Six ideas for beating buyer’s remorse in email marketing

The email marketing world sometimes thinks of itself as too specialist. [Agree - integration should be the name of the Email game for it to stay relevant in today's social media world: Dave Chaffey]

Consider the sign-up form, for example. It invites website visitors to complete a transaction: you agree to provide regular doses of valuable content and/or offers and the subscriber "pays" for this by giving you an email address.

If payment is completed - the address is submitted correctly - you have a conversion. If we're dealing in transactions and conversions, then surely there's much we can learn from the ecommerce world?

(Think, for example, of all the information out there about website order form optimization: lessons that might equally apply to your subscription form.)

One retail phenomenon we can borrow is the idea of buyer's remorse [or "Post-purchase dissonance" as they call it in academic circles].

Just as we might regret buying that supersized pack of chocolate eclairs after a supermarket visit, so might subscribers feel pangs of regret after hitting the "subscribe" button.

Was is really OK to hand over that email address? Are we letting ourselves in for more unwanted email?

Remorse can result in a quick unsubscribe or the misplaced use of the "report spam" button, which isn't always used to actually "report spam" but as a "lazy unsubscribe"...a quick way to banish a sender's email from the inbox.

Unfortunately, such spam reports can hurt you're reputation as a sender of email and hinder your ability to get future email delivered.

So how can you avoid subscriber's remorse? Especially when this remorse occurs before you've sent enough emails to demonstrate the value of that subscription.

Here are six ideas...

1. Remove uncertainty

Any doubts about what you're going to deliver only add to the likelihood of remorse setting in quickly. So ensure your sign-up forms and sign-up pages clearly communicate the kinds of content/offers you send and (if possible) some indication of email frequency.

If your ESP or software allows, give people a preference centre where they can control these elements in their favour. For example, by requesting weekly emails, rather than daily...or limiting communications to certain topic areas only.

But...

2. Reinforce benefits

It's not always enough to say what you'll send. The copy used throughout the sign-up process should express and reinforce the benefits of getting the emails.

There is a big difference between "Sign-up for online marketing advice" and "Sign-up to learn new tactics and strategies that improve the ROI of your online marketing."

Review the copy you use in the early stages of an email relationship (sign-up form, sign-up page, sign-up thank you and confirmation pages, welcome emails, etc.) and check they reinforce the value of being on your list.

Consider, particularly, adding testimonials to sign-up pages and giving people access to a sample email or archive of previous messages.

3. Limit the information you ask for

The risk of remorse grows with the "price" of a subscription. This price is the amount of information you require from would-be subscribers.

The more you collect, the more the subscriber is paying in information. So...

• Limit the compulsory information required at sign-up to the data you really use in your emails (like email address or first name)
• Anything beyond an address and name is best accompanied by an explanation of how submitting that data actually benefits the subscriber. If you require a postal code, for example, you can explain how this lets you send news of local events.
• If your system or service allows, let the subscriber volunteer further information on a second or extended form that appears after the opt-in is obtained. Or collect it later through a survey, subscriber preference center or similar tactic.

4. Send an immediate welcome message

An immediate welcome email reaches subscribers when the sign-up is still top of mind. It's a great moment to again remind them of the benefits of joining your list, reinforce expectations and establish a warm, welcoming tone.

Consider introducing newcomers to your regular emails slowly, perhaps with a series of welcome messages that familiarizes them with the list and sender so they're comfortable once they get thrown into the stream of regular messages. Here's an example of a welcome email series from REI.

5. Ensure your emails are recognized

Another way to reduce uncertainty is to ensure that those early emails (including the welcome email) are easily recognized as coming from you. In particular:

• The sender line should be familiar to the recipient. In most cases, this means using the brand or organizational name. However, B2B marketers might use the name of the relevant account manager.
• Consider adding branding to the subject line. Although this takes up space you otherwise use to promote the email's contents, some senders have seen responses rise when using subject line branding.
• Brand the upper left part of your email with a logo or other recognizable element: this will appear in the preview pane used by many webmail services and email clients.

6. Consider double opt-in

The pros and cons of single versus double opt-in are a topic for another day. But one advantage of double opt-in is that subscribers who change their mind immediately after subscribing won't get added to the list (they don't respond to the opt-in confirmation request). Which means they won't be using any "report spam" button to achieve the same end.

Related reading:
22 ways to build trust in email marketing
Avoid subscriber's remorse