8 ways to stop customers unsubscribing from your email lists

In my article last week, I discussed some power truths about email marketing and why it is still the most useful and effective tool for marketers today. I also shared some tried and tested ways to get customers signing up to your email lists. This week, I will cover one of the biggest challenges in email marketing, keeping customers engaged and ways to stop them from unsubscribing to your newsletters, specials, offers and other events.

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Ultimately it is about 3 things. Content, content and content, however let’s break that down a little more, shall we?  

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1. Make sure that it is personalized. Personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14%, and conversion rates by 10%.  

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2. Ensure that the content is engaging and relevant. I am often sent amazing deals from my local pet store about pet supplies for cats, birds, fish etc. The thing is - I own a dog! I have now opted out because I am sick of being sent irrelevant deals and information. A great way to maintain relevancy is to ask  questions when they sign up. Inferring preferences based on onsite behaviour before and after sign-up is another less obstructive way of doing things.  

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3. Try and include multimedia where possible. It is more engaging, especially if you are on a mobile device.  

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4.  Make sure that the content is mobile/responsive. With so many varying screen sizes out there, it is important that your content can be easily read.  

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5. Allow people to share the content. In particular via email and social media.  

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6. Have no more than 3 pieces of content or deals per email. People only want to digest so much.  

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7.  Keep most of the content informative. Customers are now used to sales pitches hitting them from every angle and are, to some degree, immune to the typical advertising approaches. Research has found that people prefer instructional, informational e-mails and posts as opposed to straight sells.  

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8. Analyse the Data. Use the data to help shape your content. The quicker you remove irrelevant content, the more likely it is that people will continue to opt in. This data is also a great way to establish warm leads.   Making sure that your email marketing is working in your business is critical to its success. Email marketing is what helps drive the acquisition of a mature lead generation database and research tells us that those organisations who do this well have a 9.3% higher sales rate.