Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

Black Friday Unsubscribe Bonanza

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Updated November 23, 2022

I love Black Friday. I use this marketing madness to declutter my email. It’s amazing how many email lists only reach out to sell me stuff on Black Friday.

Tile image: Black Friday: the day I clean up my unwanted email newsletter subscriptions.

Happy Email Relationships

Now, let’s be clear, I enjoy happy email relationships with numerous online retailers. Reitmans, LEGO, Tombow, Trinny London, and other retailers are all welcome in my inbox. I buy, use, and enthuse about their products. I welcome their emails because we have an ongoing relationship.

Similarly, I have happy email relationships with many professional colleagues and organizations. I look forward to hearing from Rebecca Coleman, Mike Vardy, Chris Brogan, and Vicki McLeod, as well as GetConnected and BC BookWorld.

Unhappy Email Relationships

Black Friday is when the unhappy email relationships appear. The spammy business  lists are a good example. Retailers and other businesses that only email to sell you their latest offer. All sales all the time is not a good look!

There are also crowdfunders that have added me to lists based on my Kickstarter support.  Some of those are happy email relationships. A few of the 94 campaigns I’ve supported have been disappointments. And it seems the disappointments are the companies I’m most likely to hear from on Black Friday. Sigh…

What treasures have popped up in your inbox this Black Friday? Any truly archaic contacts? Weirdly wonderful messages? Frustrating free-not-free content?

Unsubscribe Is the Solution

By law, every bulk email You have been unsubscribed.you receive should include an easy way to unsubscribe. A simple click is usually all that’s needed. And if you’ve read my book, Declutter  Your Data,  you know I’m a big fan of digital decluttering.

If I unsubscribe, please don’t take it personally. I may no longer be interested or I have been added unwillingly to your list. For some brands, I find it easier to keep up to date with your community via Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. As Sandra Yancey said about customers who aren’t meant to be, “bless and release”. There’s no point in forcing someone to stay on your email list if they aren’t interested.

I find it interesting that so many companies pay to keep names on a list. As a business owner, I would rather have a small list of quality contacts. Yes, I understand some email marketing campaigns are a numbers game. If 2% respond and your list is 1,000 strong, in theory, you’ll have even more success if your list is 10,000 strong. But I maintain that it depends on the quality of your list!

Black Friday Emails

In summary, I love Black Friday. It helps me declutter my email subscriptions, reduce my inbox overload, and saves the sender a few marketing pennies.

And, yes, I purchase a few Black Friday specials, Small Business Saturday items, and Cyber Monday deals. My bargain hunting ways are a different story…

P.S. Unsubscribe works any day of the year!

Pick Subscriptions That Serve You

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Digital Cleanse Day 20:

Pick Subscriptions that Serve you

Please pick subscriptions that serve you! List building is a big marketing trend right now. I think its a great strategy for brands to connect with their ideal customer. [Yes, it’s something I do in my business, too. Note the sign-up box in the sidebar!]  Subscriptions lists can be great for customers, too. Who wouldn’t want to have the latest information (and offers) delivered right to their inbox?

Unfortunately, some businesses are doing it wrong, in my opinion. Too many businesses are gathering any and all email addresses. This leads to some iffy list building strategies. For example, I recently attended a conference. I was disappointed when one of the exhibitors added my email to their email list. Yes, I entered a contest. But putting your card in a bowl doesn’t equal “sign me up”!  The brand did a great job of introducing me to their product with a fun demo. I’m not their target audience but I liked the product. I did some voluntary word-of-mouth advertising to people in the market for their product. I felt good about the brand.  Right up until I got the unwanted email in my inbox. Instant unsubscribe. And now I don’t think as highly of the brand.

[The legalities of list building are different in Canada and the USA which can be a problem, too. I’ll write about that another day.]

Have you ever been subscribed to an email newsletter you didn’t want? As part of your digital cleanse, I’m giving you permission to unsubscribe.  For the next month, think critically about each subscription email that lands in your inbox. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you really want it?
  • Are you still interested in the topic?
  • Do you read every issue?
  • Can you get the information elsewhere?
  • Is the frequency right for you?
  • Does it include great discount codes?
  • Is each email full of information?
  • Do you like how they sell to you?
  • Do you have time to read it?

If your answers are no then its time to unsubscribe. Look for an unsubscribe link in the footer of the email.  Don’t feel badly just do it. The list owner pays to have each name on the list. If you’re not interested then save them some money. Save yourself time, too!  If the subscription stays, now you know why you agreed to get it.

It took me about a month to evaluate all my subscriptions. For every subscription I kept, I unsubscribed from 7 other lists. My inbox was rejuvenated!

I limit myself to a few of my favourite in each of a few categories. Here’s a sampling:

  • business resources
  • favourite events
    • Social Media Camp is my next speaking engagement and one of my all-time favourite conferences.
  • favourite organizations
  • favorite retailers
    • Canadian made Tilley Endurables hats and and clothing keep me on track in my quest to pack light!
  • just for fun
    • My daily comic strip fix with all my favourite comics from Go Comics.

Be very picky about your subscriptions. Each email that hits your inbox just adds to your digital clutter. Once you’ve sorted through the backlog of subscriptions, be vigilant about any new ones that slip into your inbox.

More on the 30 day #digitalcleanse tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

(If you missed yesterday’s installment, take a couple extra minutes to explore Keep an Inspiration File. For links to the complete Digital Cleanse series, click here.)