How I Lose 2 Subscribers Per Day
Last time I told you how I gain subscribers, today I’ll tell you about losing subscribers. Currently I have about 10% of my list unsubscribed. So 4648 subscribers now means I could have 464 more or 5112 subscribers. Especially when your list is small, it can be very frustrating seeing a person unsubscribe.
However, you shouldn’t focus on that number. Yes, you should be aware of it, but realistically no matter how good you are people are going to unsubscribe. It’s just life. People decide they want to stop getting so many emails, they unsubscribe. They change email addresses and don’t update it on your list, it bounces and they get unsubscribed. Or, they don’t like what you’ve been sending out and unsubscribe.
This will happen, so don’t get frustrated when it does. That being said you should be aware of the number, because if it’s very high you’ll want to consider the types of emails you are sending out and how often. The key here however is what your subscribers expect from the get go.
If I tell you I’ll email you once a week about traffic exchanges, but then start emailing you 5 times a week about dogs, you’ll unsubscribe. You subscribed to my list for a reason, you wanted something. As long as I keep giving that something to you, you’ll stay.
So the key is two fold: 1) make sure your subscribers know what they are subscribing to from the beginning, and 2) stay on topic and give them what they expect.
Also one more bit to think about, if you are making money off your list, is how much money you make before someone unsubscribes. Even if EVERYONE unsubscribes after 10 days, if you make sales or commissions during those 10 days it might very well be worth it. This all depends entirely on what you are using your list for though.
Tim i agree with you 100% something you did not mention is that people unsubscribe because they get duplicate emails like me I have been getting duplicate emails. with your last post I assumed I was getting duplicate emails because i was a member of startexchange and because I was also subscribed to your blog so I unsubscribed from your blog thinking I would still receive your email since I was a member of startexchange well all emails have stopped so I am confused and the emails I was receiving was at 2 different email addresses.
I posted a comment to soon I ventured to the blog before aweber had sent out the mail
The good info never stops! Yours is the only blog I’m actually subscribed to, and I’m planning on staying for a while.
You really deliver the goods!
Thanks,
Carole
Hey Tim, how are you today? If you are losing people on your list it is not a bad thing unless you are losing all of them, the ones that leave probably didn’t need to be there to start with.
Maybe I am strange but I am on about 20 lists and get about 250 emails a day and I read every one of them! takes about an hour or so but it generally is worth it because it keeps me up to speed on what is going on.
The only ones I dump are the ones that send a message saying “You have made such and such money”
which I didn’t ofcourse so they go byebye. I can’t stand that garbage.
Great post , keep rockin, Tim
I started another blog at;
http://iblog.at/timothymillar if you have time to check it out, nothing fancy yet, but it will be soon. Have a wonderful day!
Timothy Millars lastest blog post..The Truth about Top Google Rankings
Hi Tim,
enjoy your emailings and your blog! I should be a subscriber for sometime!
Keep on Blogging!
Beth
I agree with Carole, this is the only blog I belong at present and I think I’ll stick around for a while.
Great Tim – You blog is one among the few blogs I regularly read. Keep coming with new ideas. I like the fact that you are writing your hurdles.
Maybe I will start my own blog site soon -LOL!!
Best,
NJS
great Tim, I can sure use that information
I had been building my list, but I never really sent out any advertisements. Awhile ago, I decided that I needed to start mailing once a week. In the first 2 weeks, about 10% of my list unsubscribed, but since then it has leveled off, and I rarely have any unscubscribes. I figure if those people unsubscribed because I was advertising to them, then I didn’t really have any use for them on my list anyway.
Travis Millwards lastest blog post..Twitter and AWeber – A Perfect Partnership!
Good Point. You have to “keep yer eye on the ball’ to get a sense of any trends developing in your business. However, if watching the trend consumes positive time to develop new business, then it becomes a double whammy and the time cost becomes become high.
Balance is a practice that applies to all business. Finding the “sweet spot” of timing and content produces positive results.
Hi Tim
It’s great that someone actually talks about those subscribers who unsubscribe. With all the hype one tends to think that this only happens to their list, but it is obviously a common occurrence.
Michelle Jayes / Online Income Opportunities
Hey Tim I use to get my shorts all in a ruffle if someone dropped off my list. I use to think those people didn’t like me. Now I figured if they don’t want what I have to offer they can save me the bandwidth. We build lists to make sales not to make friends.
Good blog post. Keep’em coming!
yeah good info yet again Tim. Your blog is the only 1 I belong to also and I love getting your emails.
Bill and Shirlene
Mailing lists are like churches, clubs, favorite restaurants (or bars), etc. People come, people go because people are people.
The important part is getting more people coming than going.
Mailing lists are like churches, clubs, favorite restaurants (or bars), etc. People come, people go because people are people.
A factor not mentioned is the 97% who fail at IM, they don’t wish to learn more, they don’t wish to be reminded of their failure in their in-box.
The important part is getting more people coming than going.
Tim, as always right on.
One thing I have FUN with is send the unsubscribed a person E-mail with a very valuable GIFT of appreciation…
Amazing how many come back
Chuck Bartoks lastest blog post..Where is Your Mindset? Are we Really Suffering “Grave Economic Reversals?”
Yep those 2 are vital.
“So the key is two fold: 1) make sure your subscribers know what they are subscribing to from the beginning”
Two main points are not to excaggarate too much on the squeeze page/optin form, and not to lie, never lie.
Ragnars lastest blog post..Squeeze Page Mastery – Article Traffic and Exchange Traffic.
Great post tim, and also good tip Chuck about sending a gift.
i usually send a confirmation message stating that they have successfully unsubscibed.
Perhaps i can send them a link to a page with a direct download link for a valuable gift and ask them why they left on that page and also ask them to reconsider subscribing.
in other words use the gift to gather feedback and ask them to give me another chance – but without making them subscribe to get the gift.
good idea