Employee email retargeting is revolutionizing internal communication by ensuring critical messages don’t get lost in the noise. In a world where employees receive countless emails daily, it’s easy for important updates, announcements, or opportunities to be overlooked.
Table of contents
- What Is Employee Email Retargeting?
- Why Does Retargeting Employee Email Matter?
- Benefits of Retargeting Employee Emails
- How Employee Email Retargeting Works
- Strategies for Retargeting Employee Emails Effectively
- Best Practices for Retargeting Employees
- Cerkl Email Blast Retargeting for Better Workforce Engagement
- What’s Next
- FAQ
An email retargeting strategy provides a solution by strategically following up with employees who missed or didn’t engage with your initial message. It is an invaluable form of workforce re-engagement.
This approach not only increases the visibility of your vital internal communications it also fosters deeper engagement. By identifying employees who need a second nudge, and tailoring follow-ups to their preferences or behaviors, email retargeting makes your messages more relevant and impactful. It’s a powerful tool to enhance connection and alignment across teams, improving overall productivity and morale.
As organizations strive to keep employees informed and engaged, email retargeting offers a practical way to ensure no one is left out of the loop. Whether you’re promoting an upcoming event, gathering feedback through surveys, or driving participation in company initiatives, retargeting your audience ensures your communications reach their full potential.
Let’s explore how this strategy can transform workforce engagement and elevate your internal communication efforts.
What Is Employee Email Retargeting?
Employee email retargeting is a targeted communication strategy where organizations send follow-up emails to employees based on their prior interactions (or lack thereof) with internal communications. By analyzing engagement data such as email opens, clicks, or specific actions taken, this approach delivers personalized and timely follow-ups that reinforce key messages and drive greater engagement.
The primary goal is to ensure that critical messages are not overlooked.It does this by providing employees with another opportunity to absorb and act on important information. By tailoring these follow-ups to employee behaviors and preferences, retargeting fosters improved internal alignment, boosts communication effectiveness, and ultimately creates a more engaged and informed workforce.
Definition and Purpose
Essentially an email retargeting strategy, it involves follow-up campaigns based on employees’ prior engagement with internal communications, such as opens, clicks, or specific actions. Its purpose is to ensure key messages are seen, understood, and acted upon, driving improved engagement, reinforcing alignment, and fostering a more informed workforce.
Are Email Follow-Up Campaigns Effective?
People often do need reminding, whether it is to respond to a dinner party invitation or to fill in a pulse survey at work. In a work environment, if employees have missed an email, or simply not read it thoroughly, this doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t interested in the message. If you give them a second, or even a third chance, by retargeting emails, there’s a good chance you’re going to increase employee engagement, improve ROI, and increase conversions.
Mailmodo did some digging and came up with some statistics from a range of sources:
- Retargeting emails achieve an average open rate of 60% and a click-through rate (CTR) of 15%, significantly higher than traditional email campaigns.
- Retargeting emails can achieve an average conversion rate of 30%, significantly outperforming the typical sub-5% rate.
- Following up with a single retargeting email can boost response rates from 9% to 13%.
- More persistent efforts, such as sending multiple follow-ups, can triple response rates.
These workforce re-engagement insights underscore the potential benefits of applying retargeting techniques to internal communications, aiming to enhance employee engagement and responsiveness.
How Does It Align with Marketing Email Retargeting?
Employee email retargeting is a method inspired by consumer marketing, where tailored messages are sent based on specific behaviors or interests. Just as brands use retargeted emails to re-engage customers and drive them back to their websites, organizations are leveraging this strategy to re-engage employees, remind them of critical initiatives, and encourage specific actions, such as completing training, providing feedback, or participating in wellness programs.
This targeted approach not only mirrors the precision of marketing retargeting but also adds a layer of organizational value by fostering alignment and improving employee engagement. By addressing the unique needs of internal audiences, it creates a more personalized and impactful communication experience, driving meaningful outcomes across the workforce.
Why Does Retargeting Employee Email Matter?
Retargeting emails you send to employees matters because it bridges the gap between critical messages and employee engagement. In today’s fast-paced work environment, employees are commonly inundated with emails, making it easy for important updates to be overlooked. By leveraging retargeting strategies, organizations can ensure that key messages are revisited and acted upon, fostering a more informed and aligned workforce.
This targeted approach doesn’t just enhance communication efficiency. It also supports organizational goals. Retargeting allows internal communicators to personalize follow-ups based on previous interactions, ensuring that employees receive content relevant to their needs and roles. Whether it’s encouraging participation in training sessions or reminding employees of important policy updates, retargeted emails can boost engagement and drive meaningful action.
