Keep Your Friends Close, and Your Inactives Closer: Defining and Reactivating Subscribers: Part 1
by Lauren Amundsen

What is an "inactive?" Any subscriber on the list who has neither opened an email nor clicked-through to a landing page or activity in the last six months can be described as an "inactive subscriber," or "inactive." Since you're not going to start purging all inactives immediately, it may be wise for e-marketers to segment inactives into sub-categories. A common system includes labels for inactives such as New (yet inactive), Never Active, Lapsed (once active but no activity in last six months), and Nearly Inactive.

Why are they inactive? There are many reasons for subscribers to become inactive. For example, if you are sending out a baseball-themed newsletter, how many subscribers will lose interest after the World Series? If you are sending a newsletter about custom engagement rings, will many subscribers keep reading after they've returned from the honeymoon? Sometimes it could even be something as simple as the reader not using that email account any more. Many people will not bother to unsubscribe because it simply takes more effort to do so than to delete the unopened email. Also, external factors such as spam filters or image blockers will cause a subscriber to appear "inactive."

What can I do about them? Don't imitate a heartbroken high schooler on a Facebook rampage; deleting the inactives from your list means they'll be gone forever. Instead, sub-segment them using the suggestions above, or a similar system. There are some simple tests to "re-boot" these inactives into action. You could try changing your send day or time, or change the frequency of mailings. Some marketers send messages specially tailored to inactives, with "Welcome Back" messages or special offers and coupons.

In our next issue, we'll share more details on reducing inactives. Look for Part Two: Refreshing and Reactivating in our January newsletter.