When Email Contacts Unsubscribe

A certain number of unsubscribes from your email is inevitable. Let’s look at a few ways to handle it gracefully and effectively.

Customers unsubscribe to emails for a number of reasons. It could be that they’re getting overwhelmed with their email inbox, they don’t have time to read your updates, or they simply lost interest. Either way, you can’t prevent people from unsubscribing but you can make their farewell experience pleasant. You can even make them stay if you give them compelling reasons to do so!

Not goodbye but keep in touch

Give them options on how they can still keep tabs on your brand. Use social media to connect with them so they can still see your updates in other platforms other than their inbox. OFFICE News strategically placed social media buttons below their unsubscribe button so that customers can easily follow them.

Try the gradual goodbye

Perhaps your customers still want updates but they’re just getting too much from you. Give them multiple options in terms of the frequency they want to receive your email. Of course you still have to provide the unsubscribe button but give them the opportunity to think about it. We love how Bonobos did it with a dash of humor. Now once they give you another shot, make sure you make the most out of it on your next email.

You can also add this option early on in your emails the way Econsultancy did it. By giving your customers options to change their communication settings, you are lowering the chance of getting unsubscribes.

A little creativity and humor won’t hurt

Leaving a good impression on your customers is very important even if they have decided to unsubscribe from your emails. You can use cute images and clever lines to make their goodbye memorable. The Children’s Place used this adorable baby photo in their unsubscribe window. They also placed the SHOP NOW button as a way of drawing back their customers to the brand even without the email.

eBay, on the other hand, gives its customers the disadvantages of unsubscribing with a touch of drama and guilt trip. They also remind you how you can subscribe again.

Unsubscribes are inevitable but it can be manageable. By providing valuable and relevant content, flexible communication settings, and easy re-subscribe options, you can make your leaving customers stay or those who left eventually come back. It’s all about maintaining quality, flexibility, and accessibility. Make sure your customers are connected with you on other channels other than email so that you still have a platform to reach them for your updates. Come up with irresistible website offers to entice them to come back or subscribe again. Always leave the door open because you’ll never know when a customer would want to reconnect. And when they do, make it worth their while.