Navigating the inbox: Knowing when to say goodbye

Saying goodbye is never easy. It can be difficult and complicated, but when it comes to your email program it may be a necessary task. What makes it so difficult for marketers to say farewell? Largely it is tied to the fact that they still want to try to engage and the customer hasn’t specifically said goodbye – they’ve just gone silent. But determining how much silence is equivalent to “so long” varies by customer.

There is a lot of advice out there about suppressing recipients if they haven’t engaged in “x” days – I’m not here to give that advice. You should definitely be mindful of waning engagement from your subscribers and look at ways you can augment or alter how or what is being communicated. But simply suppressing these audiences is only something that should be applied when deliverability issues are on the horizon (and definitely if you are in the middle of issues).

What are some things to consider as you work your way through the emotional gauntlet to goodbye?

Sometimes customers just need a break

Provide options or mechanisms for customers to opt-down via a preference centre, instead of opting out completely.

Don’t keep them prisoner – If you love someone set them free

Keep your unsubscribe language clear and the link visible. If someone really wants out (and they can’t find or understand your unsubscribe language) they will simply report your message as SPAM or Junk. Allowing them a simple way to unsubscribe is the better alternative.

Some just like to admire from afar

Don’t forget that no matter what engagement metrics indicate your email makes an impression on a subscriber, even if they don’t open it. Pay attention to activity or purchases outside of email to determine channel activity elsewhere. Even if they aren’t engaging with email in the way you’d like it could still be keeping the brand top of mind.

To learn more check out our infographic: