You will have people opting out of your email chains all the time. However, something that is inevitable needn’t be acceptable. Customer retention is the top priority for most business owners because retaining a customer costs about half of acquiring a new one. On the other hand, lowering one’s churn rate can significantly increase profits. Since email marketing is one of the most cost-effective and profitable channels for businesses, it is doubly important to work on unsubscribe rates for a successful endeavour.
A rough estimate suggests that any unsubscribe rate below the 0.5% cutoff is acceptable for an email campaign. There is no way to eliminate the possibility of a customer leaving, but you can work out proven tactics to reduce that probability to a bare minimum. This article will look at five hacks that can help lower your email churn rates and maintain a trusting relationship with your subscribers.
1. Single and Double Options
Single options don’t require a customer to confirm their subscription. On the other hand, double options need the subscriber to confirm their decision, usually by clicking a link emailed. Despite being easy to use, single opt-ins are intrusive for the subscriber and damage the sender’s reputation. This factor is not relevant to double opt-ins as they offer better list protection and provide the chance to reach out to subscribers immediately.
One downside may be that the list grows slower, and some email addresses might get lost in the way due to the user not completing the confirmation process. It is a good idea to ask your email marketing agency to combine these processes for better results.
2. Expectation Setting
To build trust, you need to make clear to your audience the frequency and timings of your emails and stick to them. Promising the subscribers one thing and not honouring that promise can lead to disastrous results. The person on the other side of the screen will not respect your company and might decide to end the email relationship altogether. Inconsistency can cast a shadow of doubt on integrity, and you want to avoid this at all costs.
Setting the right expectations is only half the battle, whereas committing to those expectations will take you a long way. Then, your customers will respect you, and it is less likely that they will get annoyed with your emails.
3. Segmentation
Sending the right things to the right people at the right time is what email marketing is all about. How can you achieve this seamlessly? By breaking your subscriber list into smaller groups based on a common characteristic, commonly known as segmentation. It can be their background, demographics, buying history and recent activity.
Research suggests that highly segmented or targeted campaigns work way better than those that aren’t. They offer better open, click-through and unsubscribe rates while providing greater revenue for the company. To create effective segments, filter people based on at least two conditions. For example, it can be age and purchase history or location and abandoned cart history.
4. Subject Lines
Online marketing is full of commotion, and it becomes even more important for business owners to reach their customers despite the noise. The subject line is the first thing a reader notices about an email. It is the deciding factor in whether that email gets opened or not. Avoid misleading email subject lines, unnecessary capitalization, or aggressive subject titles.
Spam triggers such as ‘discount’ and ‘free’, fake reply to indicators etc., aren’t doing anyone any favours. Try to be as direct with your audience in the emails and let your brand speak for you instead. If you aim to build good relationships with your customers, talk to them like you’d talk to a friend or colleague, i.e., without any dishonest tactics.
5. Content
Content, as they say, is king. Before designing relevant content, you start with deciding the objective of your email. Who is your audience, and what are you trying to convey to them? Once you have decided on your goal, you must develop a content strategy to help you achieve that goal. Your main message will include the story you are trying to tell or your call to action. Create meaningful content that adds some value to your customer’s life.
It should be high on readability and have a nice flow to it. Avoid unnecessary wordiness and try to be as brief and crisp as possible. If the reader is happy with your presenting content, their odds of unsubscribing from your email list reduce significantly.