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A Warning To List Marketers

by Zeus66
22 replies
I just wanted to pass on a recent experience with my list. I don't typically send out more than 2 emails per week to my list. 3 is usually the most in any 7-day period. Well, for a couple of reasons I ended up sending 3 "sales pitch" emails over a 3-day period, and the results were interesting, so I thought I'd share them here.

The emails each pitched a different product. Two of the offers were not my own; one was mine. In the third email to go out, I mentioned that I hoped I was not wearing anyone out with three emails in three days. Well, it's clear that I was wearing them out! The unsubscribe rate after the first mailing was the normal low percentage. It was still low after the 2nd email went out a day later. But the third day in a row - even with an acknowledgment from me in that email - resulted in a spike in unsubs.

So, you're probably thinking that my warning to you is to avoid sending emails pitching things to your list every day, right? WRONG! I am not saying that because it's not that simple.

The real point here is that you "train" your list members to expect emails from you on a schedule based on your sending patterns. If you deviate from that pattern in a significant way, you upset the apple cart. And it actually works both ways. I've also had lists in the past that I neglected for too long. The list went "stale" and when I finally did email them, the same thing happened. In fact, it was worse then. More of them unsubbed and a few even sent spam complaints.

The lesson I'm taking away from this experience is that you need to realize that you are training the people on your list, whether you realize it or not. And whether THEY realize it or not! They get used to seeing you in their inbox based on your regular sending pattern/schedule. If you mess with that to any large degree, expect more of them to unsubscribe.

Like I said, though, this is not really a simple thing. The other side of this is that I did make more money in those 3 days! A significant increase, in fact. So that goes on the "plus" side. The problem is, I don't have a system in place to keep up with the attrition rate. I can't add enough new subscribers to keep up with the spike in those dropping off. So the additional income would not last very long if I kept sending "pitch" emails every day. Besides that, I'm just not comfortable burning through a list, even though it made me more money. So there's a personal preference aspect to this as well.

See? It's not at all a simple decision. There's a lot more going on than meets the eye when you do list marketing.

In the final analysis, I won't be sending sales offers every day to my list. I'm prepared to leave money on the table for the sake of less list turnover and for the sake of operating more in line with my own personal preferences.

Anyway, there's a "day in the life of" one of your fellow marketers. Well, "3 days in the life of." I hope it helps anyone else struggling with these issues or wondering how much it all matters.

John
#email #list #marketers #sales #warning
  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    Good work John. Thanks for sharing!

    Ya know the big guys mail every day. But because of their quarterly (or so) product launches they can fight off the attrition rate of unsubs with nearly constant influxes of new subscribers.

    For the gurooo types there is also the matter of list dilution. They promote a different product to their list every day and their subscribers end up opting in to the lists of they guys they promote. After months their subscribers become the subscribers of every guy in town and they get bombarded with emails every day all promoting the latest product launch. That can end up turning a good list into a zombie list before long.

    But I think you're right on about training your list to expect a certain frequency of emails from you.

    One other thing, and I don't know it this is true or not, but by mailing more frequently with promotional offers it MAY be possible that the majority of those unsubscribing are those who would never buy in the first place. A little list purging can actually be helpful.

    Great insights as usual! --Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
    John:
    Just curious was this doing a solo ad or ad swap that you experienced this?

    I appreciate your insight here thanks for sharing it
    cheers
    -Will
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    • Profile picture of the author halmo
      I am wondering if your comment to them about hoping to not wear them out also played a small role in the unsubs -- since the spike in unsubs happened after that e-mail. It might have reminded them of the option of unsubscribing. Kind of like saying, "Johnny, don't shut the door." But the words Johnny hears are: "shot the door." Not saying this played a major role, but could have been part of the human psychology.

      I am also curious: were the products related at all in what people could accomplish with them? The 3-day promotion might be a good idea if the products are related, and your 3-day strategy serves a specific purpose. Say, you announce on day 1 (or before) that you happened upon a new trend, and you want to give them information about it, and for the next three days you will be sending them three different product offers (along with good information about the new trend) that could benefit them. The response might be quite interesting.

