Mishandling Your Opt-Outs Can Hurt Your Business
By Ron 20 November 2008 under Tips & Best Practices(Via deliverability.com) According to Return Path, even top firms can’t seem to get it right when it comes to managing subscriber opt-outs or unsubscribes. It turns out that many of them still lack proper IT setup to help them manage opt-outs and some of these top firms even violate the CAN-SPAM Act.
What I took away from this report, however, is not the fact that even top firms are having problems with opt-outs (not like it should give you justification that you can mess this up too, right?) but rather the point raised by Bonnie Malone, director of strategic services for Return Path.
She points out that when your subscribers opt out of your list, it does not necessarily mean that they are no longer a customer. This means, if you do not handle your opt-outs correctly, you may end up giving a negative impression to your customers. Need a real-life example? Incidentally, Laura Atkins of Word to the Wise just got into this same situation with AT&T who kept sending her emails despite her repeated opting out of their numerous mailing lists.
It cannot be stressed enough that respecting your subscribers’ wish to be unsubscribed from your lists is of utmost importance. Be it small or large companies or organizations, your reputation will only stand to lose if you fumble on your opt-outs and inadvertently cause frustration in your customers and would-be customers alike.
