Last month, a couple of folks I know (yep…Carney folks!) were lamenting the fact that there seemed to be an unusual number of people unsubscribing — or, worse! complaining about SPAM — every time they sent an email to their lists.
Feelings of panic, fear and frustration were jumping around the discussion like a bunch of caged, crack head monkeys — it wasn’t a pretty site. I’ll admit that I used to feel horrible every time someone unsubscribed from my list, too.
Then I decided to figure out why and take some action.
So here’s what I did:
1. Last fall, I told my subscribers that they deserved more from me — special content and treats that regular old blog readers (aka NON-subscribers) couldn’t access. And I decided to call this content “Secret Suppers.” The SS happens about once per month (I’m behind on this now…don’t judge!) and is a way for me to peel back the curtain of how I market my own business and share what’s working and what’s not working (yes, even marketing pros don’t hit home runs every time they step to the plate). The reaction to those emails was pretty cool. I got responses like this one:
“You leave me breathless with your expertise, analytics and problem solving skills!” (Gloria)
The Secret Suppers are currently housed in my Digital Dining Room, but you can see one of the earlier ones here. And if you’re a subscriber to my list, you have free access to the DDR (just so you know). But I didn’t stop there.
2. Next, I changed up the format of my newsletters so that they’d be more conversational. You know — more the way they are when you’re emailing a friend. Here’s one of them. Then I started getting responses like this one:
OMG. Thank you so much! I LOVE to hear stuff like this. That’s what email newsletters should be — a 2-way conversation! Email! go figure. (Monteve)
Cool beans, right? This is exactly what I was hoping for. (I also got a fair number of folks who responded to my question on that email!) But guess what? Even though I always seem to get positive responses from readers, I also get a number of unsubscribes the same day. (It’s a head-scratcher, I know.)
3. This month, I tried something even more novel (at least for me). I invited folks on my list to have coffee with me via Skype. So I could get to know them a little better. Put a face and a voice with the name. Hear about their current projects, find out what they do for fun — you know, really connect with them.
And guess what? Same thing! I had a total of 28 people raise their digital hands and take me up on the offer. (Click here to see the actual invitation.) And only three of those were people I already knew. The number that unsubscribed that day? Seven. Yep. Seven little dwarves couldn’t handle a simple Thank You/invitation to say hello. (Apparently meeting the person-behind-the-blog scares the bajeezuz out of some people…) Any who.
There will always be those who say, “No, thank you. Not for me.”
And that’s a very good thing!
How tightly are you connected to your right people?
If you’re doing it right — giving people extreme value and using email as an opportunity to be social, to have real conversations — then some of your ties will get stronger and tighter, and some will loosen or disappear altogether.
You will never please everyone. Cross my heart on this one, folks. Nor should you even try. (So stop doing that right now!)
Your right people can only identify themselves as your right people if you take the first step and be who you really are. Share what’s going on and help them achieve their goals. Clue them in on WHY you do what you do (not just that you do stuff).
And your wrong people? They need to go away, fast!
Who wants to pay extra for dead email weight anyway? Those unsubscribes were never going to buy from you. They just wanted that free gift you offered up as an enticement to join the list.
Which brings me to my next bit of advice: Your enticement needs to be delivered over time. In chunks.
If your freebie is a one-time download, guess what? You’ll attract a lot more lookie-Lews to your party.
It’s happened to me. Someone subscribes, gets the download, and before you can say, “Sweet Baby Lettuce,” they’ve unsubscribed and gone on their merry way.
If you offer something, make it a mini ecourse. That way, folks are a lot more likely to get used to opening your emails. And they can’t just do an opt-in/opt-out dance with your site. You’ll definitely get less people subscribing…but they’ll be quality people. The kind you want in your tribe.
How about you? What have you experienced with your email list? Let’s share and see if we can learn something from each other. Oh, and if you’re not on my list? Clickety-click and join the Story Bistro family today.
More From Story Bistro:
Over-Exposed: When Too Much Marketing is Bad for Business
Social Media is Bullshit: An Interview with the Author, Brandon Mendelson
7 Ways to Use Facebook to Find and Research Your Target Market
How to Avoid Being Killed by Evil Chef Robots
Wanna Be My Plus One? Why I’m Falling in Like with Google + (and Why You Might, Too)
No, You’re NOT Stupid (Or, How to Keep Your Brain from Melting When Things Don’t Work)
Spinning Your Plates: How to Find Balance and Order
I still think it’s fascinating that people unsubscribed to the invitation to coffee email! Go figure. I think that’s probably as good a sign as any that sometimes, unsubs are entirely unrelated to the content and are just because. I also think your tip about an ecourse vs. a download is a good one – not only are they likelier to stick around, but I’d be willing to bet they’re more likely to actually interact with your offering and take action on the tips presented within it (as opposed to downloading and then…letting it sit, which I think we’re all guilty of sometimes!).