      And, thanks, John, for your warning about training list members. Must remember that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jay norestin
    Banned
    Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you.. Your list know you way too much.. the reason why they unsubscribe its because you never gave them something of massive value... I mailed some of my list everyday they cant help but to stay because sometimes i surprise them with some amazing gifts....
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  • Profile picture of the author charlesburke
    Here's a different take on all those unsubscribes.

    You said:
    Originally Posted by Zeus66 View Post

    ... In the third email to go out, I mentioned that I hoped I was not wearing anyone out with three emails in three days.
    Instead of directing their attention to the (presumably) excellent offer you mailed to them, you told them how uncomfortable it made you feel to send it. Big mistake.

    IMPORTANT RULE: Never, never, ever apologize if you're offering your readers value. If you do, they'll take their cue from you and agree with you that it's too often.

    If you had sent that third message out without the apology, far fewer of your readers would have even noticed.

    (By the way, I learned this lesson the hard way, myself.)

    Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
    Charles
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    • Profile picture of the author halmo
      Originally Posted by charlesburke View Post

      Here's a different take on all those unsubscribes.

      You said:


      Instead of directing their attention to the (presumably) excellent offer you mailed to them, you told them how uncomfortable it made you feel to send it. Big mistake.

      IMPORTANT RULE: Never, never, ever apologize if you're offering your readers value. If you do, they'll take their cue from you and agree with you that it's too often.

      If you had sent that third message out without the apology, far fewer of your readers would have even noticed.

      (By the way, I learned this lesson the hard way, myself.)

      Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
      Charles
      Charles, I am glad I am not the only one who thinks that. I was writing my response at the same time you posted yours, so I just saw your post.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
      I agree Charles.

      By bringing up the topic of unsubscribes it plants seeds
      in the minds of subscribers and more of them will then
      decide to unsubscribe.

      Where attention goes, results show.

      Regarding the frequency of e-mails, it's more a question
      of how much value each mailing adds to the life of the
      subscriber (whether via content or a sales offer).

      You can mail a lot more often if you set-up that expectation
      and then deliver relevant content and offers of value to your
      subscribers on each mailing.

      I'm on some lists that e-mail me more than once a day but
      I stay because the mailings are relevant to what I want.

      The frequency is not the dominant issue - it's the value that
      the subscriber sees in each mailing and their total experience.

      Too many low-value e-mails will increase unsubscribes.

      Give your list members what they want and they'll stay with
      you much, much longer.

      Dedicated to mutual success,

      Shaun
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    • Profile picture of the author Henri J
      Originally Posted by charlesburke View Post

      Here's a different take on all those unsubscribes.

      You said:


      Instead of directing their attention to the (presumably) excellent offer you mailed to them, you told them how uncomfortable it made you feel to send it. Big mistake.

      IMPORTANT RULE: Never, never, ever apologize if you're offering your readers value. If you do, they'll take their cue from you and agree with you that it's too often.

      If you had sent that third message out without the apology, far fewer of your readers would have even noticed.

      (By the way, I learned this lesson the hard way, myself.)

      Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
      Charles
      Great point, Charles!

      Always keep in mind what words you're using in your email. Like Charles said, if you're using words like "sorry, uncomfortable, too much", then you're sending a specific message to your peeps.

      But yeah. People like consistency, so if you've been mailing them twice a week and now do three times, that might affect it, or it might not.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Good lesson John, and I'm not surprised you recognized your part in the higher than usual unsubscribe rate. Some would have blown it off as having promoted the wrong product, or called it a fluke, or even blamed the people on the list ... anything but themselves. Charles makes a good point too, IMO.

    By the way, you used "upset the apple cart" in your message. My mom used to say that. You must be really old.
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      Good lesson John, and I'm not surprised you recognized your part in the higher than usual unsubscribe rate. Some would have blown it off as having promoted the wrong product, or called it a fluke, or even blamed the people on the list ... anything but themselves. Charles makes a good point too, IMO.

      By the way, you used "upset the apple cart" in your message. My mom used to say that. You must be really old.

      Yes, he is quite old.

