As the leaves start to change, it's not just our wardrobes that need a seasonal refresh — our email lists do, too! With Black Friday right around the corner, there’s no better time to clean up the chaos lurking in your subscriber base. If you haven't done your autumn cleaning yet, you're already behind.
But why is a pre-Black Friday cleanup so important, and how is it different from your standard list maintenance?
Pre-Black Friday Cleanup vs. Standard Cleanup: What's the Difference?
A typical list cleanup might involve removing subscribers who haven’t engaged in 180 days. While this practice keeps your deliverability strong, pre-Black Friday cleanups go a step further. They’re focused on creating a sharper, more targeted audience ahead of the busiest shopping season, where inbox competition is fierce.
Here’s why:
- Holiday shopping behavior: Subscribers who seem disengaged the rest of the year might suddenly become interested when Black Friday deals roll around. But you want to ensure that your emails are actually landing in their inbox, not the spam folder.
- Deliverability stakes: With heightened email activity around the holidays, it's essential to have a high engagement rate to keep your sender reputation intact. An unclean list at this time can hurt your deliverability when it matters most.
So, while your standard cleanups help keep your list lean and healthy, pre-Black Friday cleanups take a more strategic approach.
Best Practices for Pre-Black Friday Cleanups
Here are some key best practices to get your email list holiday-ready:
1. Identify the Unengaged
The first step is to define what "unengaged" means for your list. A good starting point is targeting subscribers who have been inactive for over 180 days — those who haven’t opened or clicked on any email or interacted on your website in that period.
But it doesn’t stop there. You want a comprehensive view of engagement. Look for subscribers who haven't shown any sign of activity across channels, not just email.
2. Sunset Flow Activation
Once you've identified your unengaged segment, it's time to trigger a sunset flow. This flow is designed to re-engage inactive users, giving them a final opportunity to interact before you say goodbye. Include compelling content that highlights exclusive offers or upcoming deals (think Black Friday sneak peeks!). Make sure to add a "sunset unengaged" tag to easily monitor their status moving forward.
3. Monitor the Sunset Flow Results
Before you delete any unengaged subscribers, double-check your data! Did your sunset flow work? Were the people who were tagged as unengaged truly inactive? It's a good idea to review metrics and ensure that you're not removing people who have shown signs of interest in other areas, like browsing your website without clicking on your emails.
4. Extend the Unengaged Window for Black Friday
For Black Friday specifically, you can afford to extend your unengaged period beyond the usual 180 days. Some brands expand to 2 years depending on the strength of their deliverability and engagement metrics.
This approach allows you to capture those one-time buyers from previous Black Fridays or holiday seasons, who might re-engage with a compelling offer. For example, you might re-engage people who haven't interacted since Black Friday 2022 but were active before that. Keep in mind that this will depend on how well your emails have been performing in terms of deliverability and engagement.
5. Audit the Results Post-Cleanup
Once the cleanup is done, take one final look at your list. Did you actually remove the people who should’ve been removed? And did you keep those who might be re-engaging around the holiday season?
Clean House Before the Holidays
Pre-Black Friday cleanups aren't just a routine task—they’re essential to maximizing your email marketing performance during the busiest time of the year. By extending your definition of "unengaged" and using tools like sunset flows, you can ensure that you're targeting the right people and giving your campaign the best chance of success.
Have you done your autumn cleaning yet? If not, it's time to get started — before the Black Friday chaos hits!
