Understanding Contact Engagement Scoring

What You'll Learn

• What contact engagement scoring is and why it matters for your email marketing
• How to use engagement data to send smarter campaigns
• When to target different contact groups
• Why this will improve your email performance and protect your sender reputation

What we'll cover

1. What is Engagement Scoring?
2. Why This Matters for Your Business
3. Understanding Engagement Levels
4. Understanding Lifecycle Stages
5. Using Quick Segments
6. Campaign Type Recommendations
7. Real-World Scenarios
8. Best Practices
9. Frequently Asked Questions

What is Contact Engagement Scoring?

Contact Engagement Scoring automatically measures each contact's interest in your emails. Think of it like a health score for your email list.

Every contact receives:

• An Engagement Score (0-100): How engaged they are overall
• An Engagement Level: Hot, Warm, Cold, or Inactive
• A Lifecycle Stage: Where they are in their journey with you
• A Send Recommendation: Whether you should email them

How It Works

We automatically analyze each contact's behavior:

• ✅ Do they open your emails? (Good sign)
• ✅ Do they click your links? (Even better)
• ✅ Do they reply or share? (Excellent!)
• ⏰ When was the last time they engaged? (Recent is better)
• 📊 How consistent is their engagement? (Consistency matters)

Based on this analysis, we calculate their engagement score and provide recommendations for targeting them.

The Simple Version

High Score = They love your emails = Send away!

Low Score = They're ignoring you = Be careful or don't send

Why This Matters for Your Business

The Problem Without Engagement Scoring

Imagine you have 10,000 contacts. Without engagement data, you might:

• ❌ Email everyone the same way
• ❌ Annoy uninterested contacts (they mark you as spam)
• ❌ Waste money sending to people who won't engage
• ❌ Damage your sender reputation (emails go to the spam folder)
• ❌ Miss opportunities to re-engage inactive contacts

The Solution With Engagement Scoring

Now you can:

• ✅ Send more to engaged contacts who want to hear from you
• ✅ Protect your sender reputation by avoiding inactive contacts
• ✅ Save money by not emailing people who won't engage
• ✅ Get better results - higher open rates, more clicks, more sales
• ✅ Win back inactive contacts with targeted re-engagement campaigns
• ✅ Make data-driven decisions about who to target

Real Impact

Our customers typically see:

• 📈 25-40% higher open rates by targeting engaged contacts
• 💰 30-50% better ROI by focusing on interested contacts
• 📉 60-80% fewer spam complaints by avoiding inactive contacts
• ⏰ 2-3x longer contact lifetime by preventing fatigue

Understanding Engagement Levels

Every contact is automatically categorized into one of four levels:

🔥 Hot (Score: 70-100)

Who they are: Your superfans! They open most emails, click often, and engage regularly.

What to do:

• Send them everything
• Launch new products to them first
• Send more frequently (they want it)
• These are your best customers

Example: Sarah opens 9 out of 10 emails, clicks multiple times per week, and has made 3 purchases this quarter.

☀️ Warm (Score: 40-69)

Who they are: Interested and engaged, but not as actively as Hot contacts.

What to do:

• Include in most campaigns
• Send your best content
• Perfect for promotions and newsletters
• Good conversion potential

Example: Mike opens about half of your emails, clicks occasionally, and made a purchase last month.

❄️ Cold (Score: 15-39)

Who they are: Low engagement. They rarely open or click, but haven't completely checked out yet.

What to do:

• Be selective - only send important campaigns
• Focus on high-value offers
• Consider a re-engagement campaign
• Watch for signs they're coming back

Example: Jenny opened 2 emails in the last month, hasn't clicked anything in 45 days.

💤 Inactive (Score: 0-14)

Who they are: Not engaging at all. They haven't opened or clicked in months.

What to do:

• Don't include in regular campaigns (they hurt your sender reputation)
• Try a final re-engagement campaign
• If no response, consider removing from active list
• Save your effort for engaged contacts

Example: Bob hasn't opened an email in 4 months and shows no signs of interest.

🆕 NEW Contacts (Special Case)

Who they are: Joined within the last 30-60 days and still building their engagement history.

What happens:

• They get a "grace period" - we won't mark them as Cold or Inactive too quickly
• Minimum score of 30-40 during onboarding
• Marked as "NEW" in the lifecycle stage
• Never marked as "Do Not Send"

What to do:

• Welcome them with your best content
• Send consistently so they know what to expect
• Monitor to see what engagement level they settle into
• Give them 60 days to establish patterns

Example: John joined 2 weeks ago, has received 3 emails, and opened 2 of them. We'll give him time to show his true engagement level.

Understanding Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages show where contacts are in their marketing journey with you:

🆕 NEW (0-60 days)

Just joined, still in onboarding period.

Action: Make a great first impression!

✅ ACTIVE

Engaging regularly with your emails.

Action: Keep doing what you're doing.

⚠️ AT-RISK (30-60 days since last engagement)

Starting to lose interest, but saveable.

Action: Time for a re-engagement campaign!

💤 DORMANT (60-90 days since last engagement)

Seriously inactive, may be lost soon.

Action: Last chance winback offer.

❌ LOST (90+ days since last engagement)

Completely disengaged.

Action: Stop regular emails. Remove or try quarterly winback.

🎉 REACTIVATED

Was Dormant/Lost but came back!

Action: Celebrate and keep them engaged with great content.

Using Quick Segments

Quick Segments are pre-built targeting options that automatically find the right contacts for different types of campaigns. No need to build complex rules!

How to Access Quick Segments

1. When creating a campaign or segment, you'll see your targeting options
2. Click the "📊 Quick Segments" button
3. Choose from pre-built segments based on your goal
4. We'll automatically apply the right filters

Available Quick Segments

📈 Best Performers

Who: Your most engaged contacts - Hot + Very Active

Count: Shows how many qualify (e.g., "2,847 contacts")

Use for: Product launches, premium offers, time-sensitive campaigns

Expected results: 45-52% open rate, 8-12% click rate

Example: "We're launching a limited-edition product. I want to tell my best customers first."

🔥 Hot Prospects

Who: Recently active, high engagement, likely to convert

Count: E.g., "1,234 contacts"

Use for: Sales campaigns, special promotions, webinar invitations

Expected results: 42-48% open rate, 7-10% click rate

Example: "I'm running a 48-hour flash sale. Who should I target for maximum conversions?"

⚠️ At Risk

Who: Previously engaged, now going quiet - win them back

Count: E.g., "892 contacts"

Use for: Re-engagement campaigns with special offers

Expected results: 25-35% open rate if you act now

Example: "I noticed some customers haven't engaged lately. I want to win them back before I lose them."

💤 Re-engagement Targets

Who: Dormant contacts worth targeting with special offers

Count: E.g., "456 contacts"

Use for: "We miss you" campaigns, steep discounts, survey requests

Expected results: 18-25% open rate

Example: "I want to give inactive contacts one last chance before removing them from my list."

⭐ VIP Contacts

Who: Your top fans - highest engagement, best for launches

Count: E.g., "678 contacts"

Use for: Exclusive previews, VIP perks, beta testing, early access

Expected results: 50%+ open rate, highest conversion

Example: "I want to give my most loyal customers early access to our new collection."

🚫 Do Not Send

Who: High-risk s - protect your sender reputation

Count: E.g., "3,421 contacts"

Use for: Exclusion list - don't send regular campaigns to these people

Why: They'll mark you as spam and hurt deliverability for everyone

Example: "Show me who I should NOT be emailing to protect my sender reputation."

How Quick Segments Save You Time

Before Quick Segments:

You need to manually create rules: - Engagement Level is greater than 1 - AND Send Recommendation is greater than 1  - AND Unsubscribe Risk is less than 50 - AND... (spend 10 minutes figuring out the right filters) ```  **With Quick Segments:** ``` 1. Click "Quick Segments" 2. Click "Hot Prospects" 3. Done! (5 seconds)

The segment automatically applies all the right filters behind the scenes.

