Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Digital Transformation
    Marketing Operations
    Data
    Customer & Digital Experience
    Performance Marketing
    Marketing Management
    Special Reports
    MarTech Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Staff
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Performance Marketing » The best unsubscribe email is the one you don’t send

The best unsubscribe email is the one you don’t send

If you're still sending unsubscribe confirmations, you're likely just annoying people. Contributor Ryan Phelan offers some better options for staying in touch.

Ryan Phelan on June 11, 2018 at 3:49 pm

While going through my Gmail inbox the other day, I spied an email from a brand that I was tired of hearing from. I hadn’t opened emails from that brand in a long time, either. So, when Gmail’s automated unsubscribe feature asked me if I wanted to opt out, I clicked the button.

Then, I started going through the rest of my inbox to see which other brands I didn’t want to hear from anymore and unsubscribed from those, too.

After my marathon unsubscribe session, I went off to grab some coffee. When I came back to my inbox, at the top I found three new emails, all from the brands I had just unsubscribed from.

What the heck is going on, people?

I was unsubscribing because I had mentally broken my relationships with those brands. They had nothing to offer me, no value proposition and nothing important enough in the value exchange to persuade me to stay.

In short, I was saying, “Don’t email me ever again.” And what was the answer? Another email!

The unsub confirmation is obsolete

Sending an unsubscribe confirmation made sense at one time in email marketing. But that was in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, before marketers could manage their email programs on their websites instead of through list actions. That also was before we had email laws like CAN-SPAM and CASL that outlawed sending emails to people who had unsubscribed.

Back then, an unsubscribe confirmation was your only way to let your departing subscriber know you had gotten the message and would stop sending more emails.

Today, marketers who use any but the most primitive email list software can manage all their actions on a website. Instead of sending one more email, after your subscriber has told you to stop sending emails, you can confirm the transaction on a follow-up web page.

You can do a lot more on that page, too. Keep reading to find out how a confirmation page can help you keep the connection going, even if it doesn’t happen in email.

Why ‘no’ means ‘no’ in unsubscribing

Besides the technical advances in list management, there are other reasons not to send an unsubscribe email.

Like me, your unsubscribers no longer have a connection with your brand. (This is aside from the ones who need to unsubscribe and then re-subscribe to your email program so they can update their addresses, but that’s a topic for another column.)

Everyone else just wants to move on. It’s like breaking up with someone and then having that person hang around, calling and texting and whining, “Please don’t leave.”

It’s desperate and pathetic. What do you think you’ll get from this kind of email?

I’ve heard comments from marketers who say they have persuaded some unsubscribers to come back thanks to their follow-up emails. All I can say to that is, “Show me the data.”

But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to stay in touch. Here are three ways to acknowledge an unsubscribe but keep the connection going:

  1. Use your site’s unsubscribe page to post a compelling message reminding people of your value proposition and the benefits they get by subscribing to your messages.
  2. Offer them options to modify their subscriptions, either to change their frequency (“opt down”) or opt into another list that better suits their needs or interests.
  3. Invite them to join you on your social media channels, in your user forums or any other locations you manage where like-minded customers might gather.

The one exception to the ‘no confirmation email’ rule

These are emails you send to customers who ended a financial or legal association by unsubscribing and need date-stamped proof that they ended the relationship.

If you offer a paid service, like a paid or recurring subscription service, this kind of email reassures the customer by confirming that their financial obligation is over.

Wrapping up

As marketers, we work hard to persuade people to opt in to our email programs. An unsubscribe can feel like a betrayal. But actually, it’s more likely an indicator of bad targeting, misaligned communication or simply a sign that your subscriber has moved on.

Don’t be sad about unsubscribes, unless you notice they’re coming from your newly-signed-up subscribers. Don’t send them a goodbye email after unsubscribing, either. Be glad that they took the time to click your (easily found) unsub link instead of ignoring your emails, or worse, reporting them as spam.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    Processes, visibility and optimization: The keys to digital marketing transformation
    Webinar: Grow revenue streams through web accessibility and compliance
    How to turn the great buyer resignation into B2B career opportunities
    HubSpot customers paying 12% more than in 2021
    Closing your team’s technical gap without hiring

About The Author

Ryan Phelan
As the co-founder of RPEOrigin.com, Ryan Phelan's two decades of global marketing leadership has resulted in innovative strategies for high-growth SaaS and Fortune 250 companies. His experience and history in digital marketing have shaped his perspective on creating innovative orchestrations of data, technology and customer activation for Adestra, Acxiom, Responsys, Sears & Kmart, BlueHornet and infoUSA. Working with peers to advance digital marketing and mentoring young marketers and entrepreneurs are two of Ryan's passions. Ryan is the Chairman Emeritus of the Email Experience Council Advisory Board and a member of numerous business community groups. He is also an in-demand keynote speaker and thought leader on digital marketing.

Related Topics

Performance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Agencies: Grow Revenue Streams Through Web Accessibility & Compliance

Protect Your Paid Advertising Spend Against Ad Fraud and Invalid Traffic

Build an Integrated Search Strategy Across Google, Amazon and YouTube

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

Digital Marketing Strategy Ebook

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.