Marketers are afraid that people will start unsubscribing from the mailing list if the button is too obvious and simple. In fact, the unsubscribe is an important element of any email that cannot be simply removed or complicated.
It's better to perceive unsubscribing as a victory for both parties - you don't waste the time of an uninterested person, and he doesn't receive unnecessary letters.
Why do people unsubscribe from newsletters?
People unsubscribe for different reasons:
There was a seasonal sale where they were giving out promo codes and bonuses for subscribing to the newsletter. A week later, everything was over, the promo code was used and reading the letters was no longer so interesting;
The marketer built the chain incorrectly and forgot about segmentation - the same letters came to the person 10 times a day. In order not to stress over the letters, he unsubscribed;
A person saw an interesting course, after which he would be able to get a job at his dream company. The course was sent to the mail, and when it ended, the person found a job - there was no point in reading letters anymore;
The marketer added a database to a contact, but forgot to get the person’s consent to the mailing list - you need to find the button and quickly unsubscribe, suddenly it’s a scam;
A person subscribed to your mailing list a month ago and forgot about it. The first letter arrives, and the person no longer remembers why he subscribed at all, so he looks for the unsubscribe button.
Should you be afraid of being unsubscribed from your newsletter?
There is no need to be afraid of unsubscribes. As we have already said, it is always a win-win situation for both parties. Sometimes unsubscribing is even more beneficial for you because:
Your letters are not sent to spam. This is good because the reputation of such letters decreases and the trust in the sender too. Mailers do not take such mailings seriously and can block them;
The recipient remains loyal because they don't waste time looking for the "Unsubscribe" button.
What level of unsubscribes is considered normal?
Let's look at Unisender's 2019 study. The average mongolia business email list unsubscribe rate from 26 billion emails was 0.16%. If all goes well, your rate will be less than 0.3%.
On the enKod platform, accounts can view statistics on emails: how many emails were sent and delivered, whether there were any errors, the percentage of opens and unsubscribes.
How not to unsubscribe
Don't complicate the user experience. In many newsletters, buttons and links are highlighted, a person doesn't have to look for anything, and their experience with newsletters is formed in this way: "if I don't like it, I'll unsubscribe without any problems." But if you interfere with this experience and hide links, a person will have questions: "how do I unsubscribe?", "where can I find the button?" etc.
1. No need to hide the link
The link should not look like the main text - it is better to highlight it. See how Aviasales does it.
2. Don't make it complicated
Don't add unnecessary actions - write somewhere or call.
3. No need to ask for anything
Don't ask to perform an action to unsubscribe - enter data, register, write a number.
It is also better to avoid these actions:
Complicate the unsubscribe scenario by making more than 3 steps that a person must take to unsubscribe;
Ask to enter personal information or log into an account;
Insert required fields.
How to put an unsubscribe link correctly
Making a noticeable link
You can make the text large and separate from other information.
2. Remove unnecessary steps
No extra steps are required, such as entering a password or confirming an email.
3. We deliver the “Unsubscribe” button to the mail service toolbar
Such a button can be seen at the top.
How to find out the reason for unsubscribing
To find out the reason for unsubscribing, you can ask the person themselves, for example, in a survey format. This is the page a person usually gets to when they click the "Unsubscribe" button. Write down the answer options that, in your opinion, could have influenced the unsubscribe.
