What You Can Learn From Your Email Unsubscribes
No one likes rejection, including marketers. While the sense of “approval” that comes with seeing marketing emails opened and the links clicked can make anyone smile, there is a seemingly unpleasant flip side: email unsubscribes. Every email you send gives your recipients the option to opt out . . . and reject you.
Take heart! Unsubscribes aren’t necessarily a bad thing. It may simply be a reflection of changing needs, jobs or tastes. In fact, email unsubscribes are far preferable compared to recipients reporting you as a spammer to stop unwelcome outreach. As an email sender, the unsubscribe rate will help you to pare down your email list to include only those who want to hear from you and find your content relevant.
Still, the goal is to minimize your email unsubscribes. Here are four tips toward retaining your readers:
- Deliver on your promised content. When you ask people to join your mailing list, be specific about what they will be receiving. Tips and ideas? Special offers? Exclusive content? Event invitations? Whatever you promise, be sure it’s what you deliver.
- Set expectations for frequency. According to GetData Research, “receiving too many emails” was the number one reason people unsubscribed from emails. It helps to let people know at sign-up if your distribution will be monthly vs. weekly, for instance.
- Include “email only” offers. Exclusivity is a top motivator. Having offers available only via email can help drive and retain engagement.
- Segment your list for targeted messaging. MailChimp reports better performance for segmented campaigns across multiple measurements versus their non-segmented counterparts. To further segment the data you may already have (job title, special interests, geography, etc.), a short survey can let you know preferences in content, distribution frequency and even marketing channels. If email is not a preferred communications channel, you can redirect some of your efforts to where they’ll have the most impact, like direct mail, live events or social media.
Looking for other ways to enhance your marketing communications and drive better results? Let Allegra know. We can help!
