Mailchimp Tip: Resending to Non-Openers (there’s more to it)
The bad way to resend a Mailchimp email to non-openers
After you’ve sent an email campaign from Mailchimp, it will often give you a nudge to “resend to non-openers” - in fact there’s even a little option to “Schedule Resend” in the dropdown menu alongside each campaign:
If you click on that link, it brings up a this pop-up screen that allows you to simply reschedule, and or change the subject line (but, stupidly, not the preview text that shows up under the subject line). See screenshots below.
Now that is very much the “quick and dirty” way of doing a resend, but not the way I would recommend.
Why? Well…
Unless you’re super-hot on regularly identifying and removing inactive contacts from your audience, you’re just resending the same email to people who are not going to open it anyway. An email that:
a) will probably still be ignored because they ignore all your other emails anyway (not good for your sender reputation or deliverability into inboxes)
b) may lead to abuse complaints because you’re being annoying (also not good for your sender reputation or reaching those inboxes).
The more emails you send to people who ignore or complain about them, the more likely your sender reputation will plummet, along with your inbox deliverability. So it’s doing you more harm than good.
The good way to resend a Mailchimp email to non-openers
Instead of just resending that email to everyone, try sending it to:
People who USUALLY open your emails but for some reason didn’t open that last one. Maybe they were having a busy day or on holiday.
Or if you have an ecomm store, who didn’t open that email but are regular buyers
Or instead of just looking at if they opened it, instead focus on people who normally click on a link in your emails but didn’t that time. Maybe they’d intended to later then life got in the way.
Now this is a little bit more complex and time consuming to set up, but not much, and is far more effective than scatter-gunning.
So how do you set it up?
Well this, dear reader, is where you need Mailchimp segments.
[1]. Create your segment:
Now Mailchimp segments are a whole subject on their own, but the parameters can include how people interacted with your emails. Here’s an example of a segment that as the following criteria:
Was sent / that specific email AND
Did not open / that specific email AND
Has opened / at least one of my previous 5 emails
Now I might change that last one if I don’t email regularly, or I might changed “opened” to clicked in those criteria. Or I might include “Purchase date / is within / the last 3 months” for example.
[2]. Save your segment
Once you’ve set those criteria, review the segment, then it will give you the option to save it.
Use a meaningful name for your segment e.g. RESEND: [definition of the criteria you used]. You can then simply edit that segment for the next resend by switching the campaign in it.
[3]. Send the email to your segment
Replicate the campaign you sent in the normal way (there’s a replicate option in that same dropdown where the schedule resend is found)Well this is where you need Mailchimp segments.
Click on where it says To, and instead of sending to “All email subscribers”, click on the tiny arrow on the right hand side, and go to SEGMENTS. A list will appear, which includes the RESEND: […] segment you just saved. Select that.
Then set the subject line and preview text (you might want to try tweaking them slightly)
Schedule / send as usual.
[4]. Check your reports and outcomes
Once that email has gone, take a look at the reports (I’m hoping you always do…) - now the resend will typically get a lower open and click rate than a first send, but resending using this method will also typically get a better open and click rate than "Mailchimp’s way” - and that means it will benefit your sender reputation, boost your inbox deliverability and minimise complaints.
And as a reminder - check your list regularly to identify disengaged contacts - if they’re not interested and not engaging, think about whether you really want to carry on emailing them…
And that’s a whole other topic for another day.
Do you need Mailchimp help?
Then get in touch. I’ve been in this game for 15 years now!
Claire Witz is a fully certified Mailchimp expert Pro Partner and the Chief Chimpologist at Chimpology. She works with businesses, charities and educational establishments worldwide to help them tap into the power of Mailchimp and shape it for their own specific needs.