In the world of email marketing, occasions and holidays are year-round customs that often translate into the bread and butter of engagement and conversions. They give brands an opportunity to curate niche messages to promote their products or services.
While it is common for marketers to already have well-defined campaigns in their arsenal of marketing mantras, more and more brands are now letting subscribers opt-out of holiday email lists.
Should you allow subscribers to opt-out of Holiday emails?
Yes!
This is a welcome step towards responsible marketing, and it’s not surprising why. With the growing complexities in marketing, email marketers are often too preoccupied – or simply lack the time – to craft emails that are perfectly targeted to their subscribers.
Many marketers today approach email with a transactional mindset, where email is solely a medium to promote products or services that will directly generate revenue. The focus of the holiday season, however, should be on generating brand perception as opposed to revenue dollars. You should consider using this as an opportunity to not only engage with their subscribers but also nurture them for future sales.
Holiday emails are a great opportunity for marketers to really demonstrate how much their subscribers mean to them. And customer empowerment will always be the key to forging long-term relationships.
“If you love your customers, you should trust them enough to make the right call on whether they want to receive any promotional emails or not.” – Email Uplers
Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and now even Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all special occasions that marketers can capitalize on to boost their brand perception with customers. While there is an unspoken rule in email marketing that it is okay to send emails during holiday seasons, it is also important for brands to balance out their messaging so as not to rely on email subscribers for all their holiday sales.
Here are 5 compelling reasons why marketers should allow subscribers to opt-out of Holiday emails:
1. Email subscribers are your most loyal customers
Email subscribers are an invaluable asset and it is important that they be taken care of. After all, they are the ones who actually take the time to subscribe to your email lists. They have a vested interest in your brand and it is crucial that you nurture them through these special occasions so as not to lose their trust. This includes giving them control over how often they want to receive emails or if they want to receive the emails during this time at all.
2. You always have to keep your email list fresh
Your email lists will run dry over time unless you take great care in keeping them fresh and active. Opt-outs may mean losing a subscriber for good, but the alternative is perhaps even worse: an inactive list. Inactive lists will always yield lower response rates from customers, which is never good news for email marketers.
Email subscribers should always be your priority. Letting them take responsibility for their subscriptions enables you to continue sending them great content that they look forward to receiving.
3. Allowing subscribers to opt-out gives them the power and alleviates marketers from blame
Allowing your customers to take responsibility for their subscriptions does not mean you should sit back and watch while they opt out of your holiday email messaging. Instead, brands should see this as an opportunity to thank them for being loyal subscribers, making them more likely to be receptive to future messages.
This way, customers are not viewed as ‘pushy’ or ungrateful when they opt out. It is actually the opposite – their intentions to opt out should be applauded. Hence, removing any guilt associated with opting out.
4. Customers have a right to choose
First and foremost, it is critical that email marketers realize that their customers have choices. They are the ones who sign up for your emails and as such, you should trust them enough to let them take responsibility for their subscriptions. In other words, they have a right to choose. This may seem obvious but many marketers tend to forget this when sending emails during the holiday seasons.
5. Holiday reminders can be painful for some subscribers
Not all subscribers want to receive holiday emails. Forcing them to receive these messages is not only in bad taste, but can also be viewed as an invasion of privacy. You don’t want subscribers to cringe every time they hear from you, which is why it is a good idea to allow them to opt out.
This is especially true for emotional holiday occasions such as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. For instance, consider a subscriber that has recently lost a parent and does not want to go down the memory lane. Constant holiday pings by any brand during such times can never go down well in such a situation.
See how Anya Hindmarch does it right:
Best Practices For Adding an Opt-out Option To Your Emails
If you’re planning to add an opt-out option in your emails, there are a few best practices that you should follow:
- Make your opt-out option prominent and visible – It is important that you make it easy for customers to find the option. It should not be hard to locate it, which means that you should place it either at the top or bottom of any emails that you send out. You can also include a link in your company’s website or include it in your social media profiles.
- Ensure that your opt-out option works – Test the link before you start sending out emails to ensure that customers don’t have to go through a lot of trouble to opt out. This way, they can avoid searching for an alternative link or calling up your company’s customer service line if they want to opt out of holiday emails.
- Be clear about your intentions – The purpose of allowing customers to opt out is not to punish them or make them feel guilty about their decision. It should be made clear that the opposite is true, which means that you should let them know how much you value their preferences.
- Ensure that this option does not come across as a threat – There is no need to add language that endorses fear in the email body. Your customers should know that they have a choice and this option should not be presented to them as a punishment or a warning.
- Avoid using any pressure tactics – We all know that holidays can be a stressful and busy time and your customers don’t need to feel pressurized in letting you know what they want. The idea is not to make them feel like they have to opt out in order to be nice or polite, which means that you should avoid making any such suggestions.
- Inform subscribers of their opt-in status – If you are planning to send out holiday emails, make sure that your customers know about this in advance. This way, they can plan accordingly and avoid any surprises or disappointments.
- Keep in mind what the holidays are for – It’s also important to remember that the holidays are meant for family and friends, not for bombarding customers with emails or any other promotional messages. Thus, it is important to not overdo holiday emails for promotion.
Conclusion
Overall, allowing your subscribers to control their email preferences is a great way to ensure that they get the most out of your marketing efforts and also keep them engaged with your brand. This means you get higher open rates and lower bounce rates – a win-win situation for both!