Email is the preferred method of commercial communication of 74% of all online adults and is preferred over direct mail by a margin of nearly five to one. So why do people unsubscribe from receiving your email communications? Unfortunately, there are some well known reasons why prospects and maybe even customers (gasp!) are clicking “unsubscribe” from email marketing. From email frequency (as in too frequent and not often enough) to content relevancy, people are unsubscribing from receiving content by the minute. So how can you offer just the right amount of content, when they want it, how they want it, and with a relevant (and interesting) message?
Let your audience choose how they want to hear from you.
Earth shattering, isn’t it? An email preference center is a great way for organizations to establish an engaging conversation with subscribers. Not only can it help your opt-ins to manage their email preferences with your organization but it also provides a great avenue for you to learn more about them. For example, some subscribers may only be interested in learning about your webinars or receiving new white papers and infographics, while others would like to receive your thought leadership and quarterly client spotlights. One isn’t very engaged yet but is a promising lead, while the other appears to be more engaged and willing to get to know you. Not to mention, email preference centers positively impact deliverability and your relationship with subscribers!
Offer subscription options:
- First and foremost, by offering email subscription options to your subscribers, you will reduce your number of unsubscribes, complaints and spam reports. Instead of a “one-click” unsubscribe, an email preference center typically provides three options: unsubscribe, report as spam and manage preferences. When given the option, many subscribers will choose to modify their preferences first so they can control when, how, and why they hear from you.
- By offering subscription options, your organization can highlight all of your great content! Subscribers may opt-out of receiving your newsletter but they could opt-in to your event notifications. By giving them the choice, you’re allowing for a more engaged relationship with subscribers.
- In addition, email preference centers are a great starting point for creating segments in a marketing automation platform like Right On Interactive. By asking subscribers about their interests and preferences, you can deliver customized and engaging campaigns to elicit a better response.
An email preference center is key asset in managing email deliverability and to building an engaging relationship with your prospects and customers. Consider asking your subscribers to set their email preferences the moment they opt-in to receiving your email communications. Would you rather hit them with anything and everything and risk losing them forever or allow them to tell you what they are interested in and how often they’d like to hear from you? Remember, engagement builds relationships and relationships build revenue.
