Today I read an interesting article on the Email Experience Council website that prompted me to consider whether win back programs are "smart marketing or a failure of strategy". There are some interesting debates on both sides. I agree that... More

Today I read an interesting article on the Email Experience Council website that prompted me to consider whether win back programs are "smart marketing or a failure of strategy". There are some interesting debates on both sides. I agree that marketers should be more focused on early and sustained engagement tactics so they don't have to build strategies to win back lost customers, but the reality is that most email lists contain a significant portion of non-responders.
 
In my opinion, the right lifecycle marketing approach is a combination of consistently delivering relevant content in your ongoing communication, and then testing the introduction of periodic "win back" campaigns to re-engage dormant customers.
 
For me, the first step in understanding why customers go dormant is to evaluate general consumer buying behavior, and then build test strategies to learn how you can influence response. I'm an avid online shopper so I use my own buying behavior as a barometer for average customer behavior. Like most consumers, my online buying peaks around special events: Mother's Day, back to school, Christmas, birthdays and seasonal weather changes. But I'm also always looking for a good deal, and I frequently respond to well-timed win back promotions.
 
Here are some tactics that work for me:
 
1) Continue sending me offers even when I'm not actively shopping
I usually send flowers to my mother-in-law on her birthday every year, so I appreciate the annual reminders from ProFlowers to place my order. The rest of the year I'm not paying as much attention to their emails. That doesn't mean I don't want to shop with them anymore, it just means it's not relevant to me right now. The "3 day surprise" message ProFlowers sent this week caught my attention and is a good example of how to maintain engagement with customers even when they aren't actively shopping with you.

Note: You need to test frequency of messaging to your non-responders. You will probably find pockets of old non-responders that do not produce enough revenue to justify ongoing mailing costs. Well executed tests will help you find the right targeting balance to produce a positive ROI.


2) Tell me you miss and appreciate me
This win back message from Steven Madden gets right to the point. The subject line was "We miss you so here's a gift just for you." The offer is compelling, it feels sincere, and it gives me a great reason to shop again.











3) Give me some options
As part of their comprehensive lifecycle marketing approach, HP has implemented a multi-message revival program to win back old non-responders. One of the messages in the series addresses the subject of continued messaging and gives the consumer the prominent option to unsubscribe. This message series serves dual purposes. It re-engages some old non-responders and generates incremental revenue, but it also helps cleanse the list of subscribers who may no longer find the messages relevant. Personally, I'm more intrigued by the free gift offer than the unsubscribe link.

So my conclusion is that win back programs are smart marketing. Focus on sustaining subscriber engagement, but don't overlook the benefit of well-timed win back offers to re-engage with dormant customers.
 
You can read the full EEC article here:
Win Back Programs: Smart Marketing or Failure of Strategy?
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