As I was doing my year-end office clean-up, I decided to add in a new aspect this year… unsubscribing to email lists.

I can hear you all now… worried it might be your list I am clicking on. Don’t panic! When people unsubscribe it is not always a bad thing.  People building an email or subscriber list should be aiming for quality along with quantity. You want subscribers who will read your emails and check out the information inside, not people who may click and open it but then hit delete, or readers who never take the time to read the contents. If I am a subscriber that never reads your newsletter, do I really bring you any value by being on your list?

Readers who unsubscribe help keep your list up-to-date with interested subscribers.  Notifications that someone has unsubscribed is not anything to panic about unless you see large numbers leaving – then you may want to take a second look at your email plans – how often you send emails, what the content is and any feedback you receive.

There are various reasons people will unsubscribe,  generally it happens  when they are no longer interested in the content or  receive emails too frequently.  Emarketer has a great article on reasons behind people unsubscribing.

So remember, it does not always mean panic, it could be a good thing and helps you clean up your list and have a list with more people in your target market as opposed to just being there for numbers.  As the reader, it also helps you keep your inbox filled with information you will use and read.   How often do you clean out your subscription list?

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