People will opt-out of your emails. And that’s ok.
It’s better to for your audience to say “hey, I don’t want you in my inbox” than for you to keep emailing that person and their nonresponsiveness to negatively impact your email metrics (or worse, for them to click the spam button! 😱)
But there is a way B2B companies can re-engage folks when they’re in the process of opting out. And no, it’s not sending them an email to confirm they want to opt-out 🙅♀️ or making them select that they’re a cotton-headed ninnymuggins 🤦 to unsubscribe.
Add an opt-in form to your unsubscribe page. The form headline should read: “Do you want to subscribe with a different email address?”
Here’s why it works:
When an employee leaves a company, their emails are forwarded to a colleague, who may or may not be their replacement. The person receiving the forwarded emails didn’t opt in to hear from you, and they have enough emails to read managing two inboxes. However, you just might convert that new person into a subscribers. Creating a easy opt-in and opt-out experience is one way to build trust with that new person.
For one of my clients, we implemented this change a few years ago. Since that time, 25 people have opted in on the unsubscribe page! While 25 people may not sound like a lot, that’s 25 people (and companies) we would have lost our contact with otherwise.