There are so many things that can stop subscribers engaging. It might be your content, but it also might just be them. Perhaps they got what they wanted from you, or maybe they just changed their email address. Whatever it is, you need to get them up and raring to go or your business is going to suffer for it.

But how do you go about doing that when you have no idea what sent them into hibernation in the first place?

Look deeper into your email contact segments

If you’re a regular to our website, you’re probably already aware of segmenting, and how it’s a life saver for your email marketing. Well, it can come in handy in a situation like this.

First of all, you want to focus on the segments in lead nurturing campaigns. This is probably where most of your disengaged subscribers have congregated – because, well, nurturing is what they appear to be in need of. The contacts that have been in lead nurturing campaigns the longest are the ones that need the most attention.

Pinpoint where they nodded off

Since you’ve got them on your contact list, there must have been something that triggered their arrival there. What you want to know is…where did they lose interest? If you can find out what emails they opened from you, and at what point they stopped clicking through, it could give you a hint about what they didn’t like.

Try to figure out what it was they were interested in and try sending tailored emails to specific, niche segments if you find any similarities. Rather than sending a general email to 100 contacts which have shown interest in the subject topic, try sending an email about a specific aspect of that topic to a group of 50 who have shown a more specific interest.

If they’re really heavy sleepers, try a reactivation campaign

Sometimes, your subscribers might have desensitised themselves to your emails. At this point, they might have decided that any time they see your sender address, and a subject line that in any way implies you want something, they’ll instantly delete it. So what can you do?

Well, you can start with using a different approach. You’re not just trying the friendly approach anymore, you’re really trying to grab their attention – and that’s your biggest concern. Subject lines need to be inventive, eye-catching, and most importantly: they need to re-engage your readers.

What should your reactivation campaign focus on?

There are a few things you can do in a reactivation campaign to win people back. Offer an incentive of some kind. Make your subscribers feel special. We’ve all gotten the “We Miss You: Here’s X Discount” emails before, and a lot of times it works. That is if it’s a good deal. Make sure you’re not being half-hearted about it, or it simply won’t work.

Make these emails a lot less text-heavy as well. Try to go for looks, minimalism and simplicity rather than big block-text explanations of why your subscribers need to get back on board because you’re the best provider of such-and-such out there.

Finally, be as relevant as you can. As we already mentioned, segment down to as niche a group as you can. It’ll take more effort, but if you really want these subscribers interested in your emails again, that’s what it’s going to take. The more relevant the content you send out to these contacts, the more likely they’ll reconsider what you have to offer.

After all, if you put enough effort in now, you might end up with a really loyal client at the end of all your hard work.