When thinking about email marketing, you probably focus on campaigns, open rates, and other important statistics. How often do you consider unsubscribers? Learning how to boost your subscriber count is important, but it’s also vital that you track your unsubscriber rate and take action to lower it. 

While email subscribers naturally come and go, it’s your goal as a K12 email marketer to keep your list growing and healthy. Aside from regularly assessing your email list for any accuracy issues, you can also take certain key strategies to reduce your email unsubscribe rates. By learning a few things, you can take matters into your own hands. 

 

1. Optimize Your Design

First, take a moment to check in with your design. It doesn’t take a degree to recognize why good design matters. Which email would you rather interact with? One that’s modern, well-designed, and easy to understand or one that’s outdated and clunky? The answer is clear.

Because good design isn’t always easy to define, follow these tips:

 

• Mobile-friendly – First, ensure your emails are easy to read on mobile devices since over 70% of people read email on their phone. 
• Organized – Instead of trying to fit too much into a single email, limit your messages to key information. If you must include a lot, organize everything into clear sections so it’s easy to review. 
• Consistent – Be consistent with your design throughout emails. Using the same colors and branding keeps your emails recognizable. 

 

2. Use Clear Copy

If you’re noticing a rise in your unsubscribe rate, you might need some help with your copy. Your email copy includes things like your email subject line, email content, and even your from field. 

Good copy tells a store and connects with readers. Since you’re writing to an audience of K12 professionals, reach them on their level with the following:

 

• Short and sweet – Your copy should be focused and to the point. K12 professionals are busy. They don’t have time to read through complicated emails. 
• Flow – Do your points flow together and make sense? Always read your copy through to ensure it goes together easily. 
• Story – Finally, find the story. Relate to your users’ emotions to make a powerful impact. 

 

3. Be Transparent

A lot of users unsubscribe because your emails don’t end up meeting their expectations. You can change this by being upfront and transparent from the start. From your landing pages to your welcome email, let your subscribers know what’s in it for them. What can they expect to see from your emails?

In addition, be transparent about data and privacy. This is one of the biggest concerns today. If your users don’t feel like their information is secure, they’ll unsubscribe. Be clear about how you use data on your website and in your email forms, and always be mindful of users’ privacy. 

 

4. Test Your Emails

It’s easy to get complacent when it comes to your email marketing, especially if you’ve done this for a while. Instead, get in the habit of testing your emails before they reach your audience. You might be surprised to learn that your messages are being caught as spam or that they aren’t delivering properly. 

Before each email, do the following:

 

• Proofread – Small mistakes might not seem like a big deal, but they send the wrong message about your brand. 
• Test message – Send a test email through your email to your own email or multiple addresses (preferably different providers). 
• A/B testing – If you’re not sure how to make your emails perform better, start A/B testing. By sending two different versions of your email, you’ll start to recognize how to boost your response. 

 

5. Always Adapt

Email marketing is always changing. What worked a few months ago might not work today. As an email marketer, much of this process is learning as you go. The K12 industry changes rapidly, especially in modern times. Your email marketing needs to keep up with these changes to reduce unsubscribes. 

The best way to adapt is to collect important data like click-through rates, open rates, reply rates, and so on. Store and analyze your data so you can learn from it. Soon, it will become clear which type of content reduces your subscriber count.

 

Keep K12 Email Users Engaged

In the world of K12, time is everything. These busy professionals juggle a lot at once, and they don’t always have the time to engage with emails. How do you keep your current email subscribers engaged and excited about your email campaigns? While there’s no magic formula, you can take these tips above seriously to protect your current subscribe counts. 

With email marketing, growth is always the goal. If you notice a decline in your email count, it’s time to take action. Luckily, a few key adjustments go a long way. 

 

 

In the best of times, your email marketing is easy to automate. Once you have your K12 email marketing plan prepared, it’s easy to set it and let it run without too much worry. However, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. 

National emergencies, terrorist attacks, and pandemics catch us off guard, shutting down business as we know it. While everyone is affected, this is especially true for schools. 

