Why You Should Stop Deleting Inactive Email Subscribers

Last week, MailChimp posted an article about why your inactive subscribers are valuable. They discovered that, although many industry experts for years have been telling email marketers to delete inactives, these addresses may actually be worth saving.

While reading the article, I couldn’t shake this strange feeling of deja vu. It’s almost as if I’d heard the same concept before. (Maybe here, here or here?)

It’s true. We’ve been saying it for a while now: Your inactive file could be a gold mine of prospects just waiting for the right offer.

In other words, we agree with the folks at MailChimp. If you’re still pruning inactives, here are the top reasons why you should step back from the “delete” button and change your strategy.

1. Many Inactives Are Active Elsewhere

Let’s revisit high school for a moment. Did you ever ask out a crush, only to be told they weren’t looking to date? Then a few days later, you saw them out with someone else? Oof. That hurts. And that’s why it’s so hard to stomach discovering your supposed inactive subscribers are not truly inactive. In fact, they’re very engaged-just not with your brand.

The good news is they’re still alive and ready to buy. Now you just need to learn more about them so you can target them with the right offers and earn their love.

2. Inactives Can Increase Revenue

According to MailChimp’s number crunching, each inactive subscriber is worth about one-third of an active subscriber. So if each active subscriber is worth $100, each inactive is worth $32. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of leaving money on the table.

Additionally, according to author Neel Shivdasani, “Inactive subscribers purchase more frequently and are less likely to churn than customers who aren’t subscribed to your email list.

3. You Already Have the Most Important Data Point

As the need for better customer data increases, so does the importance of an email address. Why would you delete possibly the most critical piece of consumer information you could ever have? Email addresses are your link to everything from demographics and purchase habits to social media activity and other online behavior. In other words, this super-sticky data point opens the door to better targeting and a more powerful database.

You can then use that data to target inactives with more personalized, irresistible offers that will re-engage them immediately.

So there you have it. The top three reasons you should stop deleting inactives and start using this resource to drive revenue.

Ready to find out which inactives are safe to email and which are truly inactive? Learn more and request a free Email Activity Metrics test now!