Email marketing has long been one of the highest ROI-generating channels in digital marketing. With the right strategies, marketers can turn dormant subscribers into revenue with little more than a few strategic tweaks. However, the truth is that there’s always a tradeoff. The short-term wins of aggressive email campaigns can sometimes come at the cost of long-term deliverability, inbox placement, and brand reputation.
At Dispatch, we’ve seen this delicate balance play out time and time again. In this blog, we’ll break down a recent case study where we successfully implemented campaign resends, expanded the target audience, and activated untapped subscriber segments to help a client generate substantial revenue during their monthly sale—all while safeguarding their list health and long-term email performance.
The Challenge: Boost Revenue During a Monthly Sale
The client in this scenario is a large brand managing an email list of over 1 million subscribers. Like many businesses, they wanted to maximize revenue during a key monthly sale event. However, with an already active email calendar, their options for creating new campaigns were limited.
That’s where we stepped in. Our goal was to unlock "hidden revenue" within their existing list—without creating additional risk for their domain reputation or overall email deliverability.
The Strategy: Three Key Tactics to Unlock Email Marketing Revenue
Here’s how we approached the challenge...
1. Campaign Resends to Non-Openers
One of the simplest ways to drive incremental email marketing revenue is by resending a campaign to subscribers who didn’t open the original email. This tactic doesn’t require any new creative assets or significant extra effort—just strategic timing and targeting.
What We Did...
Implemented campaign resends for all daily emails during the sale period.
Targeted non-openers from the original send, creating a second opportunity for conversion.
Carefully tracked engagement metrics to ensure we weren’t overloading inboxes or triggering spam complaints.
Why It Worked....
Inbox overcrowding: Many subscribers miss the first email simply due to the sheer volume of messages they receive daily. Resends give these campaigns another chance to be seen.
Efficiency: No additional creative work was required, making this a quick win for the client.
2. Expanding the Engagement Window
The next step was to reach a deeper pool of subscribers by adjusting the engagement window. Typically, the client’s campaigns were sent to subscribers who had engaged within the last 180 days. While this is a safe and effective practice for maintaining deliverability, we decided to push the boundaries for this sale event.
What We Did....
Expanded the engagement window from 180 days to 365 days, including subscribers who had been inactive for longer but were still part of the engaged list.
Closely monitored spam complaint rates to ensure we didn’t risk the sender’s reputation.
Why It Worked...
Broader audience: By increasing the engagement window, we were able to re-engage subscribers who were still likely to convert, even if they hadn’t interacted recently.
Controlled risk: Careful monitoring ensured that the potential risks (e.g., higher spam complaints) were mitigated.
3. Activating Untapped Subscriber Segments
Finally, we identified a significant opportunity within untapped segments of the email list. These were subscribers who hadn’t received emails in some time but were not yet suppressed.
What We Did...
Identified dormant subscribers who were eligible for email sends but hadn’t been included in recent campaigns.
Verified email addresses using ZeroBounce, ensuring that we avoided hard bounces and further protected deliverability.
Sent the sale launch campaign to this reactivated list, creating an entirely new revenue stream.
Why It Worked...
Low-hanging fruit: These subscribers were already familiar with the brand, making them more likely to engage than entirely new prospects.
Data hygiene: Verifying email addresses reduced the risk of deliverability issues caused by sending to outdated or invalid addresses.
The Results: Revenue Boost with Controlled Risk
This multi-pronged approach delivered immediate results for the client, driving a significant revenue boost during their sale. Here’s a quick summary of the impact:
Incremental Revenue: Campaign resends alone accounted for a 30-40% lift in revenue compared to single sends.
Broader Reach: Expanding the engagement window and reactivating dormant subscribers unlocked revenue streams that had previously been untapped.
Maintained Deliverability: Despite the increased volume, careful monitoring ensured that the client’s domain reputation and inbox placement remained intact.
The Tradeoff: Knowing When to Push and When to Protect
While the results were impressive, this approach also highlighted the challenges of managing a large email list. Here’s the reality:
Aggressive email strategies—like expanding engagement windows and sending to untapped segments—can lead to risks such as:
Higher spam complaint rates: Subscribers who aren’t expecting your emails may mark them as spam, impacting your sender reputation.
Reduced inbox placement: Too many complaints can hurt your ability to land in the inbox.
Domain reputation impact: Poor sending practices can damage your domain reputation, making it harder to reach even your most engaged subscribers.
Lower engagement rates: Including less active segments can dilute your overall engagement metrics.
Email Lists Are Like Credit Scores
The best way to think about email marketing is to treat your email list like a credit score:
Quick wins are possible: Strategic moves, like campaign resends, can deliver immediate gains.
Aggressive behavior has long-term consequences: Overloading your subscribers or targeting disengaged segments too frequently can harm your reputation and take months to recover from.
Protection matters: Maintaining a clean, engaged list is more valuable in the long run than chasing short-term wins.
The key to success? Balance. Knowing when to push for revenue and when to protect your sender reputation is what separates great email marketers from the rest.
How Dispatch Can Help You Optimize Your Email Marketing
At Dispatch, we specialize in helping brands find the perfect balance between aggressive revenue-driving tactics and long-term list health. Our team can help you:
Build effective campaign resend strategies that boost revenue without overloading subscribers.
Segment and target your audience with precision, maximizing reach while maintaining deliverability.
Identify untapped opportunities within your email list to unlock hidden revenue.
Ready to take your email marketing to the next level?
Contact Dispatch today to learn how we can help you optimize your retention channels and drive sustainable growth for your brand.
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