Email Unsubscribe Rate - [Top 8 Proven Ways To Reduce]

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Email Unsubscribe Rate:

The email unsubscribe rate is a metric that measures the percentage of subscribers who opt out or unsubscribe from your email list.

It's an important metric for email marketers to track, as it can provide insights into the effectiveness of your email marketing strategy and the quality of your email content.

To give you more information, let's go deeper. Also, don't forget to read the FAQs at the end.

Email Unsubscribe Rate Formula:

The email unsubscribe rate is calculated by dividing the number of emails unsubscribed (during a specific period) by the total number of emails sent or delivered, then multiplying that by 100.

"For example, if you sent 1000 emails and 10 people unsubscribed, your unsubscribe rate would be 1%"

A high email unsubscribe rate may indicate that your subscribers are not finding value in your content, or that you are sending too many emails too often.

It may also mean that your emails are not properly targeted to your audience or that they are not personalized enough.

It can also affect your email deliverability and sender reputation, as email providers may view your messages as spam or unwanted.

By monitoring your email unsubscribe rate and taking action to reduce it, you can improve your email engagement and retain more subscribers over time.

Do you know? - “The global email marketing industry is forecast to reach $17.9 billion by 2027. And if you want a slice of the pie, you must realign your email marketing strategy to stay relevant in the ever-evolving digital landscape” – MarketingProfs

How to Reduce Email Unsubscribe Rate?:

First and foremost, it's important to understand why people are unsubscribing.

• Is it because they no longer find your content relevant?

• Are you sending too many emails?

• Is your email design unappealing?

• or any other reasons.

Once you identify the root cause, you can start addressing those issues accordingly.

In fact, your email marketing software dashboard data metrics can provide major insights into how subscribers are really engaging with your email content.

"But fear not, there are ways to reduce your email unsubscribe rate and keep your subscribers engaged too"

The effective ways, strategies, and techniques shared in this post have been proven to work, as evidenced by their inclusion in several successful case studies and industry reports.

For your convenience, they have been condensed here so you can act right away if you feel they are truly helpful. Let's jump in.

Ways To Reduce Email Unsubscribe Rates:

Here are the top eight effective ways to reduce email unsubscribe rates:

1. Personalize Your Emails:

This can be as simple as addressing subscribers by name or including personalized product recommendations based on their past purchases or browsing history.

In fact, various studies have proven this strategy to be highly effective and reduce the unsubscribe rate as it has a personalization touch.

“Email personalization is a consumer expectation–and 80% base buying decisions on it” – Litmus

2. Email Segmentation:

Segment your email list. By dividing your subscribers into smaller groups based on their behavior, interests, or any other criteria, you can tailor your content to their specific needs and preferences.

This will increase the relevance of your emails and keep subscribers engaged.

“As more marketers embrace advanced segmentation techniques, we can finally say goodbye to basic demographics and hello to better relationships with our audiences” - 2023 Marketing Guide Report by Meltwater

Email Marketing Campaign Performance Benchmark Metrics:

3. Offer Incentives:

Another strategy is to offer incentives for staying subscribed. This could be exclusive content, discounts, or even a chance to win a prize.

By showing subscribers that there is value in staying on your email list, they will be more likely to stick around.

“Simply providing the space for engagement may not be enough, however. That's where rewards and incentives come in. They can help drive customer behavior while also compensating customers for their time” – MarketingProfs

4. Email Nurturing:

Adopt email nurturing strategies that involve engaging your subscribers at least twice a week or almost daily.

In fact, this strategy is used frequently by owners of email newsletters to lower unsubscribe rates and leave a good first impression by providing readers with worthwhile content.

You can share blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and any other content that satisfies your subscribers' needs and interests.

Understanding them through surveys and data analytics can benefit you greatly by pointing out what you should do to keep them on your list.

“The key is that you must have a nurturing system that lets your audience see who you are and what world you’re working to create (through your business), not just what you sell” - Social Media Examiner

5. Mobile-Friendly Emails:

It's also important to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. With more and more people checking their emails on their phones, a poorly designed email that doesn't display properly on a mobile device can be a major turn-off.

Make sure your emails are responsive for mobile view.

Image Source - Creative Best Practices by Data Axle

6. Unsubscribe Option:

This is something strange but true. Always provide an easy opt-out option in your emails. Generally, this will be located at the end of your email if you are using email service providers.

While it may seem counterintuitive to make it easy for people to unsubscribe, it's actually better for your overall email deliverability.

Because, if someone wants to unsubscribe but can't find the option, they may mark your email as spam instead, which can hurt your sender's reputation.

“Research also shows that using the word “video” in email subject lines boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and reduces unsubscribes by 26%!” – Wistia

7. Reduce Email Frequency:

If you're sending too many emails, it's likely that some subscribers will get tired of hearing from you and hit the unsubscribe button.

To avoid this, consider reducing the frequency of your emails. You could also give subscribers the option to choose how often they receive emails from you.

8. Provide Value:

Ultimately, the best way to keep subscribers engaged and prevent them from unsubscribing is by providing value in every email you send.

This could include anything that keeps them engaged with you, as long as it is relevant and helpful to them.

You could even become motivated by reading other emails and begin working on them. To learn more, keep trying new things.

“As you realign your email marketing for better performance, focus on creating value for your customers through relevant and valuable content. Emails should contain a balance of value, insights, and promotion” – MarketingProfs

Best Days To Send Emails for Email Engagement:

Image Source - CoSchedule

In conclusion, reducing your email marketing unsubscribe rate requires a combination of strategies that focus on delivering relevant, personalized content that provides value to your subscribers.

Furthermore, by implementing these strategies consistently, you'll be able to keep your subscribers engaged and improve your overall email marketing performance too.

Here's related information that you may find helpful – Email Subject Line Statistics

FAQs:

Average Opt-Out Rate in Email Marketing:

The average opt-out rate in email marketing is 0.1 - 0.2%. Recent research data is also considered here.

What is a Good Unsubscribe Rate?:

A good unsubscribe rate is less than 0.3%

What is a High Unsubscribe Rate?:

A high unsubscribe rate is 0.7% or more. When it goes over 0.3%, it needs to be taken seriously as a warning indicator that something needs to be done to improve. You might benefit from the aforementioned actions.

What is a Normal Unsubscribe Rate?:

A normal unsubscribe rate is 0.1%, though allowed up to 0.2%.

Email Click Rate:

The average email click rate across all industries is 3.01%.

Good Click Rate for Email:

The good click rate for email is perceived to be more than 4%.

Email Deliverability Stats:

Here are the various Email Service Providers (ESPs) email deliverability stats:

Average Email Marketing Response Rates:

The average email open rate across all industries is 41.31%, with a click rate of 3.01% and a bounce rate of 0.41%.

Here's related information that might also be useful to you – 46 Best Email Marketing Campaign Tips To Power Sales [or Conversions].

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