Campaign Type Recommendations

When creating a campaign, tell us what type it is and we'll recommend the best targeting strategy.

📰 Newsletter

Best for: Regular content updates, blog posts, industry news

Recommended Targeting:

• Send to: Warm + Hot contacts
• Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly
• Expected open rate: 28-35%

Who to include: Everyone except "Do Not Send"

Why: Newsletters build relationships, so include all interested contacts

🚀 Product Launch

Best for: New product announcements, major updates

Recommended Targeting:

• Send to: Hot + Warm (priority to Hot)
• Frequency: One-time event
• Expected open rate: 42-48%

Who to include: Best Performers + Hot Prospects

Why: Your most engaged contacts are most likely to convert on day one

Pro tip: Send to VIPs first (early access), then Hot + Warm the next day

💰 Promotion

Best for: Sales, discounts, limited-time offers

Recommended Targeting:

• Send to: Warm + Hot + selected Cold with high purchase history
• Frequency: Occasional (don't overdo it)
• Expected open rate: 35-42%

Who to include: Focus on "Clickers" (people who take action)

Why: Promotions work best on action-takers, not just readers

🎯 Re-engagement

Best for: Winning back inactive contacts

Recommended Targeting:

• Send to: At-Risk + Dormant (High Priority only)
• Frequency: Every 30-90 days
• Expected open rate: 18-25%

Who to include: At-Risk + Re-engagement Targets segments

Why: Focus on contacts you can actually save

What to send:

• Subject: "We miss you! Here's 20% off to come back"
• Offer something valuable
• Ask for feedback: "What can we improve?"
• Include easy unsubscribe (if they're gone, let them go)

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: First Product Launch

Situation: You're launching a new product line and want maximum impact.

Strategy:

1. Week 1: Send to VIP Contacts (early access)
   • Use Quick Segment: VIP Contacts
   • Subject: "You're getting first dibs on our new collection"
   • Expected: 50%+ open rate, high conversion
2. Week 2: Send to Best Performers + Hot Prospects
   • Use Quick Segment: Best Performers + Hot Prospects
   • Subject: "Now available: Our new [Product] collection"
   • Expected: 45% open rate, good conversion
3. Week 3: Send to remaining Warm contacts
   • Use Campaign Type: Product Launch (expand to Warm)
   • Subject: "Have you seen our new collection?"
   • Expected: 35% open rate, decent conversion

Don't send to: Cold or Inactive contacts (they won't engage anyway)

Result: Higher conversion, protected sender reputation

Scenario 2: Inactive List Recovery

Situation: You haven't sent in 6 months. Your list has 10,000 contacts, but you know many are inactive.

Strategy:

1. First: Check Quick Segment "Do Not Send"
   • You find 4,000 contacts here
   • Action: Do NOT include these in your first campaign
2. Send #1: Re-engagement to At-Risk
   • Use Quick Segment: At Risk
   • 1,200 contacts qualify
   • Subject: "We're back! Here's what we've been up to"
   • Expected: 30% open (360 people)
3. Send #2: Re-engagement to Dormant (High Priority)
   • Use Quick Segment: Re-engagement Targets
   • 800 contacts qualify
   • Subject: "We miss you - come back for 25% off"
   • Expected: 20% open (160 people)
4. Send #3: Regular newsletter to Active + Warm + Hot
   • Use Quick Segment: Best Performers
   • 4,000 contacts qualify
   • Subject: "Your monthly update from [Business]"
   • Expected: 40% open (1,600 people)

Don't send to: The 4,000 in "Do Not Send" segment until they show signs of life

Result: Rebuilt engagement without spam complaints, protected reputation

Scenario 3: Weekly Newsletter Routine

Situation: You send a weekly newsletter and want consistent good engagement.

