How To Prevent Email List Decay & Keep Your Database Up-to-date
Despite using organic means to build a solid email database, customers may no longer be interested in the product or service or have changed roles.
Worse, they may no longer be checking an email address, meaning your emails get no engagement and no clicks, and thus, lead to what we call email database decay.
If it continues for too long, it will lead to reduced overall engagement for your email campaigns, higher bounce rates, and even lead to a decline in your sender rating.
So, how can you prevent this email list decay and maintain the quality of your database? Let’s find out!
Worse, they may no longer be checking an email address, meaning your emails get no engagement and no clicks, and thus, lead to what we call email database decay.
If it continues for too long, it will lead to reduced overall engagement for your email campaigns, higher bounce rates, and even lead to a decline in your sender rating.
So, how can you prevent this email list decay and maintain the quality of your database? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents:
What is Email List Decay?
Email list decay is a term that refers to the gradual degradation in the quality and effectiveness of your email campaigns.
This decay can be attributed to several factors, including changes in user behavior and preferences, the natural progression of time, and, in some cases, the email addresses being outdated, inactive, or invalid.
If the number of these outdated, inactive, or disengaged email addresses increases in your list, making a noticeable impact on your metrics, it is a classic sign of email list decay.
This decay can be attributed to several factors, including changes in user behavior and preferences, the natural progression of time, and, in some cases, the email addresses being outdated, inactive, or invalid.
If the number of these outdated, inactive, or disengaged email addresses increases in your list, making a noticeable impact on your metrics, it is a classic sign of email list decay.
How Frequently Does the Email Database Decay?
An email marketing database decays by 20%-30% every year. That's leaving out one out of five subscribers every year. This translates to missed opportunities, decreased ROI, and even potential blacklisting if your sender reputation takes a hit.
Majority of the decayed data includes:
Majority of the decayed data includes:
- Valid but low engagement of emails
- Invalid emails
- Catch-all emails
- Abuse emails
- Do-not-mail addresses
- Spam traps
What Causes Database Decay?
So the question is, why does email list decay happen? There are several reasons for this, most of which are beyond our control. Some of these reasons include:
- People changing jobs
- People shifting roles within an organization
- Companies merging or acquiring new businesses (leading to an existing email ID in your database becoming void)
- Rebranding, reorganization, or change in the contact information of companies
- Simple inactivity for an email account that is dormant for six months or more
- Lack of email database maintenance practices at a company - leading to inaccurate or duplicate records
- Reliance on third-party data sources, which can include spammy or irrelevant email accounts
Identifying Signs of a Decaying Email List
Email list decay happens subtly, and as email marketers, we need to spot this decay timely, as it directly impacts campaign effectiveness and sender reputation.
To ensure that you can spot these indicators before they can make a significant impact on your overall score, here are a few metrics to always be alert about:
To ensure that you can spot these indicators before they can make a significant impact on your overall score, here are a few metrics to always be alert about:
1. Email Bounces
A tell-tale sign of email list decay is a sudden increase in bounce rate. Email bounces can be of two types:
- Hard bounces: This means a permanent failure to send your email to the address mentioned. This happens if the email address is no longer active or the server has blacklisted your domain. A rising hard bounce rate indicates significant invalid addresses and bad data in your list.
- Soft bounces: These are temporary failures due to a full inbox, server issues, or other temporary problems. While not as serious as hard bounces, a consistent increase can indicate potential engagement or list quality issues.
Use email verification tools to quickly validate an email address and understand whether it is valid or is likely to bounce. Clearout runs multiple checks to understand the status of an email address and if they are safe to send, helping you fine-tune your email campaigns and reach your audience effectively.
2. Unsubscribe Rates
Keep an eye on unsubscribe rates. If they spike unexpectedly, it could indicate that your audience is losing interest or finding your content irrelevant.
As soon as you notice an account unsubscribing from your list, you must take them off any further campaigns. Not complying with this can lead to a violation of CAN-SPAM regulations and eventually lead to your domain getting a low sender score or being marked as spam.
As soon as you notice an account unsubscribing from your list, you must take them off any further campaigns. Not complying with this can lead to a violation of CAN-SPAM regulations and eventually lead to your domain getting a low sender score or being marked as spam.
3. Open and Click-Through Rates
A decline in open and click-through rates also suggests a decay in the email database. This can happen due to the waning interest of your customers or outdated contact information.
4. Spam Score & Sender Reputation
Another indicator of email list decay is a decreasing sender reputation or an increasing spam score. If you notice this trend, even if minuscule, after every campaign, it could indicate something going wrong.
Ensure that you check these scores using online tools like MailTester, SpamAssassin, Mailtrap, and other spam checkers.
How to Prevent Email List Decay?
Most of the factors for email list decay seem beyond our control, but the good news is that there is a way to fight back. Here are some proactive measures to keep your email list vibrant and engaged:
1. Regular List Cleaning and Maintenance
The perfect email list doesn’t just happen by itself; it takes careful evaluation and maintenance processes to optimize it.
With regular list cleaning and maintenance, you can remove invalid email addresses, inactive subscribers, and those who have explicitly unsubscribed, helping you maintain a high-quality email list.
