and relevance to ensure subscribers *want* your emails.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks questions the utility of validation for actively emailed, deliverable addresses, implying it may not provide new insights.
6 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource (Laura Atkins) explains how to handle list bombing attacks and states that “List bombing is an attack by a third party designed to damage a company’s reputation, overload resources, or take down their mail stream entirely” and goes on to describe the methods of mitigating the attack.
28 Jul 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Documentation consistently emphasizes maintaining a clean and engaged email list as crucial for optimal deliverability and a strong sender reputation. Key strategies include regular list validation, removal of invalid addresses, spam traps, and disengaged subscribers. Effective list segmentation (demographic, behavioral, psychographic) allows for personalized and relevant emails. Proper bounce management, differentiating between hard and soft bounces, is essential. Proactive monitoring of sender and IP reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS helps identify and address potential issues related to spam complaints, bounce rates, and authentication.
Key findings
- List Cleaning: Regular list validation and removal of invalid/disengaged addresses are crucial.
- Segmentation Importance: Segmentation leads to more relevant and personalized emails and better engagement.
- Bounce Management: Proper handling of hard and soft bounces is critical for list health.
- Sender Reputation: A positive sender reputation is vital for deliverability.
- IP Reputation: Monitoring IP reputation helps identify and resolve deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Validation Frequency: Determine the appropriate frequency for list validation based on email volume and list growth.
- Segmentation Strategy: Develop a robust segmentation strategy aligned with business objectives and customer data.
- Bounce Handling: Implement automated processes for handling both hard and soft bounces.
- Tool Utilization: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to actively monitor sender/IP reputation.
- Data Analysis: Regularly analyze deliverability metrics (spam complaints, bounce rates) to identify and address any underlying problems.
Technical article
Documentation from Validity.com emphasizes that a clean and engaged email list is crucial for maintaining a strong sender reputation and achieving optimal deliverability. They highlight that regularly validating email lists by removing invalid addresses, spam traps, and disengaged subscribers can significantly improve email performance.
9 Jul 2024 - Validity.com
Technical article
Documentation from Mailjet.com provides a detailed overview of list segmentation strategies, including demographic, behavioral, and psychographic segmentation. They explain how segmenting email lists based on specific criteria can enable marketers to send more relevant and personalized emails, leading to higher engagement rates and improved deliverability.
5 Aug 2021 - Mailjet.com
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