• by Loren McDonald , Op-Ed Contributor, December 4, 2008

In the Hawaiian language, "Aloha" means both "Hello" and "Goodbye." In email, "Hello" and "Goodbye" are associated with two different ends of the digital relationship -- but, done well, they both help increase engagement and minimize subscriber churn.

This holiday season, you'll likely be saying hello and goodbye quite often. First, you welcome more new subscribers who sign up for your email program from POS promotions or search results. At the same time, if you are increasing your email frequency dramatically in the weeks leading up to Christmas, you're likely to see a significant increase in your unsubscribe rate.

How you both welcome and part with subscribers can affect your email list's health and your whole marketing program. Optimizing both the "Hello" and "Goodbye" will provide a buffer from the list churn that eats away at size, activity and, ultimately, return on your email investment.

Hello: Beyond 'You're Subscribed'

In the email world, "Hello" is the welcome-email program, the organized, automated series of emails designed to engage the new subscriber immediately, to introduce them to your entire email program, and to reduce unsubscribes, spam complaints or inactivity down the road.

Subscribers who find you during the holiday season might see one face of your value proposition, such as aggressive discounts and free shipping offers. Your welcome email shows them what else they can expect of you the rest of the year, giving them reasons to stick around through Valentine's Day, Easter, back to school, etc.

Begin with a branded "from" name and a personalized welcome message with a welcoming subject line launched immediately after confirmation. This helps you build inbox recognition even before you send your first marketing message.

Confirm subscription details, restate the value proposition of the email program, ask to be added to the address book, invite them back to fill out a profile, redeem an incentive if appropriate, and provide contact email, phone numbers and postal addresses and other information.

Follow up with a timed series of emails that show subscribers more of what you're about, such as help with certain features of your service or Web site, popular articles or products, even a survey to see how they like you so far.

Time your messages so they don't conflict with your regular marketing or publishing messages, but then put subscribers into your regular email stream once they've completed the welcome process.

Goodbye: Offer Alternatives

"Goodbye" happens at the other end of the relationship, when the subscriber uses the opt-out link to end or change the relationship with your email program.

A best practice "Goodbye" process starts with highly visible links in your emails to your unsubscribe and preference pages, along with instructions that explain options other than leaving. For those clicking the unsubscribe link, send them to a branded subscription-management page that combines unsubscribe and preference options and allows users to make changes, explore alternatives to leaving or easily unsubscribe.

Typical options include the ability to change their email address, formats (e.g., HTML or Text), frequency, interests, which emails they subscribe to, or to sign up to receive communications via another channel such as via an RSS feed or direct mail catalog. Keeping it on one page will prevent you from inadvertently throwing speed bumps in front of subscribers who really do want to leave.

These instructions recognize that not all unsubscribers want to end the relationship with your company. Some will just want to change their subscriptions. Even if they trade email for paper mail, you've still retained them as customers, which should be your goal.

Finally, add a value-driven confirmation page in which you thank unsubscribers for their patronage, confirm subscription-change details or link back to your unsub/preference page if they made errors.

Until next time, take your email program up a notch!