AHS Training Email Performance & Issues

Overview

During the October 2025 monthly check-in, AHS (Asbestos Hazard Solutions) reported zero sign-ups from recent training email blasts — a stark contrast to historical performance where the same school training list generated 30–40 registrations. The failure affected multiple training campaigns, with only 4 total sign-ups across all sessions, and those came from direct personal outreach by Gina (2 she sent herself) and 2 repeat attendees who had already registered before.

This represents a significant drop in email channel effectiveness and requires immediate investigation before upcoming training dates.

Upcoming Training Dates at Risk

• November 19 — Madison training
• December 11–12 — Two-day training in the Dells

Historical Baseline

The school training email list had previously generated 30–40 sign-ups per blast. This was the primary driver of training registrations. The current blast produced zero organic sign-ups from the list.

"That normally we get, like, 30 or 40 people signed up when we use that list before. So, that list either needs to be scrubbed or, I don't know."
— Gina Richardson, AHS

Likely Failure Points

The root cause is not yet confirmed, but the following areas need investigation:

1. List Quality / Deliverability

• The contact list may have gone stale — addresses may have changed, bounced, or been flagged as spam traps
• High bounce rates would suppress delivery and could damage sender reputation
• The list may need to be scrubbed or rebuilt

2. Email Metrics Not Yet Reviewed

• Bounce rate, open rate, and click-through rate from the sent blasts have not been pulled
• Chris (the sender) should have access to these stats via the email platform
• Action: Sebastian to obtain and share these metrics with Gina

3. Template / Content Issues

• The email structure and template were set up by Sebastian and sent through Chris
• If open rates are low, subject line or sender reputation may be the issue
• If open rates are acceptable but clicks/sign-ups are low, the CTA or landing page may be the problem

4. Registration Page UX

• A prototype training registration page is in progress but not yet live
• Current sign-up flow may be creating friction
• Action: Sebastian to prepare a prototype for client review before next meeting (Oct 28)

Proposed Remediation

Short-Term

• Pull and analyze email metrics (bounce rate, open rate, CTR) from Chris
• Investigate whether the correct list was used for the school training blast
• Look for an alternative or supplemental contact list

Medium-Term

• Explore mass texting as a supplemental or replacement channel for training promotions
• Gina suggested this directly; Sebastian mentioned familiarity with Text180 as one option
• Asymmetric to research what platform they recommend internally
• SMS would allow direct registration links sent to mobile, reducing friction
• Standardize a successful outreach playbook once a working approach is identified

"Is there a way to mass-text that kind of information?"
— Gina Richardson

"Yeah... you could send them a link right there... they get them to phone."
— Sebastian Gant

Key Insight (Generalizable)

Email list decay is a silent killer for event-driven campaigns. A list that worked well historically may degrade significantly over 1–2 years without active maintenance. When a campaign that previously drove 30–40 sign-ups produces zero, the first diagnostic step should always be deliverability metrics — not content or targeting. If bounce rates are high, no amount of copy optimization will fix the problem.

For clients running periodic training or event promotions, consider:
1. Scrubbing lists before each major campaign
2. Supplementing email with SMS for time-sensitive registrations
3. Building a dedicated registration page with conversion tracking to isolate where drop-off occurs

Action Items

• [ ] Obtain email blast metrics (bounce rate, open rate, CTR) from Chris — @Sebastian Gant
• [ ] Investigate school training list quality; look for alternative lists — @Sebastian Gant
• [ ] Research mass texting platforms (Text180 or Asymmetric-preferred alternative) — @Sebastian Gant
• [ ] Prepare training registration page prototype for client review — @Sebastian Gant

Related

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