Enable smart, automated, short term opt-outs for specific campaigns to avoid unsubscribers and improve engagement
If you're looking to create a one-off campaign, for example for a webinar, that will involve a host of communications across multiple weeks you want to be smart with how you communicate. You don't want to overload your contacts or risk losing them as permanent unsubscribers!
This hack will help you give your contacts a way to unenroll themselves from a specific campaign while still giving you the flexibility to contact them in future about other events, webinars or campaigns. For B2C this would be great for people who want to opt out of Mothers Day. For B2B this is great for people who still want to receive marketing promotion but not about a particular topic, like social media, or service.
Step one: Create a specific subscription type for the campaign/webinar/topic
- Click on settings > scroll down to marketing > email
- Click subscription types and click create subscription type
- Give it a name, for example "social media webinar" and add a description
- Select Marketing as purpose of subscription and choose Email as a method of communication
Step two: Create a property for opt-outs
- Click on settings > click properties and create a new property
- The object type will be contact and it will be contact information
- Call it something appropriate like "social media webinar status"
- Click next > property type should be drop-down select and type 'opted in' and 'opted out'
Step three: Create a CTA button
- Click marketing > lead capture > CTAs
- Create a CTA that leads to a generic thank you page to include in your emails
Step four: Create workflow for unenrollment
- Click automation > workflows > create workflow from scratch
- Select Contact based > blank workflow
- Choose the trigger which will be when an event occurs
- Add trigger of when they've clicked on the CTA from your email
- Add new action > Set property value
- Search for the property you just made and select it
- Then select 'is any of' and choose 'opted-out' > Click done
- Add new action > add to static lists
- Choose a suppression list you are already using for the campaign
- Add delay for 7 weeks (or however long your campaign is running)
- Add 'clear property value' and select the property you changed
Top tip: By adding in this final delay and clearance of the property it means you can use the same property and workflow again for your next event - ensuring flexibility in contacting these contacts in the future while managing their engagement with specific campaigns.
Step four: Use this in your communications
Add the created CTA button to your emails that says 'Opt me out of this' and watch as you maintain a healthy engagement rate with your contacts!
Author: Bridget Reid
Principal Marketer