Strategy:

1. Use Campaign Type: Newsletter
   • System automatically recommends: Warm + Hot + Active
   • Excludes: High risk, high fatigue, Do Not Send
   • Expected: 32% average open rate
2. Monitor the results:
   • After 4 weeks, check who moved from Warm → Cold
   • Send re-engagement to those specific people
   • Keep sending to everyone else
3. Adjust frequency based on Fatigue Score:
   • If you see contacts moving to "High Fatigue" → reduce frequency
   • Try weekly digest instead of multiple emails

Result: Sustainable engagement, low unsubscribe rate

Scenario 4: Holiday Sale Maximization

Situation: Black Friday sale. You want to maximize revenue without annoying anyone.

Strategy:

Monday (Teaser):

• Target: VIP Contacts only
• Use Quick Segment: VIP Contacts
• Subject: "VIP Early Access: Black Friday starts NOW for you"
• Result: High conversion from best customers

Friday Morning (Main Event):

• Target: Hot + Warm (exclude VIPs who already bought)
• Use Campaign Type: Promotion
• Subject: "BLACK FRIDAY: 50% Off Everything"
• Result: Maximum reach to engaged audience

Friday Evening (Reminder):

• Target: People who opened morning email but didn't click
• Custom segment: Opened but didn't convert
• Subject: "Reminder: Only 12 hours left!"
• Result: Capture fence-sitters

Saturday (Last Chance):

• Target: Hot Prospects + Clickers who haven't engaged yet
• Use Quick Segment: Hot Prospects
• Subject: "Final Hours: Sale ends at midnight"
• Result: Last-minute conversions

Don't send to:

• Cold + Inactive (won't convert anyway)
• VIPs who already purchased (no need to annoy them)
• High unsubscribe risk (protect your list)

Result: Maximum sales, minimal unsubscribes, protected sender reputation

Scenario 5: New Contact Welcome Series using Journeys

Situation: New contacts are joining your list. You want to set expectations and build engagement.

The Problem:

• New contacts have no engagement history yet
• They show as "NEW" in the lifecycle stage
• They get a grace period (won't be marked Cold/Inactive for 60 days)

Strategy:

Day 1 (Immediately):

• Send a welcome email to ALL new contacts
• Subject: "Welcome! Here's what to expect"
• Content: Set expectations, provide value immediately

Day 3:

• Send the best content piece to ALL new contacts
• Subject: "You might have missed this..."
• Content: Your most popular blog post/resource

Day 7:

• Check engagement:
  • Opened both emails? → Tag as "Engaged New"
  • Opened one? → Tag as "Moderate New"
  • Opened none? → Tag as "Cold New"

Day 14:

• Engaged New → Add to regular newsletter list
• Moderate New → Send one more high-value piece
• Cold New → Consider removing (they're not interested)

Result: Build an engaged list from day one, remove non-engaged quickly

Best Practices

✅ DO

1. Send more to engaged contacts
   • Hot + Warm contacts WANT to hear from you
   • They're less likely to unsubscribe
   • They're more likely to convert
2. Use Quick Segments for every campaign
   • They're pre-optimized for best results
   • Save time vs. building manual rules
   • Based on proven targeting strategies
3. Check engagement levels before major sends
   • Don't waste big promotions on inactive contacts
   • Target Hot + Warm for product launches
   • Save Cold contacts for re-engagement only
4. Act on At-Risk contacts quickly
   • When someone moves to At-Risk, you have 30-60 days to save them
   • Send personalized re-engagement campaigns
   • Don't wait until they're Lost
5. Monitor your "Do Not Send" count
   • If it's growing rapidly, you have a problem
   • Reduce send frequency
   • Improve content quality
   • Check for list quality issues
6. Celebrate Reactivated contacts
   • When someone comes back from Dormant/Lost, they've given you a second chance
   • Send them great content
   • Don't immediately bombard them with sales
7. Give NEW contacts time
   • They have a 60-day grace period for a reason
   • Use this time to send your best content
   • See what engagement level they settle into