By focusing on retargeting, companies can create an internal communication ecosystem that values relevance, personalization, and timeliness. This not only reduces information overload but also strengthens the connection between employees and organizational objectives, ultimately leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
Importance of Effective Internal Communications
Effective internal communications are the backbone of a thriving organization. They ensure employees are aligned with company goals, informed about important updates, and motivated to contribute to collective success. When communications are clear and impactful, they foster trust, collaboration, and engagement, creating a workplace where employees feel valued and supported.
Inadequate communication, on the other hand, can lead to confusion, misalignment, and decreased productivity. Employees who feel disconnected from organizational messaging may struggle to perform their roles effectively, highlighting the critical need for strategies like email retargeting. By prioritizing effective communication, organizations can build stronger, more engaged teams that drive long-term success.
Common Challenges
One of the most persistent challenges in internal communications is low email open rates. With the average employee receiving dozens of emails daily, messages can easily get lost in crowded inboxes. This leads to missed opportunities for engagement and a lack of awareness about critical updates or initiatives.
Even when employees open emails, low engagement rates remain a hurdle. Employees may skim through content without taking the desired action, such as completing surveys or attending events. This disconnect between internal messaging and employee response underscores the need for retargeting strategies, which can re-engage employees and encourage meaningful interaction. By addressing these challenges, organizations can optimize their communication efforts and create a more connected workforce.
Benefits of Retargeting Employee Emails
Employee email retargeting is a game-changing strategy for organizations looking to optimize their internal communication efforts. By focusing on delivering the right message to the right employees at the right time, retargeting enhances engagement, compliance, and trust.
Let’s look at how this approach delivers measurable benefits.
Improved Message Reach and Engagement
Retargeting ensures critical messages are not only delivered but also seen and acted upon. By identifying employees who have not opened or engaged with an email, organizations can send personalized follow-ups that increase the chances of interaction. This targeted approach boosts click-through rates and ensures that key initiatives are top-of-mind for employees, fostering a more informed and connected workforce.
Enhanced Compliance and Task Completion Rates
Whether it’s completing mandatory training, submitting forms, or adhering to policies, compliance is crucial for organizational success. Retargeting email campaigns make it easier to track and encourage task completion by re-engaging employees who may have missed or overlooked initial communications. This results in higher compliance rates, reduced follow-ups for managers, and a smoother workflow across teams.
Building Trust Through Personalized Communication
When employees receive messages tailored to their roles, interests, or previous interactions, it reinforces a sense of value and respect. Retargeting emails allows organizations to re-deliver relevant content, demonstrating that employee time and attention are respected. This personalized approach builds trust, strengthens relationships, and fosters a workplace culture where communication feels meaningful and intentional.
Research by many organizations emphasize the importance of automated, personalized emails. For example, Campaign Monitor reports that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those that aren’t personalized.
How Employee Email Retargeting Works
Retargeting employee emails enables internal communicators to leverage data-driven insights and automation to deliver personalized follow-up communications. This is an ideal way to address gaps in engagement. By identifying employees who may have missed or ignored critical messages, this strategy ensures that no one is left out of the communication loop, fostering greater alignment and productivity.
It works because it is able to identify disengaged employees, analyze email performance data,and use automation for fo
Identify Disengaged Employees
The first step in email retargeting and workforce re-engagement is identifying employees who haven’t engaged with initial communications. By analyzing metrics like unopened emails or unclicked links, organizations can pinpoint individuals who may require a second touchpoint. This identification process ensures that important messages reach every employee, even those who may be less responsive to traditional communication methods.
Analyze Email Performance Data
Retargeting relies on robust analytics to assess how employees interact with emails. Metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and read times provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of initial campaigns. Data analysis helps internal communicators refine their messaging, tailoring follow-up emails to better resonate with the audience and improve engagement.
Use Automation for Follow-Up Messages
Automation plays a critical role in retargeting employee emails. Once disengaged employees are identified, automated tools can send personalized follow-up messages at optimized times, increasing the likelihood of interaction. These follow-ups can include reminders, additional context, or new calls to action, all designed to ensure employees take the desired steps efficiently and effectively.
Strategies for Retargeting Employee Emails Effectively
To maximize the impact of employee email retargeting, organizations need to adopt targeted strategies that cater to the diverse needs and behaviors of their workforce. Effective retargeting is a great way to ensure key messages are received, understood, and acted upon by employees.