To maintain a perfect list, make sure to identify the email addresses that are damaging your metrics, such as soft or hard bounces, unsubscribed emails, or those that have low engagement over a while.
Proactively validate and clean your email lists, ensuring your list is squeaky clean from the get-go.
With regular list cleaning and maintenance, you can remove invalid email addresses, inactive subscribers, and those who have explicitly unsubscribed, helping you maintain a high-quality email list.
To maintain a perfect list, make sure to identify the email addresses that are damaging your metrics, such as soft or hard bounces, unsubscribed emails, or those that have low engagement over a while.
Proactively validate and clean your email lists, ensuring your list is squeaky clean from the get-go.
2. Re-engagement Campaigns for Inactive Subscribers
Sometimes, you might lose touch with a subscriber, and you need to reignite the spark. Perhaps they're busy, not interested in your recent content, or they forgot about your brand.
But don't give up on them just yet!
You can launch re-engagement campaigns that aim to rekindle the lost excitement. Instead, of generic “we miss you” emails, provide them with exclusive discounts, and personalized recommendations based on their past behavior.
Share valuable content that they might have missed, highlight shared experiences, and remind them of the value that you bring.
Show them that you remember and care about them as individuals.
But don't give up on them just yet!
You can launch re-engagement campaigns that aim to rekindle the lost excitement. Instead, of generic “we miss you” emails, provide them with exclusive discounts, and personalized recommendations based on their past behavior.
Share valuable content that they might have missed, highlight shared experiences, and remind them of the value that you bring.
Show them that you remember and care about them as individuals.
3. Segmenting and Targeting Specific Audience Groups
The average unsubscribe rate for marketing and advertising emails was 0.27% per campaign, and one of the major reasons for this is that the audience can no longer connect with your emails.
One of the easiest ways to improve open rates and bring down unsubscribe rates is by segmenting your audience.
Instead of treating your entire list as a homogenous mass, divide them into smaller groups based on shared characteristics like interests, demographics, or purchase history. Then, you can send them highly targeted content that resonates with their specific needs and preferences.
One of the easiest ways to improve open rates and bring down unsubscribe rates is by segmenting your audience.
Instead of treating your entire list as a homogenous mass, divide them into smaller groups based on shared characteristics like interests, demographics, or purchase history. Then, you can send them highly targeted content that resonates with their specific needs and preferences.
4. Implementing Double Opt-In Processes
Implement double opt-in processes for new subscribers. When someone signs up for your list, they receive a confirmation email asking them to verify their subscription. This extra step ensures that only people who truly want to hear from you make it through.
The benefits of double opt-in are:
The benefits of double opt-in are:
- Reduced spam complaints: You're less likely to be labeled as a spammer if only verified subscribers are on your list.
- Improved deliverability: Email providers like Gmail favor lists with double opt-in, meaning your emails are more likely to land in people's inboxes.
- Higher engagement: People who take the extra step to confirm their subscription are generally more interested in your content and likely to be more engaged.
5. Personalization to Enhance Subscriber Engagement
Finally, talk to your audience like a person and not as a company or a brand. Personalizing your content and using information like the recipient’s name, interests, and previous interactions fosters a sense of connection and engagement.
6. Use Preference Center
One major part of decaying email is the number of people unsubscribing. To minimize the unsubscription rate you need to keep them engaged which can be done only when you focus on what they want.
Let your subscribers decide what they want to hear from you. Allow them to choose email preferences while signing up or subscribing to your email list.
Let your subscribers decide what they want to hear from you. Allow them to choose email preferences while signing up or subscribing to your email list.
- Ask them what emails they want to receive- newsletters, feature updates, offers only, etc.
- How frequently do they want to receive- twice a week, weakly, monthly
- Provide a link to the preference center page in all emails to help them change their preferences easily instead of going and unsubscribing.
7. Grow and Enrich Your Database
Lastly, do not depend on a particular database for your email campaigns since it can grow stale over time.
To prevent this from happening, continuously add new leads to your email database organically. In case you notice a bounce or low engagement from a particular account, run a check on its validity and take proper action.
Clearout provides an easy way to find the contact of your prospects in real-time directly from LinkedIn.
To prevent this from happening, continuously add new leads to your email database organically. In case you notice a bounce or low engagement from a particular account, run a check on its validity and take proper action.
Clearout provides an easy way to find the contact of your prospects in real-time directly from LinkedIn.
You get the pre-verified email addresses, phone numbers, work experience, and other information that helps you run targeted email campaigns.
Fighting Email List Decay- Final Advice!
We've discussed the key ingredients to prevent email list decay – regular cleaning, re-engagement, segmentation, double opt-in, and personalization.
But like any other marketing process, your efforts will begin to materialize slowly, ensuring that your mailing list is always high-quality and relevant for your campaigns.
Use these tips to fuel your efforts, experiment, analyze, and adapt. With dedication and the right tools, you can transform your email list into a thriving community engaged in a captivating conversation with your brand.
But like any other marketing process, your efforts will begin to materialize slowly, ensuring that your mailing list is always high-quality and relevant for your campaigns.
Use these tips to fuel your efforts, experiment, analyze, and adapt. With dedication and the right tools, you can transform your email list into a thriving community engaged in a captivating conversation with your brand.
Validate your email lists now with Clearout
Get 100 Free credits