Keeping your email contact list clean and organized is crucial for successful email marketing campaigns. In this blog post, we will explore the step-by-step process of cleaning your list using Ontraport.
First, it's important to understand that unsubscribes are a natural part of list cleaning. Instead of taking it personally, see it as an opportunity to make room for new contacts. By regularly cleaning your list, you ensure that you are nurturing engaged and relevant subscribers.
Start by identifying contacts who have paid for your products or services. These contacts should be kept separately for tax record purposes or to look someone up if they need access to the product they purchased.
Next, create a new contact group called “Hard Bounces and Unsubscribes” to filter out contacts who have either unsubscribed or have email addresses that result in hard bounces.
To do this in Ontraport, go to the contact screen and add the column “Bulk Email Status” to view whether contacts are transactional only or have unsubscribed. Then, create a filter with criteria including “Bulk Email Status equals Transaction Only” and “Last Charge Amount less than or equal to zero dollars” to exclude contacts who have made purchases. If you have a buyer tag, you can also add it to the filter.
Once you have applied the filter, you can delete the contacts who meet the criteria. Before deleting, it's recommended to export the contacts as a backup. Click on the delete key, confirm the deletion, and ensure you type the word “delete” when prompted for confirmation.
Keep in mind that deleting contacts is irreversible and may take some time to process. It's always a good practice to have fail-safes in place, such as exporting contacts before deletion.
By regularly cleaning your email contact list in Ontraport, you maintain a high-quality and engaged subscriber base. This not only improves the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns but also ensures compliance with email regulations.
For more in-depth guidance on setting up and optimizing your Ontraport system for your business, check out my “Virtually Automate” course here.
Remember, a clean and organized contact list is the foundation for successful email marketing. Start implementing these strategies today to enhance your email campaigns and achieve better results.
