A lot of web based services depend on their success with their users. The more they use it, the more content is circulating. That way, it becomes more and more interesting for a user to step by. And then they are tempted to post some content.
That’s the essence of every web application. Especially when social media are involved. With applications like Facebook, this seems to happen effortlessly. But don’t be mistaken, even the most popular websites like Facebook and Slideshare, to name a few, also need to deal with inactive visitors.
Email address known
Fortunately, you know the email address of your sleeping user. Because during the subscription process that address is a useful tool to check whether your new user is a real person. So now you can use email marketing once again; this time to awaking your sleeping members. And you can do this in two ways.
Smack on the head
You can threaten them. “If you don’t log into your account within the next x days, we’ll delete your account”. This very direct message looks similar to the Call to Action with a clear deadline. But you’re not very friendly to your contacts. You can only get two different answers. You’ll have people who are indifferent: “whatever”. Bye bye user.
Again and again
Or there is one of the quick intervention. They quickly login for a few seconds, so they can be sure that you won’t touch their account. And afterwards they forget that they ever had an account registered with you. A year later you could send them the same email. But you can also take a more positive approach. We recently received a reminder like this from Slideshare.
Pat on the back
In the email from Slideshare, the user was thanked for his contribution. This was done in a personal way in the subject line en the body of the message. Slideshare also told its user which success that contribution has had. At the end of the message they provided a call to action that took the user to a landing page, where he could find lots of tips to participate more on the platform.
Which approach do you think got the most effect? The smack on the head or the pat on the back?
