Yesterday I discussed why it’s a good idea to clean up your email list and remove people who don’t actively want to hear from you. As I said, it’s a brave step to take, because you’ll lose a large part of your mailing list, and that’s going to take some explanation. But here’s an idea which might justify going through the exercise. Use it to find out more about your prospects. As part of their subscription request, add a short survey.
Now, you’re probably thinking: “If I want them to resubscribe to my emails, the last thing I want to do is to make the process anything other than as simple as possible”. And that’s right. So why not do it as a two-stage process? Ask them to tick a box or click on an email link to (re-)confirm they want to hear from you. Then – as a follow-up – ask them for more information. This could be in a second (confirmatory) email, or on the next web page they see.
It might be marketing data you’re after, or administrative (such as further contact details). It’s up to you. But when they’re in a positive mood, and already part of a process, don’t miss the opportunity.