Email marketing is a method that marketers learn to accept that a certain amount of their email list depreciates, but when it reduces to the point of significant unsubscribers it is time to put a pause to it. Unsubscribes are discouraging, and you can’t help but wonder if there is something you could have done differently to save some of those contacts.

Here are 9 ways to reduce the amount of email unsubscribes you receive from email marketing.

1. Segment your list more effectively. Email segmentation is important because it allows you to deliver only the most relevant and customized information to your subscribers. The more specific your segments are, the better the delivered information communicates directly to the receiver’s interests. Ultimately, making your message something in their inbox they don’t want to get rid of.

2. Map out your content. Now that you know more about your subscribers, you can manually map out your content to their behaviors. A good way to do this is by creating a Google Docs or use an Excel spreadsheet that you can organize which content will be sent to which segment lists of your receivers, and when.  Mapping out your content gives your receivers the proper content for their specific stage in the buying cycle. This will decrease instances of unsubscribes by making sure everything you send them is as relevant as possible.

3. Offer receivers opportunity to customize the frequency of emails. Similar to allowing subscribers select the types of emails they receive, you should also be allowing them to select the frequency in which they receive them. Giving them this option, whether it be multiple times daily or once a month, prevents you from bombarding them and leaving a sour taste in their mouth. A recommendation is to not only offer this with their editable email preferences but also on the page your unsubscribe link navigates as a final effort to save them.

4. Email frequency testing. Not all of your subscribers will tell you how often they’d like to be emailed by you, so be proactive and perform email frequency tests to determine with which frequency to communicate with them. Don’t forget that each segment list will have a different frequency that is right for them.

5. Offer different communication methods. If a subscriber is ready to unsubscribe, this doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy your content…it could mean that they don’t have the inbox room for it. Give them options to communicate with you in other ways such as your social media networks, blogs, monthly newsletters, and other areas you let your audience know more about you.

6. Have a consistent email blasting schedule. In order to manage expectation in the long term, you want to set expectations up front. When subscribers know when they’ll be getting emails from you, there is less of a chance your email will surprise them when they’re busy, overwhelmed, or have some sort of negative emotion to drive potential vengeful unsubscribers. Set their expectations right off the bat when they first opt into your emails about when they should expect to receive emails from you. In return, do your best to live up to that promise.

7. Control exclusivity. When you offer something exclusive only to your subscribers, this makes them feel privileged and keeps them from unsubscribing. They then realize that if they unsubscribe they get cut off from access to the offers you give them.

8. Make sure your emails aren’t loading slowly. Checking how your emails load and look to recipients with different emails and on mobile devices should be part of your email marketing routine. Don’t include images that are too large to load quickly, design elements that don’t render nicely on mobile devices, and other elements that might make their reading experience unpleasant. Remember that you only have a few seconds to catch their attention, and if they’re waiting for the message to load then chances are they’ll get frustrated and delete or even unsubscribe from your emails.

9. Consider the feedback. Despite all of this hard work, some people will still unsubscribe to your emails. Take that opportunity to seek feedback from them and take into consideration. You might notice trends that some of your topics don’t click well, and consider modifying your campaigning. Even though this may not save your unsubscriber, it can prevent future unsubscribing.

220 Marketing specializes in Online Marketing and Management for industries such as Insurance Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, and Mortgage Marketing.