<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nConsent Is Mandatory. Sending emails to recipients who have not given consent is not only an unethical action, but it is also a liability. All modern-day email service providers are equipped with sophisticated spam detection protocols; therefore, if, for any reason, a recipient:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Marks your email as spam<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Never opens your emails<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Did not expect to receive your message<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Your reputation as a sender will suffer, including being subject to punitive measures by the new privacy regulations (i.e. GDPR and CAN-SPAM), which require verifiable consent and documentation of permission. Failure to obtain permission to send emails will likely result in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Difficulty in getting emails delivered<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Legal ramifications<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Loss of trust in your brand<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Being blacklisted<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nImplementing Double Opt-In is the answer. Use of double-opt-in requires any prospective subscriber confirmation through email, prior to adding them to your list of recipients. This will help ensure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Valid addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Intent to receive<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Engagement rate<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Compliance with legislation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Opt-outs must be made easy to execute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Keep an up-to-date suppression list.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Never add someone back if they unsubscribe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Consent should not be perceived as a barrier, but rather as a filter to identify the quality of your list. A smaller, more engaged list will always produce better results than a larger, less engaged list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>4. Ignoring Unsubscribers\u2019 Feedback<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMarketers generally consider unsubscribes to be unwanted. They are in fact data. Many people who leave your mailing list will give you valuable feedback about their experience, such as the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- They get too many emails<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The emails aren’t relevant<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- They only signed up for one promotion<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The email content wasn’t useful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Not paying attention to this information is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Unsubscribe trends can indicate that you could be sending too many emails, poor list segmentation, or poor content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTreat unsubscribes as intelligence rather than as a failure. Create feedback loops and consistently analyse reasons as to why people opted out of your list. Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n