Tea – this is great advice. Probably always in the back of my mind now, “space out the incentives” so that folks stay engaged longer.I also love what you did with the invitation to coffee. I’m interested to see long-term if this actually increases your engagement and purchases! 🙂
All of your tips — fabulous! These are great ideas that are easy to implement and give you a chance to connect more with your email list in a way that gives you both what you want, clarity on why are are connected in the first place and the value that grows from that exchange. I especially like the secret suppers idea and helping create that elite element. And on a random note I LOVE the photo for this post! Please use that for future marketing purposes. It’s so creative!
Your enticement needs to be delivered over time. In chunks. Doy…genius! Is virtual coffee a standing offer? Been thinkin’ about it since you first mentioned it. (Yes, I already know that the arc of information-to-action is obscenely long for me)
I find your emails very personable, Tea, and I’d love to implement some of that pizzazz into my own emails. Very inspiring.
Great idea about the mini course. Right now my free download is all five of my 5 Easy Pages. Starting to think that I should offer them one by one. And you are so right, its the quality people that you want on your list, not the lookyloos! Your emails always have super content. I don’t even need to say keep up the good work, because I know you will!
You really nailed it here, Tea. And I’m in love with your Secret Suppers idea (and SO much valuable data in the one you shared here!) Thank you.
Yes, I love your emails. You are definitely providing awesome value and exciting branding which keeps me coming back for more. Yes, I so agree bye bye to unsubscribes..I love your point about dead emails can cost you money…so very true. My client that has over 50,000 get’s about 5000 that view the emails and each email receives at last 150 unsubscribes. I find it interesting that they wait until a new email comes out that they unsubscribe..what’s that about. At least those that stay are truly gold and I so love your point about building relationships with them. Some are great at that and some are not. I find for me, if I get too many…I am out…But I do try to give people a chance because I signed up free you just may share some good stuff with me…so I will hang around a bit. another great one Tea!
Tea this post inspired me to really start experimenting with my email list. Big surprise that the numbers geek doesn’t always like to mix it up.For the record I love your emails and I’m STILL scratching my head over how in the world free coffee and a chat leads to unsubscribes…
I’ve always loved your emails, Tea. You go the extra mile to make sure you’re offering value and I’m constantly being surprised and delighted by your content and the way you present it. The coffee dates via Skype thing was GENIUS. And your message here — that unsubscribes are a good thing – is SO necessary. I don’t understand those seven folks – you don’t either – which is in itself a VERY good reason for them to leave your list, as it most likely indicates they won’t “get” YOU, either. And those folks – well, you’re fighting an uphill battle, to say the least. Great post.
Can I just say I love how you toss in “sweet baby lettuce”? I think after reading this it’s time for me to mix things up a bit more with my list. I’ve already tried a number of formats and schedules, but it’s time to take it up a notch. I love the idea of reaching out and inviting them to connect. For me, if I can keep the focus on connection I’ll be more consistent in my emails to the folks on the list.
Sweet baby lettuce, Tea! You managed to amuse me, enlighten me and make me hungry all at once. I hate unsubscribes soooo much. Mostly it’s the timing that kills me, like with your offer – so you asked people to chat and they left?? HUH?? Sometimes people unsub from my list three seconds after something totally awesome went out and I think… really? Really.But you’re right, those aren’t the people you’d end up doing business with or connecting with anyway. Better to get rid of the weeds than end up with a dead list. I appreciate your advice to send value in chunks. I’ve been obsessing over an ebook for a while now and part of the hangup is that I don’t want to end up with 20 subscribers, 20 people with my book and 20 subsequent unsubscribes. I might just reconsider that strategy. Thanks for your insights as always!
Twitter: zografispaula
on May 23, 2016 at 9:29 pm
Great stuff, Tea! As someone who has done a lot of unsubscribing recently I want to remind everyone of two things. 1) every time management guru, clutter coach, and their dogs are constantly reminding us to unsubscribe to simplify our inboxes and 2) I personally only remember to unsubscribe when something new lands in my inbox and I start to delete it without reading for the umpteenth time. So I think we are all seeing a LOT more unsubs lately that have zero to do with the content of that particular email and more to do with a general “this is no longer relevant/high on my list of must reads. (at least that is how I assuage my bruised ego when the inevitable “someone left your list” emails appear).
Oh yes. There are infinitely more unsubs today than before. And I love how you use that to understand it’s not really about us. So glad to see you here (again!).
Téa Silvestre Godfrey recently posted…Tipping Sacred Marketing Cows: The Hero’s Journey as Ideal Story Structure