Finding out that someone has unsubscribed from your mailing list can sometimes feel like a disappointment or a betrayal, your subscribers and their attention are often hard won and sorely lost. The upshot of every polite decline is the ability to focus your attention on those that are engaged and those who are interested.
Sometimes it can help to think of your email list as party invitations – sometimes a big party is the mood you’re feeling, sometimes you’re looking for an intimate dinner party. Are you trying to talk to everyone or are you trying to talk to your nearest and dearest?
As a host of a big party, you can sometimes feel like you’re stretching yourself trying to accommodate and talk to everyone. Sometimes it’s better for a few people not to come to the party, so you’ll be better able to focus on those who actually want to be there.
Remember, 100 people are going to have 100 different experiences and be in 100 different states of mind and while you can do your best to ensure everyone is having a great time, you can’t guarantee everyone will. Nobody likes a party pooper.
People who are unsubscribing from your list are just telling you they can’t make the party – they’re not in the right headspace, things have changed since they accepted the first invitation and maybe they’ve outgrown their initial interest in your business or service. This isn’t a rejection, it’s just a sign of changing needs or desires.
Think of the time, energy and money you’ll save not sending emails to people who aren’t interested or who are unhappy. Unhappy subscribers are more likely to mark your communications as spam which can damage your sending reputation in the eyes of email providers. Nobody likes receiving emails that they’re disinterested or even disheartened by, and the longer they receive emails the higher potential there is for your brand or business to be negatively viewed by an unhappy subscriber.
As a marketer or a small business owner, unsubscriptions are great feedback. Unsubscriptions allow you to have certainty that the messages you’re sending are relevant and engaging to your target market. Not everyone has time to read or act on everything, but if you have stable open rates, stable subscription rates and stable unsubscription rates, there’s a natural churn which can help refresh your database and help keep your business talking to the people who want to hear from you.
Still worried about people unsubscribing? Get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you.