While most brands have some type of plan for sending crisis messaging, it usually stops here. What happens when these changes continue into the foreseeable future? How do you respond in a way that boosts your brand and is mindful of any sensitivities? Having a strategy in place in advance is the best way to navigate this situation with grace. Let’s talk about some ways K12 marketers should adjust their messaging and email strategy after a major disruption.  

 

1. Stop Automated Messages

The first thing to do as soon as something happens is to halt all automated messages. This includes automated and scheduled campaigns. If you have several, start with the highest volume campaigns first. 

Even if you don’t think anything in these messages could be insensitive to K12 professionals, take a closer look. Give thought to the content of each email to make sure everything is mindful of the current climate. Here are some things to consider:

 

• Cancellations – Have any events or programs been canceled?
• Closures – Make sure any automated messages reflect current closures.
• Logistics – Some logistical things like shipping or customer service are paused temporarily or indefinitely after a disruption. 

 

2. Avoid Re-Engagement Campaigns (Temporarily)

While looking at your automated messages, pay particular attention to any emails that attempt to re-engage with users. Those who aren’t already interacting with your messages are unlikely to start now, especially if they’ve been personally affected by the crisis or event. 

The tone of a re-engagement campaign could be difficult to gauge. You don’t want to come off as insensitive or uninformed. If you’re not sure whether it’s the right time to send a re-engagement email, it probably isn’t. 

 

3. Adjust to Your Customers’ Needs

Remember that people are usually focused on themselves after an emergency or disruption. You need to be strategic with how you rethink your customers’ needs during this time.

Pain points for K12 professionals are very different during times of crisis than during “normal” times. For example, school officials might be looking for ways to adjust to temporary online classes. They’re no longer worried about classroom equipment since the focus completely shifted. 

 

Ask yourself these questions about how to fit your audiences new needs:

• How is your target K12 audience personally affected by today’s changes?
• Has the budget changed for your target schools or systems?
• What challenges do school leaders have during this new disruption?
• Are government interventions or changes affecting the ways schools operate?
• What is the best way to get in touch with these leaders currently?

 

It pays to be empathetic. You want to serve the needs of your audience, not profit from their struggles. Consider how your target market feels. How can you help during this time of uncertainty?

 

4. Solve New Problems

Start solving these new problems. The K12 businesses that adjust quickly are the ones that stand to grow during these times of change. Disruption won’t last forever. Even if you’re limited in steps you can take right now, create strong plans for the future. 

You might need to change your target demographics. You might need to adjust your key performance indicators, goals, or campaigns altogether. Change is sometimes necessary, so don’t shy away from it. 

The worst thing you could do is refuse to adjust. After a disruption, we’re living in a new reality. The messaging of the past isn’t guaranteed to work moving forward. That’s okay. Adapt your tone to be sensitive to today’s challenges. Let your K12 audience know that you’re in this with them and that you’re here to help. 

 

5. Repurpose Existing Strategies

You don’t need to throw your existing email campaigns out the window. These messages can be adapted, as we mentioned above, to fit today’s needs. Now that you know what school leaders want, you’re ready to adjust. 

Consider the COVID-19 pandemic. School systems are scrambling to find ways to adapt to online learning. While educational software might have previously marketed themselves as a great tool for teachers to use one-on-one with students, they can adapt these messages to fit today’s reality. For example, they might explore how their product helps remote classrooms stay productive.

 

Follow these steps:

• Slow down – This is the time to be intentional and considerate of your tone. 
• Avoid excessive self-promotion – Address what you can do for your audience, not the other way around.
• Repurpose – Is there any existing content you have that can be repurposed?
• Engage – Get creative to engage your audience by addressing their pain points. 
• Learn – Learn and adjust as you go. 

 

Are You Prepared for Anything?

Since we can’t predict the future, we have to take steps to prepare our marketing strategy today. In times of change and disruption, pause and take a closer look at your current email strategy. Stay aware and light on your feet. 

If you’re using a high-quality K12 email list, you want to ensure you’re being mindful of your tone and messaging. Follow these steps above to stay ready for anything. Though uncertainty is intimidating, it doesn’t have to be impossible. 

