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Lessons from Santa on managing your email list

By December 12, 2012December 29th, 2016No Comments

santalist3There’s Hollywood’s “A” List, Senator McCarthy’s controversial list and if you’re a fan of A Different World, you know you were in deep trouble if Dean Davenport said you were on her list. No one ever wants to be found on the dreaded black list and Santa manages the infamous naughty or nice list all year long and man is that thing accurate!

We are no doubt a society that keeps list.

And if you’re a business owner, you should be keeping one too.

We can learn a few things from Santa this holiday season when it comes to managing our email list.

The power of the list

Santa’s list has the power to convert the naughty into the nice…most of the time anyway. Let’s just say he has an excellent conversion rate. How many young children temporarily cease bad behavior because they don’t want to end up on Santa’s naughty list? To be found on that list meant you were coming up short Christmas day. To be found on Santa’s nice list meant you were going to win big!

Do those on your list feel as though they are coming up short or like the kids who’ve been good all year and hit it big on Christmas? Are you offering the present they’ve always wanted or do they see your name in their inbox and assume it’s another lump of coal? Review your offerings to ensure your lists’ relevance to your subscribers.

Lists need to be managed

One simple action can move you from the nice or naughty list just like that! And it’s just that easy to lose a subscriber. No matter how respectful you are of recipients’ overstuffed inbox, some will still unsubscribe. And while you’re managing open, click and conversion rates, you’ll need to determine how many unsubscribes and bad emails you need to overcome in order to keep your list growing. Otherwise you’ll find yourself with a short list.

Who cares about some list?

As kids get older the wonder of Santa and the power of his list fade and they can’t be persuaded to be good just because of some list. They disengage from the fantasy. Inevitably list fatigue happens to a number of your subscribers; they disengage from your brand. They won’t unsubscribe, they don’t open your emails and they no longer interact with your brand.

Irrelevant offers and newsletter content as well as over mailing are the most common reasons for list fatigue. (Over mailing will send me scurrying for the unsubscribe button every time!) Unfortunately people who haven’t clicked or opened your email over a lengthy period of time should be moved to your inactive subscribers list (another dreaded list).

There is some truth to the saying you’re only as good as your list. I also think you need a worthy product or service to present to said list but if your list is shrinking and is full of inactive subscribers, you’re losing money and credibility.

So as we get ready to close out the year, follow the example of one of the ultimate list keepers Mr. Kris Kringle himself. Always present and offer value so people clamor for your list and be diligent in filtering the naughty from the nice.

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