      Didn't you know that is the reason he is now a baldy?
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  • Profile picture of the author Fazal Mayar
    You are right but you said it yourself, you need to forget about money a bit and provide them free information that will help them. Thats how you gonna keep the trust with your list and get no unsuscribes.
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  • Profile picture of the author alcymart
    I can attest to what you're saying Zeus66. I rarely send out a broadcast, so when I do, a few subs vanish every time. A tiny amount but still, they are gone.

    I agree with training them on a scheduled basis. Great Post and suggestion to all mailing list folks here!

    Take Care,

    Bernard St-Pierre
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    I don't hold back with my list. I appreciate Charles and the rest of you mentioning that I may have caused some of the extra unsubs by mentioning it in my email, but that wouldn't have stopped me. If being honest leads to an unsub, that's just as well. But yes, my mentioning that it was the third email in three days may well have been a causal factor in the spike in unsubs, so your point is well taken.
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    • Profile picture of the author Manda
      I'm inclined to agree with those that think mentioning it wasthe third email may have something to do with the unsubscribe rate. I'm on your list and have to admit I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it.

      I don't know anything about autoresponders or if this is possible but it would be interesting to know how long the subscribers who unsubscribed have been on your list - if they've only recently joined and get three marketing emails that might put them off where those who have been around for a while know what to expect in the long term.

      Manda
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  • Profile picture of the author Ruth P
    This is a great point! I still have a lot to learn about email marketing, but I have noticed this already. I've kind of fallen into a system, but it works well when I stick to the days and times I usually email.

    Another funny thing I noticed - on one of my lists, people opted in for my offers. When I send them a random informational helpful email (related to the offers), people are far less interested! That list prefers the offers. I guess it all depends on WHY your subscribers signed up from you and what you have lead them to EXPECT from your emails.

    ~Ruth
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by Zeus66 View Post

    There's a lot more going on than meets the eye when you do list marketing.

    John
    In scientific research, there's a thing called "confounding variable".

    As an example, early studies found a link between drinking coffee and
    lung cancer. Researchers went nuts trying to figure out the link...
    until some smart cookie suggested that drinking coffee might go hand
    in hand with smoking cigarettes!

    (A multi-variate analysis brought out the connection between smoking
    and lung cancer - and showed no link between coffee drinking and lung
    cancer, at the same time!)

    What's that go to do with this 'test'?

    Simply this. If you ran this test over the last weeks of December and
    first weeks of January, you might have run into a "confounding variable"
    by way of New Year resolutions - to trim down over-stuffed email inboxes!

    People deciding to close out a year (or start a new one) on a different
    track may be watching their inbox more closely than usual, or be more
    trigger-happy than otherwise to delete what looks like a 'too noisy'
    marketer's pitches... and bingo - there you were!

    Not saying that's the case here, but it's likely.

    I've varied my mailing frequency WILDLY (from once a week, to thrice a
    day) and NOT seen any significant change in unsubscribe rates - though
    responsiveness measured by click-through rates did differ.

    All success
    Dr.Mani
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    • Profile picture of the author paulie888
      Originally Posted by drmani View Post

      In scientific research, there's a thing called "confounding variable".

      As an example, early studies found a link between drinking coffee and
      lung cancer. Researchers went nuts trying to figure out the link...
      until some smart cookie suggested that drinking coffee might go hand
      in hand with smoking cigarettes!

      (A multi-variate analysis brought out the connection between smoking
      and lung cancer - and showed no link between coffee drinking and lung
      cancer, at the same time!)

      What's that go to do with this 'test'?

      Simply this. If you ran this test over the last weeks of December and
      first weeks of January, you might have run into a "confounding variable"
      by way of New Year resolutions - to trim down over-stuffed email inboxes!

      People deciding to close out a year (or start a new one) on a different
      track may be watching their inbox more closely than usual, or be more
      trigger-happy than otherwise to delete what looks like a 'too noisy'
      marketer's pitches... and bingo - there you were!

      Not saying that's the case here, but it's likely.

      I've varied my mailing frequency WILDLY (from once a week, to thrice a
      day) and NOT seen any significant change in unsubscribe rates - though
      responsiveness measured by click-through rates did differ.