 

What are Spam Filters and how they Work Against you

Spam filters are the guardians to the fortress that is your client’s inbox. In order to protect institutions and their employees from spam and harmful phishing attacks, they analyze incoming emails and decide which will reach the inbox and which won’t. This process can land your emails in the spam folder or reject them completely, erasing them without a trace.

In the past, spam filters were very simple. They analyzed the content of the email and determined if it would pass or not based on the words found. Phrases like free weight loss, buy now and double your income were triggers for spam filters.

However, times have changed. These days spam filters are very advanced and the major email providers like Gmail, and Outlook have very sophisticated methods of looking at your previous interactions with the recipients.

 

Good Signals

The following are considered positive factors. Most major email providers track this data for outgoing emails. Racking up good points will help your campaigns overall.

Open – If the recipient frequently opens your campaigns.

Reply – If the recipient actually responds to your emails.

Not Junk – If the recipient moves your email out of the junk folder to the inbox. *This is a particularly strong signal which will boost your reputation greatly*

 

Bad Signals

The following are considered negative factors. Most major email providers use these signals to track spammers and relegate them to the no-fly zone.

Move to Junk – If the recipient moves your email from the inbox to junk. *This will impact your campaign negatively*

Delete without Open – If the recipient deletes your campaign simply based on the subject line and sender information.

 

Stop Repeated Bounce Backs

Hard bounces are the result of invalid or non-existent emails. Bounce rates are an important factor to email providers like Gmail and Outlook to determine your reputation. After so many hard bounces, the email provider will stop allowing your emails. For this reason, it is incredibly important to constantly update your list with the newest contact information. School personnel changes frequently and sometimes they change their email addresses while in the same position.

 

ALL CAPS ARE OUT

While it’s a common idea that using all caps in your subject line might grab recipients attention, spam filters are wise to this. Even if you pass the spam filter, this can often annoy recipients and get your email deleted without a second thought.

 

Avoid Trigger Words

Spam filters have their own database of words that they use to identify whether or not the email qualifies as spam. Here are a few examples: clearance, buy direct, as seen on, additional income, be your own boss, earn $, extra income, sale, while you sleep, save up to, serious cash, web traffic, free consultation, call now, sign up free today.

 

Don’t use exclamation points !!!!

Around 70% of email recipients report email as spam based on the subject line so please avoid using exclamation points, especially several in a row.

 

Don’t embed forms in your email

Avoid embedding forms in your email. Instead place a call-to-action button or a link to a landing page where the form is located.

 

Don’t include attachments in your emails

Do not send attachments, especially if this is the first interaction with the recipient. There are many cases when the email ends in spam because of an attachment, even when the recipient has communicated with you and exchanged multiple emails. Instead, create a call-to-action button and they can properly download the pdf from your website.

 

Don’t use a lot of images or large size images

Inserting a large image in your email just makes your email bigger on file size. An average email is about 25 – 100 kb. When you insert images it increases to 500 – 900 kb. This is another way spam filters identify promotional emails.

 

Keep your from name and email constantly the same

Using the same from name and from email address helps boost the inbox delivery rate numbers. This is also a way recipients will recognize and remember you.

 

Always include an unsubscribe link and company mailing address

The most important thing in every email is to provide a way for the recipient to unsubscribe in a quick and easy way. Making this process complicated will just annoy the recipients and they will place your email in to the spam or, even worse, report your email as spam. Don’t forget to identify yourself and include your company mailing address. Believe it or not, it is a CAN-SPAM Act requirement.

 

Keep your email short

K12 administrators and educators are busy people. Try create a short email that can be read in 30 seconds or less, while bringing the reader value, identifying their problem and providing a solution. Studies have shown that when reading an email, your attention span is maxed out at 30 seconds, after which, you will move on to the next email. It’s only in your benefit to keep it short.

 

Keep your email lists current and clean

All of the things mentioned above are important, but none as important as having a new and updated list. Why? If you do not update your list, you are already sending emails to people that are not in their position. Some providers and schools use those old emails as a spam trap to identify people who keep sending emails to non-existing email accounts. As mentioned before, when you have numerous bounces, email providers like Gmail and Outlook are alerted that you have an outdated list and they will place all your emails in the spam folder.

