Pinpointe Changed Their Unsubscribe Process and Features
In October 2014 Pinpointe modified their unsubscribe process to help improve campaign results and improve subscribers’ retention rates.
The Q & A below covers many of the common questions you may have.
Q: Why has Pinpointe changed the way their ‘unsubscribe’ feature works?
A: Up until now, Pinpointe has used an easy 1-click unsubscribe system. In our ongoing quest to offer the best email marketing solution in the market, we thought it necessary to provide you with a more flexible unsubscribe feature that reduces opt-outs and spam complaints, along with accidental unsubscribes.
Q: What is the main difference between Pinpointe’s old and new ‘unsubscribe’ feature?
A: The unsubscribe feature is no longer just a 1-click step that removes a recipient only from the list the email campaign was sent to. Now when a recipient hits the unsubscribe button, they will be directed to a landing page where they are given a choice of what email lists they can unsubscribe from OR they can choose to be removed from everything. This reduces your list churn because previously a contact would just be removed from the list the email was sent to. Now they have the option to stay on one or more lists. If a contact selects 'remove from everything,' they are now added to a system managed master unsubscribe list and will not get further emails from you.
Q: How do list names show up on the ‘unsubscribe’ landing page?
A: List names are displayed as what the list was named when the Pinpointe customer created the list in Pinpointe. Therefore, it is best to use meaningful list names that resonate with recipients. Avoid names like:
- 081520_A
- Dump of our CRM
- Merged List of Dummies Who Never Open My Emails
If you would like to rename any of your lists, you can go back and edit the name by going to Contact Lists > View Contact Lists > click Edit on the list you want to rename > hit the Save button
Q: Can you add descriptions to the email lists that are listed on the ‘unsubscribe’ landing page?
A: Yes. This is optional, but recommended. Each list now has a ‘List Description’ field. List descriptions will show up underneath each specified list name on the Subscription Preferences (Unsubscribe) page and on ‘Modify Details’ forms for subscribers.
*NOTE: Please add descriptions to your lists – at least the most important lists.
Q: Can your contacts also subscribe to other email lists on the ‘unsubscribe’ landing page.
A: Yes. Recipients can select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether they want to be subscribed to a particular email list, or they can choose 'Unsubscribe me from all mailing lists.' If they select the latter, they will be added Pinpointe customer’s global unsubscribe list and will not receive any future emails.
Q: What kind of configurations do the new unsubscribe feature support ?
A: The following scenarios are supported with the new unsubscribe and Preferences Center:
- Customer sends campaign to single list (OR to a segment which includes only 1 list); Subscriber can unsubscribe from the list or from all email. Only the list sent-to will be displayed + ‘unsubscribe from all’.
- Customer sends campaign to multiple lists (OR – to a segment which represents more than 1 list); Subscriber can change subscribe / unsubscribe preferences for one or more of the lists, or from all email. Only the lists sent-to will be displayed. If the subscriber status is NOT Active on any of the lists – the email is still sent.
- Customer has many lists but wants to create a custom preferences center where Subscriber can select to subscribe / unsubscribe from the list of lists. Important differentiator – this may include one or more lists that the Subscriber is presently NOT subscribed to. In this way – the Subscriber might be presented with other lists that they were not familiar with.
- Recipient choices are updated. If Subscriber was not on one or more of the lists presented and chooses to subscribe, they will be added.
- Customer uses custom fields to segment. Subscriber can select their preferences. In this case – Customer creates a custom Update Preferences form.
Q: Are there any additional steps I (a Pinpointe user) need to take to be compliant with the new ‘unsubscribe’ feature?
A: Yes. All Pinpointe lists now need to have physical addresses included.
Q: How does the new unsubscribe feature reduce spam complaints?
A: If you are a Pinpointe customer with contacts on multiple lists, your subscribers now can unsubscribe from the email lists they choose, or they can select 'Unsubscribe me from all mailing lists.’ This eliminates the probability of irritating a subscriber who thought they unsubscribed from all of a company’s email communication, when in actuality they only unsubscribed from the list the email campaign was sent to. Those recipients who select '’Unsubscribe me from all mailing lists’ will be removed from all future emails, thus reducing future spam complaints. If that contact is uploaded into a Pinpointe account in the future, they will be filtered from receiving any emails because they are now on a global unsubscribe list. This global unsubscribe list can be viewed and downloaded, but not edited.
Additional Features and Updates
In conjunction with the new unsubscribe feature, we have added a standard footer that includes a ‘Powered by Pinpointe’ logo, which can be removed. Also included in the standard footer is your designated list address and an unsubscribe link. This new addition will improve CAN-SPAM and CASL compliance.
On October 20, we also rolled out a multitude of additional features and updates – you can view them here.
*New unsubscribe features are being rolled out over the next few weeks. If you are a Pinpointe customer and do not yet have the new unsubscribe features, please be patient. You're account will be updated within the next couple of weeks.
For any additional questions, please contact Pinpointe support at support@pinpointe.com.
