Email is arguable one of the best ways to market to your consumers. In recent years, newsletters have come a long way, especially with the use of services such as MailChimp and Constant Contact. These services offer beautiful, easy to use templates, as well as a myriad of reporting features.

So why is it that users are unsubscribing from your newsletters?  There could be many factors as to why your unsubscribing rates have spiked. More than likely it is because of too much email or irrelevant emails. People will sometimes subscribe to your newsletters without fully comprehending the subject matter that they just subscribed to and will find out with time that your newsletter is not relevant to them, their business, or the information they were initially seeking.  Some marketers suggest that most unsubscribers are those who have recently subscribed to your newsletter within the last 30 days. Once you hold onto and maintain a subscriber beyond the initial 30 days it is likely that they will be with you for forever.

Options to reduce your unsubscribe rate?

Marketers suggest that by changing your unsubscribing options from opting out to opting for less. This allows your brand to still sneak into their inbox even if only just once a quarter rather than once a month or more.

Our tips for a successful email marketing campaign

1. Time – be sure that you’re sending your newsletter at an optimal time. The weekend and evenings can actually be less competitive for email newsletter blast and therefore might have a higher open rate.
2. Have Purpose – utilize calls to action; keep the consumer engaged in the information being provided.
3. Mobilization – make sure your newsletter can be read on an iPad or a smart phone. Chances are your consumer will be reading while waiting in line at the grocery store.
4.  Survey – by providing an exit survey for why people unsubscribe can allow you to collect valuable data that can let you build a better newsletter for your existing readers.

Ultimately unsubscribing is nothing to be afraid of, it happens to the best of us. It is likely that you’re still reaching the unsubscriber through other channels including your social media outreach.