How to wake up your dormant customers

If you don’t seem to be getting your desired response from your customers, there could be a simple explanation. Getting contacts to re-engage with you can help increase your ROI. This is why customer reactivation marketing should be a crucial part of your ecommerce marketing strategy.

Why do customers become ‘dormant’?

Over time, customers can become inactive or dormant. There could be a number of reasons why your audience might not be engaging with you. They could have a shift in interests; be receiving too many emails or maybe just not remember who you are and why they signed up in the first place. Whatever the reason, it’s always worth trying to win back your sleepy subscribers.

How to increase engagement

Firstly, you’ll need to define who you’re classing as ‘dormant’. Only you know your business and your customers’ buying habits, so this list will be unique for each company. Contacts who haven’t clicked on or responded to any emails in the past 6 months could be added to an inactive list. It could also be beneficial to pinpoint when users stopped engaging so you can recognise any recurring patterns.

Once your contacts have been segmented based on their previous behaviour and purchase patterns you’ll need to decide what sort of message you want to send. 

dotdigital are a well regarded marketing automation platform that allows businesses to easily segment their audiences and then set up automated responses. These are based on certain conditions via channels like SMS, email and Whatsapp.

Offer Incentives / Promotions

If you’re thinking of offering an incentive or promotion, try to provide something your contacts won’t be able to get elsewhere. This could include discounts off bestsellers or money off their next order. You have their contact details because they have either purchased something in the past or shown intent/engaged with your brand, so they are more likely to bite at this opportunity. 

Send a “We miss you” message

Sending a “We miss you” message is another useful tactic. This needs to have added value and be less generic. As well as enclosing a discount or offer, you should consider making this communication personalised. This can help appeal to your contacts and their related interests, making them feel acknowledged and included.

Opt-in emails

If you’re still not getting any response from your re-engagement attempts, you can try sending an opt-in-style email. This asks your contacts what sort of correspondence they would like to receive from you, or if they’d like to be contacted at all. This way you can really drill down what your customers truly want. The key here is to make the option selection as easy as possible and show your subscribers what you have to offer. Introducing deadlines e.g “limited time offer” can also encourage more immediate engagement.

Make it mobile friendly

Mobile optimising your marketing campaigns and website will ensure you cover all bases. If the user interface and website are not streamlined and accessible, the customer may go elsewhere. Using tools such as Litmus can show you how your message looks across multiple devices before you send them out.

Alternative Methods of Engagement 

Although email is a great tool for re-engagement, it’s worth noting that your customers may spend far more time on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Having a strong social presence and combining your offers and discounts can make a real difference and increase your brand’s exposure. Users are also more likely to share content whilst using these platforms, which is a bonus for your brand.

Use analytics to monitor your campaign’s performance so you can make sure your strategy is working. Keeping your content varied helps captivate your audience and keeps your subscribers interested.

If you are looking for some guidance with your email marketing campaigns, our team of digital marketing experts can help implement a creative strategy that delivers results. Get in touch by emailing success@5874commerce.com or give us a call on 0121 369 5874.