Todd Sumamno
Unsubscribes hurt. It feels as if a subscriber is breaking up with you. I mean, all you want is more and more subscribers through your email marketing campaigns, and then someone just leaves.
It feels demoting at first glance since unsubscribes translate into fewer data of people, lesser people to receive your emails, and less potential for a higher ROI on an email marketing campaign. But, as this global pandemic has taught us to look for a silver lining in everything, I’ll show you some in unsubscribes too.
As email marketers, a lot rides on our shoulders to make the unsubscription process smooth and sweet. To be honest, unsubscribes are inevitable at a point in time. So, why not make them a pleasant experience for your ex-subscribers? It’s like ending the relationship on a good note so that you don’t hate your ex. See, now you get it.
Well, more than hatred it’s about not being marked as spam. If you make the unsubscription process tedious chances are high, they will hit that mark spam button as a goodbye gift. So, rather than making it bitter for everyone, let’s have a look at some really cool practices to deal with unsubscribes and how you can still keep your ex-subscribers in touch with your brand.
Acknowledge and accept
If someone has made their mind to unsubscribe from your brand and emails, they want it to happen as soon as they click on that link. Sending them an “honor the request within 10 days” won’t do you any good. Keep the unsubscription process short and crisp. It would save your brand from those infuriating spam reports.
If you are having a hard time getting over the unsubscribes for your brand, then seeking professional assistance like Marketo certified associates or Mailchimp email experts would be a significant boost to campaigns’ planning and execution.
Giving a break
With so much going on around the world right now and with email exchange rates skyrocketing through the roof, it’s entirely possible that people might want to hear less of your brand and its deals. They might just want to have a short break without really cutting it off. If you play the game on ‘everything or nothing’ rules, then you might be in trouble.
Be flexible with your subscribers. Give them the options apart from the unsubscribe button as well. Suppose they are left with no choice other than unsubscribing completely. In that case, your brand might lose some valuable customers (or future customers) who actually wanted to stay along and know about your brand but couldn’t. So, it’s imperative to provide them with opt-down options (with reduced email frequencies, selective updates) instead of opt-out. This way, you can reduce the number of unsubscribes for your brand by giving your subscribers the power to choose the type and amount of information they want to be served.
Can’t think of enough ways to strike the right chord with your subscribers (or ex-subscribers in this case)? Don’t worry, tried and tested methods like Salesforce email templates and Pardot email templates cover every aspect of your email marketing campaign. They are kind of breakup ninjas!
Now, let’s have a look at this email from BetaList. Observe the overall tonality and then how they bring the point home of cutting down the frequency of emails from daily to weekly. Not just the option of cutting down, but the messaging which you deliver along with that option also matters a lot.
Source: Really Good Emails
Second chances
Sometimes breakups are just mistakes, miscommunications for that matter. Sometimes subscribers accidentally click that unsubscribe button while going through the mails. Giving them a chance to resubscribe will make them hop on board again instantly. If you don’t feature a resubscribe link, then those people might not find a way back, and you would end up losing subscribers for your brand.
This example from Best Made mentioned below is exactly what I am talking about. Notice how simple the conversation has been kept—a precise example of how to get those subscribers back
Source: Really Good Emails
Unsubscribe confirmation emails: A big NO
It’s obvious. They have left, and they clearly don’t want to listen from you anymore. Hence, sending a confirmation mail about their act of unsubscription won’t build any burnt bridges. Instead, it’s humble to provide them instant confirmation on that landing page itself.
Moreover, it’s not a good practice to write emails to your ex-subscribers hoping to get them back someday. It doesn’t work like that. Still, if you’re adamant and want to give it another shot, then you need to run a separate resubscribe campaign, on another medium like social media ads.
Wrapping up
Though the entire email marketing is tricky, handling the unsubscriptions is at another level. On the one hand, you are losing the one thing that matters the most to an email marketer, and on the other hand, you have to make them feel good about it. Unsubscribing is not a pleasant experience, but it’s great to fine-tune your brand, its offerings and the most important, its messaging. You should be able to work out why it didn’t work with your subscribers, and yeah, there’s always the next time.
Author Bio
Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free HTML email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.
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