MindComet

An Illustrated Example of Over Sending

Pure brilliance, found on bradcolbow.com:

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Posted by Bryan Quilty on Sep. 10, 2010

Please Release Me

What if every time you wanted to unsubscribe from a list, you had to reply with this video?

I think the email marketing community totally needs to embrace this idea and shoot for a new rule provision for the CAN-SPAM act. So along with the existing rules of including a one-click opt-out link, the physical address of the mailer and a non-deceptive subject line, we can add the option of also opting-out by replying to the mailer with this video or any recording of it.

Let’s make it happen, people. Humperdinck ‘10.

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Posted by Bryan Quilty on Nov. 12, 2009

I Almost Opted Not to Opt Out

I love my personal Gmail account.  I’ve had the account for about two years and haven’t received any spam until so I thought the other day.  I received an email from “Plow & Hearth.“  I’m not familiar with the brand and therefore am pretty sure I didn’t ask to receive their marketing emails but assume I must have opted in somewhere to somebody’s partners communications, thus how Plow & Hearth ended up in my inbox. 

Regardless when I went to go opt out I was pleasantly surprised in their opt out process.  Upon clicking the opt out link, I was presented with options including the option to stay on Plow & Hearth’s list if they reduce the number of emails they sent to me.  Although it was a nice attempt, since this was my first email from them and I knew I wasn’t interested from the beginning, decreasing the amount they mailed to me wasn’t going to weigh in on my decision to opt out.  So I clicked the unsubscribe link and was taken to the confirmation page saying I had been unsubscribed.  However this page also had additional data points the brand was collecting which included questions inquiring on why I had opted out. 

I responded with not remembering signing up for Plow & Hearth emails but also liked that their was an optional box that I could fill in, in case none of the options were relevant to my opting out.  After submitting my answer, I was taken to one last page which again confirmed I had unsubscribed but also included a nice little message from Plow & Hearth and a call to action to shop for gifts or to shop the outlet.  Although it was only a two click unsubscribe process, the opt out process in total took me through 4 clicks but they were all clicks that I did not mind.  All in all, Im left with a postiive brand image of Plow & Hearth and am now more familiar with their brand.  I may not opt back into their newsletter but I may consider checking out their product offerings in the future. 

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Posted by MindComet on Jun. 01, 2009

How to NOT Survey Your Subscribers

Now, I’m a big believer in leveraging email as a means to receive feedback from your customers.  All companies need feedback. All companies need to listen to what their customer wants.  Especially from those who care enough to opt in and have their inboxes filled with emails on a daily / weekly / monthly basis. 

This core base of customers should be nurtured and NOT taken for granted.  It pains me to receive surveys on a consistent basis that never offer an incentive. This incentive doesn’t have to be much. A little something goes a long way.

Take this survey email below for example.  It’s from Condé Nast, a publishing company that prints magazines from the likes of WIRED, GQ and Vanity Fair.  So since I’m a part of the “exclusive sample” of readers you’d think they’d offer me something.  I mean, I’m offering them my valuable time and opinion… so what am I getting in return?

Well, it turns out, NOTHING!  I actually took the time to fill out the stupid survey—first answering some demographical questions—then when I submitted my age, location and annual salary the following screen read “Thank you very much for your interest in our survey. Unfortunately you did not qualify for today’s survey. Because our research was targeted at individuals that match a particular profile, not everyone who receives an initial e-mail will qualify to take the survey. Please be assured that information is not recorded unless a survey is successfully completed.“

Wait, what?  Seriously?  First of all, there’s no dash in “e-mail” anymore. Get with the times, grandpa.  Secondly, you’re not going to remember that I’m a 26 year old in Florida making less than 75k a year?  Why not?  So you’re telling me that the next time you send out a survey, I’ll click through and start filling out my demographic info only to be denied again!?  I’m sorry, but that is lazy, short-sighted and for lack of a better term, bone-headed.  Why aren’t you capturing this information now, so you’re better prepared for future surveys?  This was a perfect opportunity to gain some insight into all of your “exclusive” members to send more effective messages in the future.  What a waste.

So my next (and final) course of action is to opt out.  They did it to themselves. Once I click and get to the unsubscribe page, it will only allow me to opt out from all WIRED-associated emails, not just Condé Nast emails.  So what do I do now?  I actually enjoying reading the WIRED newsletters, but I don’t want any more of these annoying time-wasting surveys.  Decisions, decisions. 

Well, I guess that’s why I have an actual subscription to the print magazine.  So long, WIRED!  Thank your publishing company for one less subscriber.

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Posted by MindComet on Dec. 02, 2008