Gmail Makes it easier to unsubscribe -or- The Slow Death of Email Marketing

by No BS
22 replies
Yesterday Google posted a new feature making it easier for readers unsubscribe from mailing lists.

The unsubscribe button has gone from being buried at the bottom of the email, to right up top, making it an impulse click.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Gmail/posts/euJxGkND1Ao
Unsubscribing simplified
Email is a handy way to get updates from your favorite brands, social networks, discussion boards and more. But sometimes you end up subscribed to lists that are no longer relevant to you, and combing through an entire message looking for a way to unsubscribe is no fun.

Now when a sender includes an “Unsubscribe” link in a Promotions, Social or Forums message, Gmail will surface it to the top, right next to the sender address. If you’re interested in the message’s content, it won’t get in the way, and if not, it’ll make it easier to keep your inbox clutter-free.

Making the unsubscribe option easy to find is a win for everyone. For email senders, their mail is less likely to be marked as spam and for you, you can now say goodbye to sifting through an entire message for that one pesky link.




I wonder how much this decision has to do with email marketing not generating revenue for Adwords. If they could help eliminate email marketing, it may just lead more to their advertising program.

What do you think about this new feature? users of gmail seem to be excited of the news.
#death #easier #email #gmail #makes #marketing #slow #unsubscribe
  • Profile picture of the author christineaib
    This is really a good option offered by Gmail.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424492].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author aabagail
    Very good. Thanks for your advance. I think the google make the good thing for its user every time.
    Signature

    Cool

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424521].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Originally Posted by No BS View Post

    I wonder how much this decision has to do with email marketing not generating revenue for Adwords. If they could help eliminate email marketing, it may just lead more to their advertising program.
    The more emails people get, the more time they spend in their gmail inbox and the more opportunities Google have to advertise to those people.

    So it definitely has nothing to do with that. It decreases their advertising opportunity if anything.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424552].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author No BS
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      The more emails people get, the more time they spend in their gmail inbox and the more opportunities Google have to advertise to those people.

      So it definitely has nothing to do with that. It decreases their advertising opportunity if anything.
      I don't know, with the use of ad blockers on the rise, and many sites acknowledging that fact with warnings to turn off ad blockers or similar types of persuasion.

      Personally, I haven't seen an advertisement while using Gmail in many years.

      As a new player to internet marketing, I see this as a BS filter. people who put out crappy email series are just going to be silenced easier, quicker, and more often now that the reader doesn't have to search through the bottom third of an email just to find the unsubscribe link hidden in a wall of text.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424586].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author WillR
        Originally Posted by No BS View Post

        I don't know, with the use of ad blockers on the rise, and many sites acknowledging that fact with warnings to turn off ad blockers or similar types of persuasion.

        Personally, I haven't seen an advertisement while using Gmail in many years.

        As a new player to internet marketing, I see this as a BS filter. people who put out crappy email series are just going to be silenced easier, quicker, and more often now that the reader doesn't have to search through the bottom third of an email just to find the unsubscribe link hidden in a wall of text.
        When you talk about ad blockers you need to remember that 99% of the people using the Internet would not even know what an ad blocker is and would look at you with a blank stare if you mentioned it.

        Sometimes we forget how much knowledge we are privy to as marketers and how little the average person actually knows about computers and the Internet.

        Personally when I was receiving emails I didn't want to receive, I never had an issue scrolling down and hitting unsubscribe. I certainly didn't not unsubscribe because the link was not right there at the top. So it might make a little difference but I really think those who want to unsubscribe from a list would do it regardless.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424591].message }}
        • Originally Posted by WillR View Post

          When you talk about ad blockers you need to remember that 99% of the people using the Internet would not even know what an ad blocker is and would look at you with a blank stare if you mentioned it.

          Sometimes we forget how much knowledge we are privy to as marketers and how little the average person actually knows about computers and the Internet.

          Personally when I was receiving emails I didn't want to receive, I never had an issue scrolling down and hitting unsubscribe. I certainly didn't not unsubscribe because the link was not right there at the top. So it might make a little difference but I really think those who want to unsubscribe from a list would do it regardless.
          So true. If you send rubbish to people, they won't read it or click it regardless
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424626].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author newbieleoling
    Is a good change. This helps eliminate and filter those who are not reading my emails and wasting my email list slot.