      All success
      Dr.Mani
      Dr. Mani, thanks for contrasting your experiences with John's. I suppose it's all too easy to fall into the trap of assuming that only one variable is responsible for causing the results that you observe, when there could be other factors at play which we may not have considered.

      At the end of the day, what matters is figuring out how our particular list behaves and reacts, because these are all individual people with different backgrounds and perceptions who may be quite heterogeneous.

      We have to observe how they react to external stimulus from us, and then plan our email schedule and promotions accordingly. What matters is that we become familiar with the traits of our individual list, and then formulate a proper plan of approach in our email marketing based on that.

      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Carter
    Yep, you told your list you was spamming them in the 3rd email.

    They did what they was suppose to do punish the spammer lol.

    I would like to of seen the response if instead of telling them you was spamming in the 3rd email you would of instead told them how happy and excited you was and you was sending out this email all special for your list. How you canceled your day at the park with your wife and kids because you had something really special you wanted to share and just couldn't contain the excitement.

    So what does this tell us?

    You list reads your emails and listens to what you tell them.

    Later,
    Jason
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  • Profile picture of the author jonat2005
    My piece of advice is that email marketers should make their lists look like friends than customers
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  • Profile picture of the author pvn21
    @John: I am in your list and No, I did not unsubscribe as the value and content you provide far outweighs few product pitches in a row.

    Your Weekly IM videos are Excellent (I still cant believe you are not charging anything for them!).So a huge thanks for that.

    I am looking forward to your next mail
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Zeus66 View Post

      I don't hold back with my list. I appreciate Charles and the rest of you mentioning that I may have caused some of the extra unsubs by mentioning it in my email, but that wouldn't have stopped me. If being honest leads to an unsub, that's just as well. But yes, my mentioning that it was the third email in three days may well have been a causal factor in the spike in unsubs, so your point is well taken.
      I'm going to presume that you knew ahead of time that you would be sending three emails in three days, varying your normal sending pattern.

      Rather than being apologetic for the last offer, you could have set high expectations by alerting people to the temporary change in pattern. Tell them that, while you normally email a couple of times a week, you are going to vary that for one week and people will thank you for it.

      Originally Posted by Jason Carter View Post

      I would like to of seen the response if instead of telling them you was spamming in the 3rd email you would of instead told them how happy and excited you was and you was sending out this email all special for your list. How you canceled your day at the park with your wife and kids because you had something really special you wanted to share and just couldn't contain the excitement.

      Later,
      Jason
      Jason, no disrespect, but if I got an email like this, I would check to see if flowers were growing in your ears, for you surely must be full of it.

      To my ear, it rings as phony as the "I twisted my buddy Joe Gooroo's to get you this special discount which you can't get anywhere else..."

      My reaction? Yeah. Right.

      (One of the only examples of two positives combining to form a negative...)
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  • Profile picture of the author charlesburke
    As Dr. Mani pointed out, we may never really know the real reason for unsubscribes. With my own lists, the only thing I know for sure is that unsubscribes happen. They happen when I send pure content emails and they happen with pitch emails... in about equal numbers. Which tells me that it probably isn't actually about the type of emails I send.

    The cause - well, we can guess, but the truth is, we probably won't know for sure. It could be a spate of new resolutions, as Dr. Mani mentioned; it could be something we inadvertently wrote in our note; or it could be the phase of the moon. The thing to do is stop thinking of an unsubscribe as a rejection. In most cases it's not.

    The only thing you really have control over is what YOU do. So just work your business to the best of your ability and carry on providing your subscribers with good, solid information, products and services. That's what they subscribed for, and if you don't live up to your promise, then they will DEFINITELY go elsewhere.

    Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
    Charles

    EDIT - one other point.... I often get emails from lists I've subscribed to, but then their email never mentions who they are, nor makes any mention of the original contact point, so I can't recall them clearly. In cases like that, I'll find myself wondering whether this email is spam or is the mailer just failing to remind me who they are. If they're that forgettable, I figure it's simpler to unsubscribe than to wrack my brain trying to remember them.

    Never fail to make yourself memorable - your survival in the inbox depends on it.
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