Re-imagining the unsubscribe process to drive future sales

Unsubscribing does not have to be forever

Offering customers the option to unsubscribe without gathering any detailed information as to why the customer wants to unsubscribe is all too commonplace and wasteful. Some brands will go a step further by providing a tick list of reasons e.g. 'I receive too many emails from you', ' I receive them too frequently' etc. It almost feels like the email marketer has thrown in the towel by not taking things a step further as neither of these methods provides the brand with an opportunity to maintain a relationship.

Here is a different approach I have seen more recently which seems more enlightened.

Campaign Example for a Holiday brand

• Work on the timing

Some brands have started to ask if the customer would like to receive emails again at a particular time e.g. in a year’s time or better still at a particular time of year.

A holiday brand would benefit from this approach. Holiday brands will know consumers are likely to be shopping around until they find something and if they have not bought from them but booked elsewhere then this is likely to be the reason for unsubscribing.

It would then make sense to provide a message that links to this idea e.g. 'Thanks for using ABC holidays. We hope you have been able to find the holiday you wanted with us or another provider. Other customers benefit from receiving emails from us when they are thinking about holidays again. Is there a particular time of year when we could send you a reminder of what we can offer?'

• Make it personal

If the customer has booked a holiday with ABC, then this information could also be used to populate the unsubscribe email as long as the unsubscribe process is linked to the customer database e.g.

'Thanks for using ABC holidays and choosing us for your holiday in . Is there a particular time of year when we could send you a reminder of what holidays we have for you, or is your next holiday likely to be another type of holiday?'

This approach shows you recognise the importance of the customer and would like to be there for them when they want. It puts them in control but enables you to contribute to the sales funnel of the future.

• Create your strategy

Think through why your prospects and customers have come to you in the first place. Consider what role you have in their lives. Put yourself in their shoes and how much they have just spent with you and their likely frequency of purchase. What sort of messages would they expect to see? If in doubt conduct some customer research to see how you can fine tune your unsubscribe process.

For more information on the unsubscribe process, see this post and infographic explaining why subscribers unsubscribe and this article reviewing unsubscribe options from Lee Manning which is the source of the dog image we have used to illustrate this post.