Unsubscribe vs. mark as spam: Which is worse?
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 5:54 am
It is clear that both options sound bad and that the ideal would be for users to neither unsubscribe nor consider us as spam. However, if we analyze in depth the effects and consequences of each and we decide based on which of the two is worse… the balance will always be in favor of unsubscribing. Without a doubt, users marking us as spam is much worse than them unsubscribing from our database . In fact, sometimes unsubscribing is necessary and helps keep the database clean.
Why is it worse when users mark us as spam? Well, the main reason is that spam harms the deliverability of our email marketing campaigns . When a user marks our emails as spam, they directly attack the reputation of our database, so overcoming spam filters will become increasingly difficult and, consequently, we will have more chances of being labeled france mobile phone number list as a spammer and of our emails not reaching the folder they should. However, in the case of unsubscribes, these do not have any kind of negative effect on the deliverability of the emails . As we have already mentioned at the beginning, they can even be something positive to keep the database clean and only have those contacts that are interested in our brand.
According to the ebook “ Adapting to Consumers' New Definition of Spam ” by Litmus, the concept of “Spam” has changed in recent years and no longer refers only to spammers who intend to deceive or steal from people, but today spam is anything that we consider irrelevant in our inbox . Thus, according to Litmus, 43% of consumers tend to send emails to the spam folder because it takes less effort than unsubscribing.
These statements in the Litmus ebook show us the importance that unsubscribing can have in our email marketing campaigns. Even if we lose users, we do not lose reputation. These users are not interested in what we can say to them, and the best thing they can do is say goodbye to us. Otherwise, the effect that their discontent can have on our contact lists can be much more damaging than losing them itself.
Therefore, having an identifiable, quick and easy unsubscribe process will prevent those frustrated users from indiscriminately sending our emails to the spam folder. If what they want is to no longer be part of our database, we must make it as easy as possible for them to do so, because even if we think we are losing a user, in reality we are keeping our database clean and of quality.
That doesn't mean that it's not very important to keep our users happy so that they don't unsubscribe or mark our emails as spam. If we manage to offer them what they need, when they need it, we'll avoid unsubscribing and a bad reputation. That's why (and many other reasons) that we insist so much on the importance of offering a satisfactory user experience. And to achieve this, it's important that you segment your database, personalize your emails, make the design responsive and pleasing to the eyes of users, and offer relevant, quality content .
Why is it worse when users mark us as spam? Well, the main reason is that spam harms the deliverability of our email marketing campaigns . When a user marks our emails as spam, they directly attack the reputation of our database, so overcoming spam filters will become increasingly difficult and, consequently, we will have more chances of being labeled france mobile phone number list as a spammer and of our emails not reaching the folder they should. However, in the case of unsubscribes, these do not have any kind of negative effect on the deliverability of the emails . As we have already mentioned at the beginning, they can even be something positive to keep the database clean and only have those contacts that are interested in our brand.
According to the ebook “ Adapting to Consumers' New Definition of Spam ” by Litmus, the concept of “Spam” has changed in recent years and no longer refers only to spammers who intend to deceive or steal from people, but today spam is anything that we consider irrelevant in our inbox . Thus, according to Litmus, 43% of consumers tend to send emails to the spam folder because it takes less effort than unsubscribing.
These statements in the Litmus ebook show us the importance that unsubscribing can have in our email marketing campaigns. Even if we lose users, we do not lose reputation. These users are not interested in what we can say to them, and the best thing they can do is say goodbye to us. Otherwise, the effect that their discontent can have on our contact lists can be much more damaging than losing them itself.
Therefore, having an identifiable, quick and easy unsubscribe process will prevent those frustrated users from indiscriminately sending our emails to the spam folder. If what they want is to no longer be part of our database, we must make it as easy as possible for them to do so, because even if we think we are losing a user, in reality we are keeping our database clean and of quality.
That doesn't mean that it's not very important to keep our users happy so that they don't unsubscribe or mark our emails as spam. If we manage to offer them what they need, when they need it, we'll avoid unsubscribing and a bad reputation. That's why (and many other reasons) that we insist so much on the importance of offering a satisfactory user experience. And to achieve this, it's important that you segment your database, personalize your emails, make the design responsive and pleasing to the eyes of users, and offer relevant, quality content .