Segment Your Audience Based On Behavior
Audience segmentation is a cornerstone of effective email retargeting. Start by grouping employees based on their interests, such as topics they engage with most often or areas relevant to their roles. Complement this by analyzing behaviors like unopened emails, partial actions, or missed deadlines to create more refined segments.
For example, one group might include employees interested in professional development, while another consists of those who clicked a link but didn’t complete a required action. This dual-layered segmentation will allow you to craft follow-ups that align with both their preferences and engagement patterns, ensuring your messages resonate more effectively.
Craft Personalize Follow-Up Content
Generic follow-ups often fail to capture attention. Instead, it really does pay to craft personalized content that addresses specific behaviors or gaps in engagement. For example, if employees haven’t completed mandatory training, your email could emphasize its relevance to their role and provide a quick-access link. Personalization shows employees that the communication is relevant to them, which can significantly boost response rates.
Choose the Right Communication Channels
While email is a powerful tool, retargeting efforts can be enhanced by leveraging additional channels like intranet alerts, mobile app notifications, or messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams. Choosing the right channel depends on the urgency and nature of the message, as well as employee preferences. A multi-channel approach ensures that follow-ups are accessible and visible, increasing the chances of engagement.
Best Practices for Retargeting Employees
Implementing email retargeting effectively requires more than just sending follow-up messages. By adopting strategic practices, you can ensure your efforts drive engagement, reinforce key messages, and avoid overwhelming your workforce. These best practices help you strike the right balance between persistence and relevance, creating a more impactful communication strategy.
Time Follow-Ups Effectively
The timing of your follow-up emails can make or break their effectiveness. Avoid sending messages immediately after the initial email, as it may feel redundant. Instead, analyze employee schedules and engagement patterns to identify optimal times. For example, if your data shows employees are most responsive mid-week or during lunch breaks, schedule follow-ups accordingly to maximize open and CTRs.
Avoid message fatigue
Overloading employees with follow-up emails can lead to disengagement and frustration. Limit the number of follow-ups for any single campaign and ensure the content is meaningful and adds value. Consider using a tiered approach, where less responsive employees receive fewer messages, and engaged segments are targeted with additional, relevant content.
Leverage Data for Continuous Improvement
Use analytics to refine your retargeting strategy continuously. Track metrics such as open rates, CTRs, and conversion rates for each follow-up email. Identify what resonates with your audience and adjust your approach to improve results. By leveraging real-time insights, you can ensure that your email retargeting strategy evolves to meet your workforce’s changing needs and preferences.
Cerkl Email Blast Retargeting for Better Workforce Engagement
Cerkl Broadcast Email Blasts empower organizations to achieve better workforce engagement through advanced features like segmentation, personalization, and automated follow-ups. By targeting specific employee groups based on behavior and preferences, Cerkl ensures your messages are relevant and impactful. With real-time analytics and seamless automation, it’s never been easier to retarget effectively and keep your workforce informed and engaged.
Better still, Broadcast’s Email Blast Retargeting feature enables organizations to retarget emails to those who have not followed through on specific actions:
- Those who haven’t opened the original Email Blast.
- Anyone who hasn’t clicked on a link in the original Blast.
- The other option is to select “Opened or Clicked,” which will target all those in your audience who haven’t opened or clicked on a link.
You can also identify specific campaigns for retargeting.
As always, it’s vital to measure data. For this reason, Broadcast has a separate set of metrics for retargeted blasts. Easy to identify, these metrics provide great insights into audience response, enabling internal comms teams to monitor and, if necessary, take additional action.
What’s Next
We know that there’s a lot to take in here, but we can offer you lots of resources to make your job as an internal communicator a lot easier.
For starters, why not download our free white paper, The Importance of Internal Communication? It’s got loads of tips on how to improve your internal communications and improve employee engagement. You can also use this information to reinforce workforce re-engagement.
FAQ
It involves sending personalized email messages to employees based on their previous interactions or engagement with internal communications. It works by tracking employees’ email actions and delivering targeted content to reinforce key messages.
It is important for internal communication because it helps ensure critical messages are seen, increases engagement, and reinforces company goals or policies. It also allows for more tailored and relevant communication with employees.
To avoid over-communicating, segment your employee list, use frequency capping, and ensure the content is valuable and aligned with employee interests. Regularly assess email performance to adjust frequency and content accordingly.
Tools for employee email retargeting include platforms like Cerkl Broadcast, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and ActiveCampaign, which offer segmentation, automation, and performance tracking features.
