List Management - Importance and Techniques

What is list management? Why is it important?

List Management is the practice of removing old and disengaged users from standard email sends. It is also known as maintaining a Sunset Policy. 

In 2020, inaction is as powerful as action when it comes to sender reputation. Email is a mature channel, and many accounts have been open for years. Email providers monitor their users' inboxes and see which brands send messages that are continuously ignored. 

In addition to this, mailbox providers and other industry players manage an enormous network of spam traps – fake or abandoned email addresses that should not be receiving email. 

Spam traps are used to identify and penalize senders who are not managing their list responsibly. Mailbox providers want to see that your brand cares, and won't support brands who continue to send to old and inactive accounts.

When a user hasn't opened an email from your brand in 6 months or more, that user is dragging down your sender reputation through their inaction. It is vital that this user is reactivated or removed from the email list.

What is the goal?

Our goal is to reach above-average engagement rates on bulk sends (Smart Blasts and Promo Blasts).

We are looking for

• Open rate above 15%
• Click rate above 6%
• Deliveries above 99%
• Blocks below 1%
• Bounces below 0.1%
• Spam Complaints below 0.1%

How can I manage my list?

Your email list will need to be managed through Smart Segments. Smart Segments allow marketers to apply custom rules to limit sends to users who fit specific characteristics.

We recommend filtering by some or all of the following characteristics:

• Signup Date
• Last Order Date
• Last Email Open At
• Last Email Click At
• Last Action At
• Latest Action Time (specific or custom action)
• Churn State (Ready To Buy)
• Customer Future Value (High)

An example segment is shown below