Wasting your precious time on those who will never buy from you will only cost you money in the end. And even if your one of those people that thinks (or hopes) that one day you will reach inactive subscribers with your eloquent words and witty email content, you won't. Inactive subscribers are that way for a reason - they want to be.
Why Aren't You Responding?
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of reasons why some subscribers have gone inactive. Keep in mind that it's probably not because you did anything to upset them. With a multitude of outside influences - increased competition, lack of time or loss of interest, you need to just keep on moving and building a strong list made up of those who are still interested in what you have to say and who have proven it by making a purchase within the past six months.
If you're still wondering if you did anything wrong to warrant inactivity, send a short email message to those who have not made a purchase within the past three to six months and ask. But don't be too surprised if you don't get a response.
Moving On: Building a Strong Email List
Instead of worrying about inactive subscribers, concentrate on those who faithfully make purchases. Send special offers, email content and other stuff to keep those who purchase regularly from you interested in what you have to offer.
Interact with subscribers on multiple levels through social media, your blog and website. Make yourself as available as possible to subscribers to form a personal connection. Building a loyal customer base takes time which is why you can't spare any of it on inactive subscribers.
Clean Up (Remove Subscriber from Your List and Thoughts)
List cleaning is a healthy activity on many levels. First, it allows you to remove all inactive subscribers and make way for new ones. Second, it allows you to focus on those that remain. Third, cleaning is good for the soul. Instead of being constantly concerned about those who obliviously have no interest in furthering your business, breathe a sigh of relief and think about pleasing those who do care about your business.
Remaining positive is very difficult in the online world. Regardless of whether you run your business entirely online or you have a business location and use email marketing as a way to increase visits to your shop or restaurant, reaching people and maintaining their interest is not easy. This is why you need to focus on those who want to continue purchasing goods and services from you and forget about the ones who don't.