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Email Marketing Trick, Or Shady Practice!??

by celente
17 replies
We were in discussions today about people using blank spaces in email.

You know when you see a bigger marketer putting tonnes of breaks and white space in-between the text you read and the unsubscribe link. TO try and hide it out of view.

Do you think this is a clever trick to decrease the email unsubscribes...or a shady practice??


Would like to know your thoughts.??
#email #marketing #practice #shady #trick
  • Profile picture of the author spectrefax
    Keeping people on your list who don't want to be there doesn't make much sense to me. If they want to get off your list, it's not likely they are going to purchase something from you instead.
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  • Profile picture of the author thehypnoguy
    The rules only require the link to be in the email not to be readily accessible so as to make it top of mind. Of course if you make people scroll alot to get to the bottom and see what is there you have then done the reverse and brought it to their attention. Your personal ethics on this type of matter would have to dictate your actions.

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author WinstonT
    I agree with spectrefax. While the size of a list matters, what really matters isn't just the size, but whether the list contains targeted subscribers. If the subscriber treats your email like a junk mail, there shouldn't be a high tendency for the subscriber to check out what you have in store for him/her.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Peters Benn
    Blank spaces are a dirty trick. Pure and simple.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
      A few blank spaces are smart because it helps prevent accidental unsubscribes. I found this out the hard way.

      However, if you make me scroll an entire page (or worse), you pretty much guarantee that I won't ever buy from you in the future.
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      • Profile picture of the author SandyDuPlessis
        Originally Posted by Tina Golden View Post

        A few blank spaces are smart because it helps prevent accidental unsubscribes. I found this out the hard way.

        However, if you make me scroll an entire page (or worse), you pretty much guarantee that I won't ever buy from you in the future.
        You couldn't have said it better! If I am obliged to scroll down an entire page to see the unsubscribe link then then it is guaranteed that I will unsubscribe.
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      • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
        Here's another approach...

        Place an unsubscribe at the TOP of your autoresponder
        messages to make it as EASY as possible for people to
        unsubscribe if they want to.

        You'll also get fewer spam complaints that way.

        Dedicated to mutual success,

        Shaun
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        .

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        • Profile picture of the author celente
          Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly View Post

          Here's another approach...

          Place an unsubscribe at the TOP of your autoresponder
          messages to make it as EASY as possible for people to
          unsubscribe if they want to.

          You'll also get fewer spam complaints that way.

          Dedicated to mutual success,

          Shaun
          Funny you say that, as I have done this once or twice.

          I would rather have people that want my stuff, other than complainers.

          I use to think unsubscribes were bad and not good for my business. But think again, it is the best thing I can ever hope for. Gets all those that i do not need, or want away from me and my business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Charlotte Jay
    This is one of the most ANNOYING practices to me. And if you keep doing it in your email blasts, then guess what? UNSUBSCRIBE!
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  • Profile picture of the author AceOfShirts
    I have to agree with every example of how it is shady given above.

    To be honest, I can't think of a single reason why it is a good idea other than to hide the unsubscribe link.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      I don't think it's a "clever" trick, at all. More a stupid one, which is contrary to everyone's interests, including the marketer. Who doesn't want people to do some of their list-cleaning for them? :confused:

      A small space is perhaps sensible to reduce the chances of accidental clicks, but a space big enough to be intended to hide the unsubscribe link is just silly.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        I have found that actually placing the unsubscribe link with a reminder of subscription date at the top and very bottom keeps your list clean. Making it easy for your subscribers to escape shows how effective your copy is.
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  • Profile picture of the author LB
    Do you really believe someone who is too stupid to scroll down 10 spaces is smart enough to know what to do even when they see the link?

    These people just click "spam".

    5 or 10 spaces is just smart to keep people from clicking it erroneously. I've personally clicked unsub links when I meant to click on the offer link.

    If someone is putting like 100 spaces there, then sure, that's lame.

    I think if you're NOT putting in a few spaces between the end of the message and your unsub link, then you're actually doing a disservice to the people who want to stay on your list. You're making your message harder to read, and you're making it easier for them to make a mistake.

    There's a difference between clean formatting and deception. I've been putting about 10 spaces above the links in my mail for over 10 years and I've NEVER had a complaint about it.

    I just scanned emails from about 10 different warriors, and all of them had at least 5 spaces. A couple had 15-20.

    I think we are splitting some serious hairs here.
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  • Profile picture of the author VegasGreg
    I have always thought
    it was good practice and
    ok to add spaces below
    the email, but was just
    thinking 5-10 spaces, not
    30-50++ spaces.

    That way it is out of site
    and out of mind to be clicked
    either accidentally or on
    purpose.

    But I can see how excessive
    spacing would be bad.

    I think the narrow spacing
    in promotional emails is worse
    than the bottom space though,
    and just screams ADVERTISEMENT.

    Those get more of my unsub clicks
    than extra bottom space.

    My 2 cents...
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  • Profile picture of the author TrumpiaTim
    A bit deceiving don't you think?
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  • Profile picture of the author royljestr
    Well, everyone can certainly express their feelings on this...however CAN-SPAM only dictates that you have to have an unsubscribe feature (AND HONOR IT). So, I don't see how you can call it shady because it certainly is within the confines of the law.

    The REAL issue is when you start to use misleading subject lines like:

    "You Payment Info"

    and stuff like that. That is TOTALLY Illegal.

    For more info you can read my thread on this topic http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...nceptions.html
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve Peters Benn
      Originally Posted by royljestr View Post

      Well, everyone can certainly express their feelings on this...however CAN-SPAM only dictates that you have to have an unsubscribe feature (AND HONOR IT). So, I don't see how you can call it shady because it certainly is within the confines of the law.

      The REAL issue is when you start to use misleading subject lines like:

      "You Payment Info"

      and stuff like that. That is TOTALLY Illegal.

      For more info you can read my thread on this topic http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...nceptions.html


      Ahhh... that stuff drives you mad. Excessive spacing might seem shady but it doesn't actively cause problems. Those kind of headlines really do.

      I've had students get really excited thinking they have made cash, when of course they havn't and no check is in the post....
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