Hey Reader,
How are you? Have you gone on holiday this summer? Been through one of the big airports?
Did you know that a lifetime ago, I used to work at one of those big airports? That job taught me something I still use in email marketing today...
Yup, I used to work at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, asking travellers about their destinations, spending habits, and so on, so businesses could use the data for their marketing.
I didn't really love the job, but it was a great way to earn money while studying for my master's degree.
The hardest part wasn’t running in heels over the slippery tiles of the gates while wearing a pencil skirt… though that definitely wasn’t the easiest either 😉
The real challenge was that we were told to interview every Xth person; every 5th, every 7th, depending on the flight and the language needed (I did Dutch, English, and French). Our supervisors were adamant that we stick to it.
But here’s the thing: at 5 a.m., when everyone just wants to be back in bed instead of catching a business flight, people aren’t exactly lining up to chat. Half ignored me, some were rude, and only a few were actually willing to talk to me.
So instead, we learned to scan the crowd, count how many people we needed, and approach those who looked open to talking. If the plane had 56 passengers and we needed every 5th person, we’d just aim for 11 people who weren’t in full morning grump mode.
And that’s where the email marketing lesson comes in: you can’t make someone engage if they don’t want to engage.
Sometimes people on your email list stop opening your messages. Maybe they never really connected with your content. Maybe it’s not the right time. Or maybe they’ve got what they needed from you and moved on.
Whatever the reason, if they’re not engaging anymore, it’s okay to let them go. Just like those 11 friendly travellers were better than chasing a perfect 5th person at 5 a.m., an engaged, smaller list is far better than a big, silent one.
P.S. Want a hand giving your email list a quick "airport-style" clean? Hit reply and let’s chat.
