Email marketing is a fantastic way to communicate with your consumers. It can reach potential customers and help establish a lasting relationship with existing customers. But what about the consumers who have lost touch with your business? That's where a win-back email campaign comes in.

What is a Win-Back email campaign?

A win-back campaign targets previous customers who have stopped engaging with your emails. The primary goal of the campaign is to get these consumers to interact with your emails and calls-to-action again.

For example, say you had a customer that had their oil changed through your auto shop and you sent them a reminder email when it was time to change their oil again. If they weren't engaging with your reminder emails, they would be a prime candidate for a win-back email campaign.

Why is it important?

You might be wondering why you should spend the time, effort, and money to speak to customers that don’t want to talk to you, and we hear you. But it's actually super important to try and re-engage those existing customers, mainly because it costs five times more to get a new customer than to keep a loyal one. Around 45 percent of people who received a win-back email campaign were more likely to engage with future emails. So while it might feel like a wasted effort, it’s better for your business in the long run.

What emails should I send?

There are different types of emails you can include in a win-back campaign. Make sure that each email matches your brand's tone and message. Here are five ideas for a simple win-back campaign:

Reminder

Let your customers know you still exist and say hello! This is an excellent way to kick off your win-back campaign simply and easily.

Offer

Give your customers a reason to come back. Offer them an incentive that's relevant to your business and them. For example, an auto shop might offer a free oil change, or a boutique could offer a 10 percent discount.

Feedback

Feedback is excellent at any point, but especially from those that stopped using your business for some reason. Ask for their opinions and see what they say. Even if they don’t buy from you again, that feedback can still help you understand where you need to improve.

Last chance

If they haven’t been interacting with your campaign, let them know that you'll be unsubscribing them from your list if they don't take action. This will help you keep your email list clean and allow them to engage if they still want to.

Unsubscribe

If they still don't engage with your emails, unsubscribe them, and inform them. Make sure to tell them that they’re welcome back at any time and that you hate to see them go.

Win-back campaigns can offer numerous benefits to your business. Try one today and start communicating with your previous customers!

Dani James is a Marketing Specialist and writer for Atwill Media. She has a bachelor's degree in Strategic Communications from Arkansas State University with focuses in Public Relations, Advertising, and Social Media Management.

When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading a good book, and watching The Office.