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And why would this be a failure?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Marte Cliff Copywriting

delete buttonFor some reason, I started getting "Late Night Jokes." They're terrible jokes, taken from TV "Comedians" with little brains (in my opinion).

After reading one email, I've been deleting them when I see them. But today I decided to take a minute and tell them to quit sending this drivel.

I hit the unsubscribe button and got this in return:

"Your request to unsubscribe your email address (marte@copybymarte.com) from the 'late_night_jokes' mailing list has been received and will be processed shortly."

"You will be notified of the success or failure by email."

Why should it fail?

I guess this isn't as lame as the one that wouldn't let me unsubscribe without entering my password - which I didn't have because it was something I hadn't asked for in the first place.

Thinking of "Unsubscribe," I've had a strange thing happen.

You may or may not know that I send a weekly newsletter. In keeping with email protocol, at the bottom of each newsletter is an unsubscribe link. confusion button

Last week, when I wrote about self-discipline, someone wrote me that they had tried to unsubscribe and it didn't work. When I went to my mailing list provider and checked, they had aready unsubscribed.

This week I wrote about networking, and someone else wanted to unsubscribe. He wrote a nasty note saying that the link didn't work and that meant my mail was spam. I wrote that I would be happy to take him off the list personally - and on checking found the same thing. He was already unsubscribed.

What's strange is that from my computer that link is not live. Other links in the message are live, but not that one. I had to cut and paste the URL, which is a long one. I wrote to customer service and they said "Yes it is live." He went to my newsletter to check and it was just fine from both his desktop and his phone.

So - it's live on some computers and not live on others. How strange.

The nasty man who called my newsletter spam might have really hurt my feelings - but I had 3 notes from other subscribers thanking me for it, and one went so far as to post a testimonial for me on his Facebook page. (So of course I reciprocated.)

Update on Late Night Jokes - they wrote to say I'm unsubscribed, and I found out how I got on the list. The message said I had either subscribed or someone had forwarded it to me.

That brings up a whole other question.question marks

I don't know where my messages go after I send them to my subscribers. Do you?

Do you have a way to track forwards - and if so would you ever arbitrarily add those people to your own mailing list?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Confusion button courtesy of Stuart Miles @freedigitalphotos.net

 

Comments (7)

Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Not a chance would I add folks without them wanting to be added. I get this junk all the time and it's a time waster for sure. What I don't get is why on earth do they think somebody would even care about what they're sending out when they never expressed an interest.

Jul 14, 2017 10:16 AM
Marte Cliff

That's a good question Anna Banana Kruchten, CRS - the same question I would ask of the resort people who won't stop calling even though I've told them to get lost a dozen or more times.


Today I was cranky so I yelled at her. "No, I am NOT one of your customers. Stop calling me!"

Jul 14, 2017 01:48 PM
Pamela Cendejas
Second Self Virtual Assistance - Kingman, AZ
Second Self Virtual Assistance (928) 692-3235

I always know that if there is no unsubscribe link, it's not someone I want to do business with anyway.  It's like those annoying recorded phone messages.  Do they really think I'm going to call them back?  Nope!

Jul 14, 2017 12:45 PM
Marte Cliff

Pamela Cendejas - the recorded ones are annoying, and so are the live ones. I actually yelled at two people today. The first one was one of those who claims to be from Microsoft.



After he said "Can you hear me?" I said yes, so tell me your name and number. I'm going to report you for calling someone on the do not call list. I didn't lose it until he started arguing - telling me that we're not on that list.


When I said it to the second one she giggled, said "Oh I see," and kept right on with her pitch. Unbelievable.

Jul 14, 2017 01:51 PM
Dick Greenberg
New Paradigm Partners LLC - Fort Collins, CO
Northern Colorado Residential Real Estate

Hi Marte - I use a pretty good e-mail service that provides a wealth of tracking data, but forwards are not included in that data - and I wouldn't subscribe someone on that basis even if I had it. That's pretty aggressive marketing and may annoy more people than it pleases. Have a great weekend!

Jul 14, 2017 01:26 PM
Marte Cliff

I agree Dick Greenberg - if you wanted to be on their list, you'd opt in. I think that tactic would annoy most people.

Jul 14, 2017 01:52 PM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

So, you request to be unsubscribed, but then they email you yet again to advise you of the success or failure in that.  Unbelievable!

Jul 14, 2017 03:47 PM
Marte Cliff

Myrl Jeffcoat - at least they did it. Or anyway they say they did.

Jul 14, 2017 09:18 PM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

I don't know what to say Marte Cliff  Nothing anyone does hese days surprises me .. but I would never subscribe someone to an email service to be spiteful

Jul 14, 2017 05:16 PM
Marte Cliff

I don't think it was spiteful Hannah Williams - I think they're just trying to build a huge list and going about it in an unethical manner.

Jul 14, 2017 09:18 PM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

I get really aggravated when I have trouble unsubscribing my incoming, unwanted emails.

Of course, I have no idea how it all works.  I hate email marketing so much I would never dare try it.

Jul 15, 2017 08:19 AM
Marte Cliff

Chris Ann Cleland - what you can do as a Realtor is far different from obnoxious email marketing.


When you mail to people who have raised their hands to hear from you and when you send good information instead of a "Buy now!" or a "Hire me!" message, people are glad to hear from you.

Jul 15, 2017 08:44 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Marte, I always get a chuckle when you say unsubscribe, and they send you a couple more emails stating you ARE unsubscribed.   

Jul 16, 2017 07:15 AM
Marte Cliff

Yes Joan Cox - it's as if they just can't bear to let you go.

Jul 16, 2017 08:25 AM