What are the best practices for emailing a list after a rebrand when the client doesn't want to mention the old brand?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Mailjet states it is crucial to re-introduce your company and explain the reason for the email. They emphasize the importance of being transparent and providing a clear explanation for the change. In addition, ensure that your email content aligns with the expectations of your subscribers.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares to use segmentation to target specific subscribers with relevant content. Segmentation can be based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history. Sending targeted emails increases engagement and reduces unsubscribes, thus maintaining a healthier list.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that warming up your email list is a crucial step when starting with a new domain or IP address. Send emails to your most engaged subscribers first and gradually increase the volume to avoid being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from Gmass shares the best way to reintroduce a business after a rebrand is to be transparent, concise and human in the emails that are sent out. Ensuring the recipient understands who you are and why you're emailing them is of utmost importance.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that you shouldn't expect good results by announcing an unrelated product to people who used to purchase a product that you're no longer selling and also not mentioning. Legality has little to do with deliverability.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus shares that segmenting your list and sending targeted campaigns is essential for re-engagement. Focus on subscribers who have shown recent activity or engagement to improve deliverability and open rates. Send a series of welcome emails introducing the new brand and its offerings.
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that cleaning your email list regularly is essential for maintaining good deliverability. Remove inactive subscribers, bounced emails, and spam traps. A clean list improves your sender reputation and ensures your emails reach engaged subscribers.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that it's crucial to set expectations and provide value, especially after a rebrand. They emphasize that recipients need to understand why they are receiving emails and what they will gain from staying subscribed. Transparency builds trust and reduces unsubscribes.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that even if legal, sending emails after a rebrand without mentioning it can be perceived as spam. Recipients may not trust the sender, leading to negative signals to spam filters and a potential disaster.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that you should implement a sunset policy to remove inactive subscribers. Before removing them, send a re-engagement campaign to confirm their interest. If they do not respond, remove them from your list to improve deliverability.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests informing the client that it is best practice for others to use a "X, formerly Y" brand messaging to help drive the connection to recipients after a rebrand.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that when a business undergoes a significant change (like a rebrand without wanting to acknowledge the old brand), it's crucial to consider re-permissioning the email list. This means explicitly asking subscribers to confirm they still want to receive emails from the 'new' entity. If the change is substantial enough that subscribers might not recognize or expect emails from the new brand, failing to re-permission can lead to increased spam complaints and deliverability issues.
Expert from Spam Resource suggests that ignoring the rebrand can lead to confusion and mistrust among subscribers, potentially resulting in increased spam complaints and decreased engagement rates. When subscribers don't recognize the sender or understand the reason for the emails, they are more likely to mark the messages as spam.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that while it's likely legal to email in the US after a rebrand without mentioning it, the results could be poor. The reputation will likely suffer, and engaged subscribers may no longer be engaged without name recognition, making it a potentially unwinnable situation.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from RFC 4871 explains how DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) works to authenticate email messages. DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to verify the sender's identity. Implementing DKIM helps prevent tampering and phishing attacks, improving trust and deliverability.
Documentation from RFC 7208 describes the technical specifications for SPF (Sender Policy Framework). Implementing SPF records in your DNS settings helps prevent email spoofing and improves deliverability. It allows receiving mail servers to verify that emails are sent from authorized servers.
Documentation from DMARC.org details the implementation of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM to provide a policy for handling emails that fail authentication checks. It allows domain owners to specify how receiving mail servers should handle unauthenticated emails.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that maintaining a good sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability. They advise consistently authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Also, monitoring feedback loops and promptly addressing complaints helps maintain a positive reputation.