Why should you be thankful to people opting out of your email list?

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Not every rejection is bad! Placing the unsubscribe option in an easily accessible spot in your email is quite a common mantra. Does it puzzle you? Well, in every sense we mean that not every rejection is bad!

An unsubscribe option is an inevitable part of any email. According to the CAN-SPAM act and other email deliverability legislations, email marketers must offer their subscribers an unrestricted option to opt-out of their email lists anytime they want. But, the million-dollar question still pops up- what really makes the email marketers choose to be so accommodating towards such a choice?

Email campaigns are curated based on the likes and dislikes of the target group. There are several aspects like list building, segmentation, personalization, testing, etc. that need to be taken care of while building emails. Email unsubscribers indirectly give out insights about the campaign that helps in improving these processes and building a successful campaign.

In this article, we will throw more light on why email marketing agencies and  email marketers must let the users unsubscribe and why they must be thankful for those opting out. But before that, here are the various reasons why email users choose to unsubscribe.

  • The subscriber signed up to your email list by mistake
  • They no longer find your email content relevant or useful
  • You send too many emails, too frequently
  • Your emails are too sales-y
  • Your emails appear as spam to the subscriber
  • Your emails are not tailored to the specific interests of the subscriber
  • The emails you send are not optimized for mobile devices

While your emails may work well for certain subscribers, they may not serve the purpose for everyone on your list. Hence, in all these above circumstances, it is wise to let the subscribers opt-out of your email campaigns. And here are a few benefits of allowing your subscribers to do so.

Unsubscribes tell you what’s wrong with your campaigns

Email unsubscribes are a clear means to understand the problems with your email content. It lets the email campaigner or marketer introspect and restrategize their campaigns. Analyzing the unsubscribes and comparing them for various segments of your list can yield interesting outcomes. For instance, if a particular group of subscribers is opting out at a higher rate, it could mean that your emails are not rendering properly for them. It could also be because your emails are not personalized to cater to the interests of the particular segment. In such cases, it is important to understand what’s lacking in your emails and take the necessary measures to change them. And most importantly, test your emails well to make sure the subscribers receive them and perceive them exactly the way you want.

Unsubscribes provide avenues for feedbacks

Your subscribers opt out either because they receive too many emails frequently from your brand or are dissatisfied with your email content. Attaching a survey or feedback form along with the unsubscribe option is a great way to understand the reason for the subscriber leaving, and knowing what can be done to improve your emails. It is advised to keep the feedback form short and crisp, capturing key information without stressing out the outgoing customer. It allows you to understand the mistakes you are making in your email campaigns and also gives insights into the changes that can be made to your emails to get better engagement and conversions. The feedback can be leveraged by email marketers to calibrate their emails as per the market and customer demands.

Unsubscribes improve email deliverability 

Unsubscribes can help you review the deliverability rate of your emails. When the subscribers who are no more interested in your emails choose to opt out of your list, the rate of spam complaints reduces. The unsubscribe option also helps in clearing out inactive or less active customers from your list, which impacts the open rate and click-through rates of your email. Moreover, when the email reaches only those who are actually interested in hearing from your brand, it results in improved brand and sender’s reputation and lower spam rates. This in turn improves the email deliverability rate, which is a critical metric for a successful email campaign.

Unsubscribes enhance the quality of your email list

Inactive recipients are of no use to your email campaign. They neither access your content nor value it. Hence, it is always good to let the inactive subscribers go, rather than be unresponsive. Looking from a business perspective, email unsubscribes can help in cleaning your lists by discarding contacts that are unlikely to convert. This leaves your email list with contacts that are interested in your emails. So, if a campaign doesn’t trigger the sale of a product or service, it means something is lacking in the campaign and the marketers and campaign managers need to review their approach.

Wrapping Up

In a nutshell, email unsubscribes tell you a lot about your email messaging, its compatibility with various email clients and devices, email sending frequency, and the marketing strategy in general. It leaves you with a clean email list and allows you to craft powerful and good quality emails, to gain better results. When managed in the right manner, the subscribers opting out positively impact your email metrics and help you gain better results.

Author: 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. 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.