❌ DON'T

1. Don't send to "Do Not Send" contacts
   • Seriously. They'll mark you as spam.
   • Hurts deliverability for your entire list
   • Wastes your time and money
2. Don't ignore lifecycle stages
   • At-Risk contacts need different content than Hot
   • One size does not fit all
   • Segment by stage for best results
3. Don't send too frequently to Cold contacts
   • They're already losing interest
   • More emails will push them away faster
   • Be selective with Cold - quality over quantity
4. Don't ignore declining trends
   • If Hot contacts are moving to Warm, investigate why
   • Check content quality
   • Check send frequency
   • Survey to find issues
5. Don't delete Inactive contacts immediately
   • Try re-engagement first (use Re-engagement Targets segment)
   • Some can be saved with the right offer
   • Only remove after failed re-engagement attempts
6. Don't treat all Hot contacts the same
   • Some are "Openers" (read everything)
   • Some are "Clickers" (take action)
   • Some are "Repliers" (want conversation)
   • Segment by behavior type for advanced targeting
7. Don't panic about low scores during the grace period
   • NEW contacts (0-60 days) are still figuring out if they like you
   • Give them time to establish patterns
   • They won't be marked as Inactive during this time

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Q: How often are engagement scores updated?

A: Automatically every day. Your contact engagement scores refresh overnight, so you always have current data.

Q: What's a "good" engagement score?

A:

• 70+: Excellent (Hot)
• 40-69: Good (Warm)
• 15-39: Fair (Cold)
• 0-14: Poor (Inactive)

Q: Can contacts move between levels?

A: Absolutely! Engagement levels are dynamic:

• Someone can go from Hot → Cold if they stop engaging
• Someone can go from Cold → Hot if they start engaging again
• Lifecycle stages also change based on recent behavior

Q: What if I have a small list (under 500 contacts)?

A: Engagement scoring works for any size list! Even with 100 contacts, you'll see differences in who engages vs. who doesn't. The principles remain the same - focus on your engaged contacts.

NEW Contacts

Q: Why does my brand-new contact show a score of 40, but they haven't opened anything?

A: NEW contacts (0-60 days old) receive a grace period. We give them a minimum score of 30-40, so you don't mark them as Cold/Inactive before they've had a chance to engage. After 60 days, full scoring applies.

Q: Should I include NEW contacts in my campaigns?

A: Yes! NEW contacts are in your onboarding period. This is your chance to make a great first impression. Send them your best content. The Quick Segment "Best Performers" automatically includes engaged NEW contacts.

Q: When should I stop treating someone as NEW?

A: The system automatically graduates them after 60 days. By then, their engagement pattern is established, and they'll be scored normally.

Q: What if a NEW contact never engages?

A: After 60 days with no engagement, they'll likely show as Cold or Inactive. At that point, try sending one re-engagement email; if they don't respond, consider removing them from your active list.

Using Quick Segments

Q: Can I customize Quick Segments?

A: Yes! After selecting a Quick Segment, you can click "See advanced rules" to view and modify the underlying filters. You can also add additional filters on top of the segment.

Q: Which Quick Segment should I use for most campaigns?

A: For regular campaigns (newsletters, updates), use "Best Performers" or "Hot Prospects". For re-engagement, use "At Risk" or "Re-engagement Targets".

Q: Can I use multiple Quick Segments at once?

A: Not directly, but you can:

1. Select one Quick Segment
2. Click "See advanced rules"
3. Manually add additional criteria to expand the segment

Q: How many contacts are in each Quick Segment?

A: Each Quick Segment shows the contact count right in the selector. For example: "Best Performers - 2,847 contacts". This updates in real-time based on your list.

Campaign Targeting

Q: Should I ever send to Inactive contacts?

A: Only for one final re-engagement attempt. If they don't respond to a strong "We miss you" offer, remove them from regular sends. They're hurting your deliverability.

Q: What's the difference between "At Risk" and "Re-engagement Targets"?

