Do you know who's on your email list? | MarTech

"It's easy to assume email problems come from the people hitting send. But sometimes the real issue is much bigger - and higher up the org chart. If you're in senior leadership and your email metrics feel like a slog with low opens, lower clicks and unsubscribes creeping up, it's tempting to blame the email team. Before you do, ask yourself: Do you actually know who's on your list and why they're there?"

"But compared to how many people actually clicked, the real story emerges - the unsubscribe-to-click and spam-complaint-to-click rates were off the charts. When negative engagement (unsubscribes or spam reports) outweighs positive engagement (clicks), that's a major red flag. The list was built entirely from website opt-ins. So far, so good, right? Here's the rub. The website's only goal was to generate leads for the sales team - and it did, maybe a little too well."

"The list was built entirely from website opt-ins. Anyone who entered an email address into a form on the site was dropped into an aggressive (but efficient) lead-nurturing journey with rep outreach. After a few calls and follow-ups, you either became a client, were deemed unqualified or said thanks but no thanks. Then you were tossed into the ongoing email program."

Senior leadership may misattribute low open and click rates to email teams without checking list composition and acquisition purpose. A B2B financial services company showed low opens and click-through rates while unsubscribe and spam complaint rates appeared acceptable in isolation. When compared to clicks, unsubscribe-to-click and spam-complaint-to-click ratios revealed unusually high negative engagement. The subscriber list consisted entirely of website opt-ins funneled into an aggressive sales lead-nurturing journey. After sales outreach, many contacts were moved into the ongoing email program regardless of qualification or interest. The program sent two monthly emails—a promotional offer and a newsletter—resulting in misaligned messaging for an audience that was often uninterested.

Read at MarTech