Keep email subscribers in five easy steps

The key to a successful email business marketing promotion or campaign is an active subscriber base. What's the point of spending time and company resources sending emails if nobody is on the other side to read them? Business owners should be aware of which tactics work and which should be avoided to ensure people don't hit the "unsubscribe" button.

The Sydney Morning Herald offers businesses five tips to keep email subscribers interested in business communication:

1. An easy-to-find "unsubscribe" button - How can people unsubscribe if businesses don't give them the option in an easy-to-find link or button in the email? One of the most frustrating things a business can see is its subscriber base diminish, but it's still important to give people the option to avoid further agitation. It's also important for businesses to avoid having their outgoing email messages marked as spam or blocked by annoyed recipients, which could hurt future email marketing campaigns.

2. Not sending constant communication - Filling a recipient's inbox with too many emails will push them toward unsubscribing. A TechCrunch article said more people are reportedly overwhelmed by a seemingly neverending stream of emails, so be cautious to send emails often enough to remind people about a business - but not too often that it annoys them.

3. Too much reading, not enough time - Email recipients are looking for snappy headlines and information that piques their interest, not an email that takes too much time to get through. Businesses can consider breaking up long segments of text with subtitles, condensing information down to a summary or teaser, and offering a link to a full article on the website. When people are intrigued, they may be more likely to click through and even buy a product.

4. Never assuming things about customers - The article advises that "just because [a man] bought some tea towels on the internet for his wife, that does not mean he wants 'incessant' emails about linen from the shop in question." Never automatically sign customers up for email lists, because subscribers will be more likely to continue reading emails they actually signed up for - and less likely to mark them as spam or junk mail.

5. Emails are interesting instead of boring - If emails don't offer any excitement for the recipients, why bother sending them messages? Experts suggest "spicing up" marketing blasts with email-only offers and news of impending sales or promotions. If that content is not possible, at least give people a reason to read the email by including interesting news or facts.