Should I Send a Follow-Up Email After Someone Unsubscribes from My Newsletter?

[babywings76]

I had someone unsubscribe who frequently clicks on links from my newsletter, so I'm kind of baffled. I thought I'd send her an email confirming her removal from my list but saying something about how I'll still be here should she ever need anything, etc.

Any great wording suggestions?

 

[Sheila]

You have been successfully unsubscribed from my newsletter. I appreciate having had you as a valued customer. Please bookmark my web link and should you find yourself in need of a consultant in the future, I hope that you will consider me first.

 

[NooraK]

I like Sheila's wording. Do you use iContact? Do you also have a "complaint"? It's possible her ISP flagged an email as SPAM, which automatically unsubscribes the user in iContact. She may not even know. I had this happen to a friend. The worst part is that you can't resubscribe her, she has to click the link on one of your emails to manager her subscription.

 

[babywings76]

Thanks Sheila--I love the wording. Noora, that's a great question! I didn't realize iContact does that. When I tracked my message, I saw that she clicked on 2 image link (she looked at the grill tray and the green chef's knife.) Then I got 2 notifications that she unsubscribed. It was very odd. This is partly why I wanted to e-mail her something. Because if she didn't mean to unsubscribe, then she can say something. But if she's just odd, then so be it!

 

[babywings76]

Noora, I was thinking of adding instructions like "If you were unsubscribed in error, please..."So what do you think properly stated instructions would be if she wanted to rejoin my list?

 

[NooraK]

"If you unsubscribed in error, you can go back to my original email and click the "Manage Your Subscription" link at the bottom. Once an address is unsubscribed, I am not able to edit the status." Or something to that effect.

This works if she still has one of your emails. An alternate would be to create a new list for people who have unsubscribed but wish to re-subscribe, and then send your newsletter to both lists when you send it out. However, the 2 different unsubscribes probably means that she not only unsubscribed from that particular group, but from receiving emails from you all together. If this is the case, she's the only one that can resubscribe herself, even to any other list you have. If the email was marked SPAM, this is what happens.

This is one of the things I really disliked with iContact. I had a good friend whose ISP marked my newsletter as SPAM, and there was no way I could get her signed up again, even with a secondary list, and she no longer had the newsetter.

 

[esavvymom]

"If you unsubscribed in error, you can go back to my original email and click the "Manage Your Subscription" link at the bottom. Once an address is unsubscribed, I am not able to edit the status." Or something to that effect.

This works if she still has one of your emails. An alternate would be to create a new list for people who have unsubscribed but wish to re-subscribe, and then send your newsletter to both lists when you send it out. However, the 2 different unsubscribes probably means that she not only unsubscribed from that particular group, but from receiving emails from you all together. If this is the case, she's the only one that can resubscribe herself, even to any other list you have. If the email was marked SPAM, this is what happens.

This is one of the things I really disliked with iContact. I had a good friend whose ISP marked my newsletter as SPAM, and there was no way I could get her signed up again, even with a secondary list, and she no longer had the newsetter.

I agree Noora. It's poor programming in my opinion. But you say it as if you no longer use iContact? Did you find something else to use in place of iContact?

 

[NooraK]

I've switched over to MailChimp. It's free for the same amount of subscribers as I was using iContact for. I have to edit my newsletter in HTML format because it doesn't have an editor like iContact does, but it's worth it for the money I save each month.

Plus, from what I can tell, the unsubscribe system is a bit different.

Although, I can't see who clicked my links.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

You guys may want to check out emailbrain.com. Costs half of what iContact does....shows who clicked what....and doesn't seem to have that programming issue.

 

[babywings76]

I've switched over to MailChimp. It's free for the same amount of subscribers as I was using iContact for. I have to edit my newsletter in HTML format because it doesn't have an editor like iContact does, but it's worth it for the money I save each month.

Plus, from what I can tell, the unsubscribe system is a bit different.

Although, I can't see who clicked my links.

I have no idea how to edit in HTML format, so I don't think I'd be comfortable with that option.

You guys may want to check out emailbrain.com. Costs half of what iContact does....shows who clicked what....and doesn't seem to have that programming issue.

Hmm, I'll have to look into that. How is it with editing?

Also, do these have the same "success" rate at getting through to the different e-mail providers as iContact?

Constant contact is another one of those systems, anyone know about how it works and compares?

 

[NooraK]

I have no idea how to edit in HTML format, so I don't think I'd be comfortable with that option.

It's really not that hard. You just have to find the text you want to change within all the mumbo jumbo.

 

[Sheila]

I just tested the iContact "resubscribe" theory via the e-mail link to the customer. You can get to the page with your e-mail address, but it won't let you select on the newsletter group again. The option is in gray & no longer clickable. Once someone unsubscribes, they can not re-subscribe to the same group with the same e-mail. If they just unsubscribed from the one group, they could join another group that you e-mail to.If they clicked the option:

Do Not Contact
Add me to your "Do Not Contact" list This will stop all emails from this sender, regardless of your subscription status above.

they can not subscribe to ANY of your lists with the same e-mail address, they would have to provide a new e-mail address to start getting your newsletters again.

 

[NooraK]

I just tested the iContact "resubscribe" theory via the e-mail link to the customer. You can get to the page with your e-mail address, but it won't let you select on the newsletter group again. The option is in gray & no longer clickable. Once someone unsubscribes, they can not re-subscribe to the same group with the same e-mail. If they just unsubscribed from the one group, they could join another group that you e-mail to.

If they clicked the option:

Do Not Contact
Add me to your "Do Not Contact" list This will stop all emails from this sender, regardless of your subscription status above.

they can not subscribe to ANY of your lists with the same e-mail address, they would have to provide a new e-mail address to start getting your newsletters again.

This is exactly why I was not happy with iContact. I couldn't ask my friend to create a new email address just so she could receive my emails again.

 

[quiverfull7]

You guys may want to check out emailbrain.com. Costs half of what iContact does....shows who clicked what....and doesn't seem to have that programming issue.

WOW... they truly are way cheaper. How long have you been with them? I use Mike's newsletter. How hard is it to import/load it to this site? I'm looking to expand my list but didn't dare upgrade my iContact plan because of finances. I'm SO glad someone started this thread.

Another question... was it hard to load your contacts on ebrain?

 

[NooraK]

I think DebinIA uses emailbrain.com, she mentioned it in her "Increase Your PWS Results" recording. I'm going to stick with MailChimp for right now, as long as I can get the service for free. Once I go past 500 contacts and I'm looking at having to pay, I'll research all the different services out there to see what works the best.

 

[Curlyone]

NooraK,

Shiela's wording is really great! And so are the updates. I had the same thing happen to one of my customers because she forwarded her newsletter to a friend and THEY clicked on the link at the bottom to unsubscribe her. I now use a word of caution in my newsletter when suggesting to forward.

"Please feel free to forward this newsletter to everyone you know. (But first, delete the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom or you may find that one of your 'friends' has taken YOU off my free subscription list."


I got the wording off of Ron Mueller's email. He's with Home Business Tax Savings .com

 

[Cr8vKitchen]

I use Constant Contact (Email Marketing Solutions from Constant Contact) and really like it. I can use either templates they have or completely create my own from scratch. It also provides reports to see how opened the newsletter, which links they clicked on, etc. I've gotten several shows from my newsletter so I've been very happy with it thus far!