What is an email preference centre?
Basically, it’s a place where subscribers can manage their preferences for the emails they receive from a particular sender. You know those times when you’re bombarded with emails that are either irrelevant or too frequent? Well, the preference centre swoops in to save the day!
In a preference centre, subscribers can usually do a bunch of things like:
Choose their interests
They can pick and choose what types of emails they want to receive. So if you’re into, say, gardening tips but not so much into DIY projects, you can tweak your settings accordingly.
Frequency control
Ever felt like you’re drowning in a sea of emails? With a preference centre, you can adjust how often you hear from the sender. Maybe you prefer a weekly digest instead of daily updates.
Update their info
If you move house or change your email address, you can update your details without having to jump through hoops.
Opt-out gracefully
Sometimes, you just want out. And that’s okay! A preference centre makes it easy to unsubscribe if you’ve had your fill of emails.
Think of it as a win-win situation. Subscribers get to tailor their inbox experience to their liking, and senders can ensure they’re delivering content that’s actually wanted. It’s all about putting the power back in the hands of the subscriber while maintaining a healthy email relationship.
Why is an email preference centre important?
Whilst you can legally send ‘customers’ transactional emails without the ability to opt out, you must make it easy for them to ‘unsubscribe’ from marketing emails. However, providing only a single link for a binary (in/out) choice could mean losing them as a lead for good. Much better to give them a preference centre with options to customise their marketing experience, putting them in control of how often you communicate, and what topics they are interested in. This allows you to reap the rewards, for example:
1. Reduced unsubscribes
69% of people unsubscribe from business emails because they are sent too often and 56% because the content is not relevant to them. Let’s face it, nobody likes getting bombarded with irrelevant emails. Without a preference centre, members may become overwhelmed and opt out of all communications altogether. But with the power to customise their email preferences, potential members are less likely to hit that dreaded unsubscribe button. Instead, they’ll stick around because they know they’re in control of what lands in their inbox.
2. Strengthens member relationships
By giving members the freedom to tailor their email experience, you’re showing them that their preferences and opinions matter. This builds trust and strengthens the relationship between your organisation and its members. Plus, when members feel valued and heard, they’re more likely to remain loyal and engaged over the long term.
3. Improved showcase
If you have multiple email lists, audiences, segments or email types (and you should have), your email preference centre is a great way to showcase them, allowing subscribers to self-select the ones they are interested in. This shows intent and could be used to trigger an automated email sequence.
4. Personalisation is key
Membership organisations often cater to diverse groups of people with different interests, preferences, and needs. With an email preference centre, you can offer members the ability to tailor their email experience based on what matters most to them. This personalisation fosters a deeper connection with your organisation because members feel like you understand and respect their individuality.
5. Better segmentation
Asking subscribers about their interests and preferences improves segmentation, removing some of the guesswork from future email marketing campaigns and making them more targeted, more personal and more relevant. It’s not all about new subscribers either – take the time to engage your current customer base.
6. Improve delivery
Reduction in unsubscribes, spam reports, etc gained by setting up a preference centre not only reduces the risk of being blacklisted, but also stops recipients auto filtering emails using fake addresses, so more emails get to the intended recipient more of the time.
7. Increased engagement
When members receive content that resonates with them, they’re more likely to engage with it. By allowing members to choose the types of emails they want to receive and how often they want to receive them, you’re ensuring that your messages are hitting the mark every time. This increases open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement with your organisation’s communications.
8. Compliance with regulations
In the EU with its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), providing members with the ability to manage their email preferences is a legal requirement. By implementing an email preference centre, membership organisations can ensure compliance with data protection regulations and avoid hefty fines.
Are you compliant? Are you importing email addresses into new lists for each campaign? If a recipient unsubscribes, what happens?
In a nutshell…
An email preference centre is a powerful tool for membership organisations to deliver targeted, relevant content, boost engagement, retain members, and stay on the right side of data protection regulations. It’s a win-win for both the organisation and its members.