    Which means my list quality will go up. Lol
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424599].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by newbieleoling View Post

      Is a good change. This helps eliminate and filter those who are not reading my emails and wasting my email list slot.

      Which means my list quality will go up. Lol
      This is another way to look at it. People who want to be on your list are the absolute best people to have on your list. Those who don't want to be on your list or are only there because they haven't bothered to unsubscribe, are better off your list than on it.

      So if it makes it easier for those people to remove themselves from my list, I'm all for it.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424669].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    The key is to have an email newsletter that no one would want to unsubscribe to. And if they did by accident, they would go sign up again.

    Mark
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424604].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author megatop
    It is definitely good for all the people involved. People who dont want to recieive your email are never going to make a sale for you or even click on any link in your email. So these users are just bloating your mailing list size. I personally don't want to have these people on my list.

    It also makes me provide very useful content to my readers, else, they're going to unsubscribe. Thats good for me since i'll be compelled to provide good content.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424649].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    when are we going to have the DEATH of the DEATH threads. LOL.

    I noticed over the years if all these death threads played out, there would be nothing online to do, at all LOL we would be just in the stone age again. LOL
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424953].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ivantk
    It is good for some of us and bad for others. Imagine how this will increase the open rates and clicks to all marketers who give value to their subscribers and will kick off those who flood their subscribers with crap and burn their lists. And what Google do, others follow, so expect this option from Yahoo Mail etc sooner or later.
    Signature

    Ivan's Tips Blog
    http://www.ivanstips.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9424978].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Happy to hear this.

      I often put something like that in the first paragraph of my outgoing emails, anyway: the one thing I don't want, as an email marketer, is people on my list who don't want to continue to receive my emails.

      This will be good for email marketing in general, not bad. It will reduce the number of unwanted emails being sent out.

      That can only be a good thing, from all relevant perspectives ...
      • less waste
      • less cost
      • less resentment
      • less criticism
      • fewer false spam reports
      • and from the whole industry's perspective less threat of increasing external regulation
      In the long run, it may even tend to improve the overall quality of marketing emails a little, too, to make sure that they're not "unwanted": that would certainly be nice.

      ("Slow death"?! I hope you were joking ... email marketing's going from strength to strength, and developments like this are helping it. ).

      By the way, threads discussing email marketing live here: Email Marketing

      .
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9425089].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author schttrj
        If we look at the statistics, people send the majority of their time online in checking emails.

        And that's definitely not doing to change soon.

        You cannot send a big letter in Whatsapp or Facebook, right?

        Moreover, emails are private nonetheless.

        And email marketing, in the true sense of the term, is a private affair.

        A seller letting a prospect know about the existence of a new product or new information.

        If the reader thinks it is not relevant to him, let me unsubscribe from it. That will not really make a substantial change to be honest.

        As I always say, means don't mean anything. How we use those means is what matters the most.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9425177].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    This should be posted in Email Marketing
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9425183].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ledux
    I think it's a good button. I would rather have unsubscribes than people clicking the complaint button.

    And the button isn't even that big really. Will see if that will increase my unsubscribe rates lol
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9425222].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author lukeguy
    The only way to survive is to make sure every email is about them, and not YOU. Bring value to them like never in your life. It comes down to helping your tribe, and building community. If not, you're only a click away. So listen more, and say less. Let every word build another person's life. Offer value to the extremist point.
    Signature

    Get growth for business by reading my blog: www.lukeguy.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9429014].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Mark Singletary View Post

      The key is to have an email newsletter that no one would want to unsubscribe to. And if they did by accident, they would go sign up again.

      Mark
      This is the difference between a valuable business asset and an electronic hostage situation.

      Why use all the stupid tricks like hiding the unsubscribe link just to keep people on your list against their will?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9430150].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Javisito
    The key must be to have an email list which people want the option to remove the unsubscribe link so they don't hit it by accident.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9430473].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Stephanie Huang
    How do I enable that in the emails I send to my list?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9432115].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    People who know you and want to be on your list will not click on that link.

    But with so many spam these days, it is a good idea.

    I sometimes get emails from people I never subscribed to so it only makes good sense to have the option to unsubscribe right at the very top.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9432708].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author vedremo
    Banned
    You really don't have to worry if you don't send out emails that are almost spam. Readers only click on that "unsubscribe" button when they find some emails being sent to them more times than they actually need it. They find it unnecessary so it gets to the point when it's already annoying for them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9433101].message }}

Trending Topics