Lessons from the Inbox: E-mail Preference Centers
When you get to the point where you are offering multiple newsletters to your subscribers, consider creating an e-mail preference center, or a “Manage Your Subscriptions’ page. Not only will this type of page help your subscribers clarify which newsletters they have agreed to receive, but if you list your other offerings, it may even spark the interest to sign up for more. What’s more, it’s a terrific way to forge a stronger relationship with your customers.
Your e-mail preference center should include the following:
*Every e-mail newsletter you offer, with an easy way to subscribe and unsubscribe (like a check-off box)
*A way to update subscriber profile or information
*An e-mail change-of-address (ECOA) form
*A listing of the frequency of every mailing
*A tell-a-friend form
*A feedback link
*Prominent links to your privacy policy
You can include prompts for additional demographic information, such as gender, age, geographic location, household income, etc., but don’t make this information mandatory or you risk losing any existing subscribers who wish to keep this information private. Promotions for product and services are also fine, but don’t make them too prominent. Remember that your subscribers will view this as a management tool, not a marketing vehicle.
Making it Work
Even though your subscribers will view the e-mail preference center as an administrative page, you always need to keep in mind that it is a key part of your overall e-mail marketing initiative and should not be treated as an afterthought. It needs to encourage subscribers to stay on your lists while honoring all unsubscribe requests, all the while making the whole process fast and easy.
Think of it as the customer service desk at your favorite store: it’s there to help you return things you don’t like or need and find the things you do. Most importantly, it’s always positioned in a place where you’ll need to walk by some other great stuff free.
That said, don’t forget to make it easy to find—promote it in your welcome message and e-mail footers. Be sure that there are compelling calls to action for each newsletter. And of course, make it interactive with surveys or feedback forms.
Matt Blumberg and Michael Mayor are the driving forces behind Return Path, an e-mail performance company. Collaborating with them on this project are their colleagues, e-mail strategists Stephanie A. Miller and Tami Monahan Forman. This article was excerpted from their new book, “Sign Me Up! A Marketer’s Guide to Creating E-mail Newsletters That Build Relationships and Boost Sales (iUniverse Inc., 2005) © 2005 Return Path, Inc. All rights reserved.
