The snow is finally melting (yes, in my neck of the woods, we still have snow), and the flowers are beginning to bloom. That means it’s time for an annual spring cleaning, and your law firm’s email marketing database is the perfect place to start. Legal marketers can use this time of seasonal transition take a closer look at their email marketing campaigns and subscribers.

A clean email list is an essential part of your law firm’s overall marketing strategy. Why? Because a clean list helps you to drive better metrics, insights and ROI. A clean list results in more meaningful communication, higher engagement and better optimization while helping to keep your campaigns out of spam filters — all of which results in a greater return on your email marketing efforts.

Here are five tips to help you get your email marketing list in tip-top shape.

Monitor Subscriber Activity

Start the process by analyzing and tracking subscriber behavior. Who opens, who clicks and who is inactive? Identifying these groups is the first step in the clean-up process.

Send a Re-engagement Campaign

Next, take a closer look at your inactive subscribers — the ones who have not opened or clicked on any of your marketing campaigns over the last six months. It’s time to send them a re-engagement email to see if they want to stay subscribed. Give them the opportunity to opt back in or opt out. Offer them a reason to stay subscribed. For example, provide a link to interesting and relevant content, include a blurb on your most recent hire or details about your firm’s latest successes.

Out with the Old

Once your re-engagement campaign is sent, it’s time to remove the dead weight. Unsubscribe and remove the opt-outs or those who did not respond to or open the campaign. Doing this should improve your open and click rates. You also might save some money if you work with an email marketing service that charges per subscriber. And there’s another benefit: Removing these inactive emails can help boost deliverability to the rest of your contacts.

Reconnect with Longstanding Subscribers

After removing your inactive email addresses, you can analyze who’s left. Look at those subscribers who have the highest open and click rates. Which topics interested and motivated them to click to your site? Target future campaigns with similar material. Not only will this keep your active readers interested, others may also find this content to be valuable and become active readers.

Are you only sending out blog posts or firm news? Think about adding to your repertoire: Schedule a podcast or webinar on a hot topic; offer a free white paper or case study; or put out a survey that will get your audience to engage.

In with the New

Keep your list fresh and growing by working to attract new subscribers. Some great ways to grow your audience are to:

  • Capture email addresses on your website in exchange for informational content like white papers and other engaging content.
  • Have an opt-in form on your website that is easy to see and use.
  • Distribute content through other channels, such as social media, that includes a link to your subscriber landing page.
  • Include a call to action and link to your subscriber landing page in your email signature.

Taking the time to really look at your subscriber data will show you what is working and what is not. By engaging inactive subscribers, rewarding longstanding customers, asking for feedback and inspiring new subscribers, you can look forward to a new season of increased web activity and, ideally, client growth.

Want help getting your email marketing database up to snuff? Contact me, Jennifer Faivre, at jfaivre@jaffepr.com.