So, you’ve finally started your email marketing campaign and applied the best strategy you could think of. But then, you are concerned about your unsubscribe rates that keep increasing regardless of your efforts. What do you do?
Here’s the catch – you can’t please everyone. Regardless of what you do, some people will still leave. However, if they are leaving at a concerning rate, then you should be ready to take action. According to Campaign Monitor, the average unsubscribe rate is 0.17%, and anything above might suggest that you need to work on something.
This rate can also be determined based on the sector, as seen in the image below.
How to Calculate Unsubscribe Rates
To calculate unsubscribe rates, divide the total number of unsubscribes by the total number of emails delivered. Multiply your result by 100 to get a percentage. You can do this per campaign or measure it over a specific timeline.
Let’s take an example:
Unsubscribes: 19
Total number of emails delivered: 438
Unsubscribe rate = (Unsubscribes ➗Total number of emails delivered) X 100
Unsubscribe rate = (19/438) X 100 = 4.3%
The unsubscribe rate here is 4.3%, which is more than the average rate of 0.17%.
This percentage is quite high. However, even if it’s not as high, you can still aim for a close to zero unsubscribe rate.
How to Reduce Unsubscribe Rates
Now that you have observed the increasing rate of unsubscribers in your email list, your next best step will be to seek ways to reduce it. In this article, we will share some of the proven ways to help reduce unsubscribe rates.
1. Start with a Healthy List
How you build your email list is important in email marketing. From day one in collecting email addresses, you must focus on creating connections that matter to your brand. While you might be tempted to do whatever it takes to have more subscribers, remember that they must be interested in what your brand offers.
If you pull random people into your lists with clickbait and random offers, then chances are that they would leave if they are not being fed with content beneficial to them. Ensure your lead magnets are directly connected to your marketing goals, to capture your primary audience.
2. Set an Expectation
To stay consistent, you must set an expectation regarding your emails. When a subscriber joins your list, let them know what to expect. This should include how often they will hear from you and the kind of content they would likely get in their emails.
The average email marketing service provider already has the option to let you create an automated “Welcome Email” that gets delivered to every subscriber. The duration between when they subscribed and when this email gets to them can also be determined, based on the ESP.
MailDrip makes this even better by helping you create drip emails that deliver at strategic times, so you can go beyond just sending a welcome email.
By setting an expectation, you get to build trust with your audience and they might also start looking forward to your next email.
3. Send Emails with the Right Frequency
While setting an expectation is important, you also have to be reasonable with it. One of the most common reasons why many people unsubscribe from a list is due to receiving too many emails.
Sending five emails every single day can become irritating to the receiver that they are compelled to unsubscribe, regardless of the content of the email.
According to a report by MarketingSherpa, a satisfied customer is 154% more likely to stay on your list than an unsatisfied customer. If you want them to stay, don’t get them frustrated with multiple emails at a time.
To fix this, you can work with an ideal timeline for your brand and communicate it with your subscribers.
3. Let them Update their Preferences
In the footer of each email you send, you can have the “update your preference” tag right beside the unsubscribe button. This tells subscribers that rather than unsubscribing, they can update how they want to receive emails.
This form allows them to determine how often they would like to hear from you; whether it is weekly or daily if you have a lot to share. They can also choose the kind of content they would like to see, especially if your list is segmented. Subscribers can decide to opt out of any segment that is not benefitting them and stick to another.
By allowing the option to update preferences, you could save a lot more people from unsubscribing.
4. Work on Your Subject Lines
The importance of good subject lines cannot be overemphasized, as it’s been found that 33% of email recipients open emails because of catchy subject lines. This is the time to get creative and at the same time, avoid unnecessary clickbait.
Your subscribers will likely stick with you if you create great content that they enjoy. However, they might never get to see this content if your subject line is not compelling enough to make them open the email.
Key things to help your title stand out even better:
- Personalize it with the recipient’s first name and boost your open rate.
- Avoid using all caps. Instead, use Sentence Case or all lowercase.
- Avoid aggressive or provocative copy used to lure readers. E.g “I was robbed! Open this now!”.
- Keep it simple, real, and organic. This makes it compelling to anyone.
5. Combine Single Opt-ins and Double Opt-ins
While single opt-ins make it easier to let a subscriber join your list immediately, double opt-ins ensure that every subscriber goes through a second step to confirm their decision. While the latter might affect your subscription rate, it will bring you quality subscribers.
The double opt-in method shows that everyone who takes their time to confirm their subscription through a second step is likely to stay. This also blocks out fake or bot emails.
Bottom Line
Go through your metrics on your email marketing platform to determine why your unsubscribe rate keeps increasing. Check which campaign or email has the highest rate and determine what you could do better to avoid that next time.
Above everything already mentioned in this article is having the right email marketing strategy in place. We know that and this is why we have created the ideal template for you to work with. To get a FREE copy of this template, fill out the form below and we will email it to you immediately.
At MailDrip, we have professionals willing to help you bring your brand alive. If you are not sure where to start in this email marketing journey, contact us and let’s get you on the move.
