Unsubscribe me!

It's every marketers nightmare... Your loyal following wants off your list and they want off now! As a responsible email sender, you have to make sure you're following the proper process and procedures with your list. Otherwise you risk regulatory and reputation abuse complaints. If you want to avoid being labeled a spammer or getting blocked by ISP's and other entities, It's imperative that you follow the guidelines outlined in the Federal CAN-SPAM act.



There are many different ways to handle your unsubscribes. When a customer or prospect requests removal, the most important thing is your compliance with their request. However, as a marketer, you should always want to know why they wanted off the list. Is there a certain type of messaging, that's really bugging them. I'm sure you've never sent the same boring content, over and over and completely bored your list into submission. In the new permission based world we're operating in, your prospects and customers want choices. Remember, at one point they opted-in to your list. There's a reason they want off now...

Keys to a Successful Unsub Process

1. Make it easy to understand, don't trick them into staying.

A colleague showed me an e-newsletter yesterday that required you to log in with your user name and password to change your permissions. Assuming you can remember your log in credentials, that's a serious pain in the ass. You've already pissed them off to the point they want off your list. Now your going to throw up some roadblocks to their success. Nice one... Keep it simple, they'll love you for it or at least not "unsubscribe from all" and maybe one day they'll possibly come back again. It's the whole, if you love them...set them free deal.

2. Give them options.

Allow your users to choose which messaging they'd like to receive from you. It's a new practice, most email service providers aren't providing this level of subscription management out of the box. You might have to craft this yourself using a check box form page. When you begin this process, categorize your messaging into different buckets. Newsletters, Core Product Offers, Affiliate Offers, Account Updates and All of the above. You'll of course need to soften the wording so it's friendly to your customers, but you get the idea.

3. Make sure your Unsubs stay off.

This is a big one, sometimes easier said than done. You have to have a bullet proof system for removal and delivery prevention. The good news is that the technology is getting better and easier to administer. It's never a good practice to delete records from your database. You'll likely need that information one day, even though you won't be purposely emailing them anytime soon. Keep your records, but make sure your process is tested and compliant. This is critical for CAN-SPAM compliance, once they've unsubscribed, you have to prevent any mail from being delivered to that email address within 10 days.

4. Provide adequate footer information.

When was the last time you received a spam message with footer information? Cialis tabs, Viagra, porn site? Did the footer contain anything? It's unlikely. They make it a habit of not putting footer information in. It's technically against the law.

What type of info should you include in your footer, what's required by law? You have to include your entity name and valid mailing address and unsubscribe link for removal. In addition, I like to include what I call a list value proposition. Give them a reason to stay on board by telling them what they'll miss out on by removing. It's your last chance to convince them to stay. Keep it brief, but persuasive.

The best defense to keeping your list subscribed, is valuable relevant and timely content. If you can keep your list interested and your not jamming their box with crap, they'll likely stay engaged for years. Or at least until they get a new email account.