It is understandable that you can’t always have the newest emails, but your bounce rate should be very low as the email providers are constantly monitoring and grading your performance.

 

 

What Is E-Mail Marketing?

To gain best leverage in e-mail marketing will mean establishing a relationship with your clients by focusing on the following three objectives in an e-mail marketing campaign:

1. Gaining client / customer trust in you and your firm. An effective e-mail marketing campaign works from an established list of clients, gives value, provides clear and concise subject lines, and relevant content showing understanding to the needs of client.
2. ‘Touching Base.’ Keep in mind your goal is to make your client want to get in touch with you. This means developing a strong ‘call-to-action’ within your e-mail communication.
3.  Build Upon Your Established Subscriber List. ‘Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.’ A good thought, as per the Girl Scouts of America, and any sales rep who wants to retain an established subscriber list of loyal clients, increase engagement of client purchasing, and grow that list of loyal customers.

 

What Is An A/B Marketing Test?

An A/B Marketing Test, by official definition, is that of comparing two versions of subject line, web content, ads, landing pages, or as is the intent of this article, comparing two variations of e-mail marketing communication to determine which version brings about ‘best’ conversion rate, click-trough’s, and open rate.

A/B Marketing Tests bring you to a greater knowledge of your existing customers, how to better serve their needs so as to retain them as customers, and better utilize your marketing budget as you measure and engage with those successful click-trough’s, conversions, and open rates of your e-mail subscribers.

 

 

The A/B Testing Process

The first step of the process in performing an A/B Marketing Test is, logically, to know what you want to test of your e-mail campaign. Logical, but not always common knowledge. Anything can be tested in an A/B test:

• headline content and typestyle,
• the actual content of the e-mail words written as well as the typestyle used,
• the layout of the content,
• different types of ‘calls to action,’
• HTML or plain text in your email,
• best day and time of day to send your e-mail communication,
• the most effective subject line that brings about more ‘open rates’
• which is how many on your subscriber list open and read that e-mail communication you worked so hard in composing.

 

Anything having to do with effective business communication can be tested.

What you choose depends on your specific business goal when composing your business communication: a better Conversion rate, the completion of a call-to-action of your customer, Click-through rate which is how many subscribers take action to click the links of your e-mail marketing copy that bring them to view your offers, sales discounts, website and website blog, or the all-important Open Rate, the percent of your e-mail marketing list that actually opens your e-mail to read it.

You can test each item individually. For example: to test the results of subject line copy using two variations of the subject line, you could run a single test but split the test to two groups of randomly selected persons on your established client e-mail list. If you had three subject lines you wanted to test, it is perfectly acceptable to split your groups to three groups, rather than run three tests: A vs B vs C.

Running more than one test item at a time, such as a call to action test and subject line test is a multivariant test and takes considerably more time to run and analyze results.

 

How A/B Tests Can Improve Your E-Mail Campaign

To perform an effective A/B Marketing Test that results in effective e-mail marketing campaigns requires the analyzing of the collected data of the needs and preferences of the particular ‘business’ that you wish to sell your product or service to. Specifically, this blog article is focused on the ‘business’ of the K-12 public school system. K12Prospects has done the bulk of the heavy lifting and ‘digging’ into preferences of district decision makers; gathering such data of every school district in America for more than a decade and compiling that data to extensive e-mail subscriber lists that will assist any sales rep in getting their ‘foot in the right door’ that needs their particular product or service! A ‘juicy’ idea that brings any good sales rep to ‘drool.’

 

Analyzing Results

When the A/B marketing tests have been completed — it is time to analyze that collective data. There are few different categories to decide the performance of the test:

• Open rate
• Click-through rate
• Conversion rate (when they visit your website)

 

Each test needs to have a unique goal. If you are trying to increase email open rate, be sure to test the subject line and open-rate data. If you are trying to test your Call to Action (CTA) to increase subscriptions or people clicking to visit your website, than it’s the click-through rate. The conversion-rate test works with a combination of email and web-analytic metrics. It will give you the ability to test whether the A or B version of the email increases your reader’s traffic and subscription, for example, 10% or 20%. In this case, the second version increased your subscription 100% from the first version.