A:

• At Risk: Recently stopped engaging (30-60 days), high save probability
• Re-engagement Targets: Dormant longer (60-90 days), lower save probability, but still worth trying

Q: Can I send my promotion to Cold contacts?

A: You can, but expect low results (5-10% open rate). Better strategy: send promotions to Hot + Warm, then follow up with a "Last chance" email to Cold contacts who showed interest (opened the first email).

Q: My "Do Not Send" count is really high (50%+ of my list). What should I do?

A: This is a serious issue. Your list has quality problems:

1. STOP sending to everyone immediately
2. Run a re-engagement campaign to At-Risk + Re-engagement Targets only
3. Remove anyone who doesn't respond
4. Review your signup process (are you getting real, interested contacts?)
5. Consider starting fresh with engaged contacts only

Results and Optimization

Q: I followed the recommendations, but my open rate is still low. Why?

A: Engagement scoring helps you target the right people, but other factors matter:

• Subject line quality: Are you writing compelling subjects?
• Send time: When are you sending? (Check Best Send Day/Hour in advanced features)
• Content quality: Even engaged contacts won't open boring content
• Send frequency: Are you emailing too often? (Check fatigue scores)
• Sender reputation: Past mistakes might still be affecting you (takes time to rebuild)

Q: How can I move more contacts from Warm to Hot?

A:

1. Send more valuable content
2. Reduce send frequency (prevent fatigue)
3. Ask questions / encourage replies
4. Segment by interest and send targeted content
5. Include clear calls-to-action

Q: Should I delete all Inactive contacts?

A: Not immediately:

1. First, try a re-engagement campaign
2. If they don't respond after 1-2 attempts, yes, remove them
3. They're costing you money and hurting deliverability
4. A smaller, engaged list is better than a large, inactive list

Q: How long does it take to see improvements?

A:

• Immediate: Better targeting = higher open rates on your next campaign
• 2-4 weeks: Sender reputation starts improving as you avoid inactive contacts
• 2-3 months: Full benefits as your engaged list stabilizes and grows

Advanced Questions

Q: What's "List Fatigue Score"?

A: Measures if you're emailing someone too much. High fatigue (60+) means they're getting overwhelmed. Reduce frequency for these contacts.

Q: What does "Primary Engagement Type" mean?

A: How each contact prefers to engage:

• Opener: Reads your emails but rarely clicks
• Clicker: Takes action (clicks links, makes purchases)
• Replier: Responds to your emails, wants conversation
• Sharer: Forwards your content to friends

Use this for advanced targeting. For example, send product promotions to "Clickers" and educational content to "Openers".

Q: What's the difference between "Engagement Level" and "Lifecycle Stage"?

A:

• Engagement Level = Current interest (Hot/Warm/Cold/Inactive)
• Lifecycle Stage = Journey status (New/Active/At-Risk/Dormant/Lost)

Example: Someone can be Hot (engaged) and At-Risk (starting to slow down). They're still engaged now, but showing warning signs.

Q: Can I export my engagement data?

A: Yes! You can export contacts with all engagement fields included. Great for analysis in Excel or sending to your CRM.

Need More Help?

📚 Additional Resources

• Video Tutorial: Watch our 5-minute walkthrough of engagement targeting
• Webinar: Join our monthly "Email Marketing Best Practices" session
• Blog: Read case studies from successful customers

💬 Support

• Email: support@tarvent.com
• Help Center: Full documentation at help.tarvent.com

🎯 Want Personalized Help?

Book a free 30-minute strategy session with our email marketing experts. We'll review your list, analyze your engagement data, and create a custom targeting strategy for your business.

Quick Reference Card

Campaign Type → Quick Segment Cheat Sheet

Contact Level → Action Guide

Lifecycle Stage → Strategy

Remember: The goal isn't to email everyone all the time. It's to email the right people at the right time with the right message. Engagement scoring helps you do exactly that.

Happy sending! 📧✨