Not everyone who signs up for your mailing list stays interested. Repeatedly mailing inactive individuals can actually hurt your deliverability, so it’s good to do a clean out every now and then. Utilize a sunset flow to help glean individuals from your mailing list who no longer engage with your content. Learn how with our guide below!
What Is a Sunset Flow?
A sunset flow is a series of automated emails sent to inactive subscribers. The goal is to re-engage dormant individuals and remove them if they continue to be inactive. This is sometimes referred to as re-engagement or win-back flow, yet the goal is consistent no matter what you call it. Considering the more individuals on your mailing list, the more it costs, it is beneficial to remove individuals who aren’t giving you a return on your investment.
Why Sunset Flows Are So Important
Sunset flows are important for many reasons. Primarily, they help increase your sender reputation, something online inboxes like Gmail and Outlook are constantly running data on. Individuals not engaged in your content may report it as spam in order to not receive it, and multiple spam reports can block your ability to send email marketing forever. Therefore, it is best practice to remove unengaged subscribers from your list the right way before that can happen. Additionally, you want to make sure your list is full of people who actually want to hear from you, rather than dormant viewers who don’t engage. This helps with keeping metrics accurate and forming segments, as you don’t want to take inactive users into account when optimizing. Lastly, if someone has fallen out of interest with your content, the sunset flow can sometimes win them back and put your company back on their radar.
How to Identify Inactive Subscribers
First, you’ll need to define what inactive means for your business. This can depend on multiple factors, but it is up to you to decide what timeframe makes the most sense. If you run a high end diamond company, you won’t expect weekly purchases, so a few months of inactivity can be normal. We recommend 3-6 months as a good base timeframe for inactivity. In addition, many mailing platforms like Klaviyo or Mailchimp, have a filter that can segment inactive users automatically after a certain period of no interaction. All email platforms should have this capability, and if yours doesn’t, it is time to switch.
What to Include in a Sunset Flow (Sample Email Sequence)
If you are wondering what to include in your sunset flow and in what order, below is an example you can follow/tweak to your liking!
Email 1: “We Miss You”
It’s best to begin with a friendly tone saying something like “We’ve Missed You.” You want to check in, show them what they’ve missed recently, and ask if they want to stay on your list.
Email 2: “Still Interested?”
If the first email doesn’t grab their attention, you may want to send another asking if they are “Still Interested.” Here you can offer some sort of value like a discount or recap of missed opportunities they get a second chance on. Always place a clear Call To Action for reengagement or to update preferences.
Email 3: “We’ll Say Goodbye Soon”
Lastly, send a final reminder/warning that you will be removing them from your mailing list if they do not show interest. This reinforces consent and respect for the subscriber and is best practice.
Tips for a Successful Sunset Flow
Good practice for sunset flows is to keep a warm friendly tone, not one that sounds salesy. Make it easy to stay subscribed with a one-click CTA that causes your mailing platform to reregister them. These emails should be short, visually clean, and get the message across quickly. With all email marketing, personalize when possible.
What Happens Next: Remove or Suppress
Once the series has ended, remove or suppress the individuals from future campaigns to prevent incorrect metrics and potential spam reports. You can always attempt re-acquisition later with ads or other channels like SMS. Remember that a smaller, more engaged list is always better than a large inactive one.
Send Less, Win More
With sunset flows, you not only maintain a healthy effective email list, you also reduce spending. They’re easy to set up and show respect for your subscribers inbox which is always a good look!
Want help building and automating your first sunset flow? Contact Rise Marketing Group today for a free consultation!
