Digital Detox: The Pros And Cons – Part 2
Welcome back to our look at how we can avoid being unfollowed and unsubscribed from when customers go on a digital detox. In part 1, we looked at the reasons why people engage with the idea of a digital detox, and some of the reasons why companies become the victims of this often ruthless culling of online activity.
We discussed how frequent communication can be a negative thing, but the value of your communications is also vital. If your emails or social posts are useful, helpful and uplifting they are more likely to make the cut. Listen to what people are saying in the comments of your social media posts and take this feedback on board – it's free! Similarly, use your website analytics to discover what your most popular product and content are and let this influence the frequency and content of your marketing communications.
You can use your unsubscribe rate data to indicate why people may be leaving. If you see a sudden spike in unsubscribes after a particular email, or lots of people leaving your social feeds after a certain post listen to this feedback. Your customers are telling you they don't want that type of content or that they don't hold the same values as you.
If people unsubscribe from your lists or social channels you must respect their decision, but that doesn't mean you can't ask why, or suggest a change to your communications. Putting two or three multiple choice questions on your unsubscribe page, as well as links to your socials, can give you valuable insight into the reasons people want to unsubscribe as well as encouraging them to stay connected in a different way.
Perhaps they just don't want your daily emails clogging up their inbox, but would be happy to follow you on Twitter? Give them the option to do so from the unsubscribe page. You can even offer to reduce the frequency of your messages if they agree to stay on your list – sometimes a compromise can be struck. A tempting “before you go” offer can rescue some potential unsubscribers, and sometimes humour can help restore a relationship and put you back in the wanted pile.
A bold move for companies who send a lot of marketing communications would be to instigate your own digital detox. Send an email to your lists explaining that you're having your own detox and taking a week off sending marketing communications. Giving customers some space can create excitement around your next message, and it's also a fantastic hook for a promotion. After a short period of no contact, a discount or special offer can be all the more appealing to customers, so you can actually help drive sales by backing off. This is a tactic that should be used with a little caution – you know your customers best so determine if they would find a bit of space a welcome break, or whether they would feel abandoned.
If your customers are detoxing from their digital devices you can stay in their lives by remaining relevant, useful, uplifting and supportive. Valuable content will always be wanted, so pay close attention to your analytics data (from websites, social channels and email campaigns) to ensure you've giving customers what they want. Remember that you are just one of many brands communicating to your customers, and give them space and respect. If you're feeling the need for a digital detox yourself, why not do it and learn something from the experience you can use to improve your own marketing?
