Occasionally, communicators have to email everyone — including their unsubscribe list — to share information that is quite literally, required reading. The emails might contain health and safety information, contractual updates, or staff scheduling changes, and many organizations have a contractual or regulatory obligation to send them to all contacts. Their contacts will receive the message; they have to. But the transaction is somewhat imperfect if your contacts don’t understand WHY you are contacting them – especially if they’ve unsubscribed.
Sending mandatory messages, or emails that must be delivered to all stakeholders, is one of the things that sets communications professionals apart from marketers (who would never email their unsubscribe list). And it’s one of the big reasons communicators need different tools.
We talk about this a lot here at Envoke. That’s because Envoke is an email marketing platform purpose-built for communications professionals. We’ve made it our mission to support communicators with the unique features they need to thrive, like Mandatory Messaging. This feature lets organizations email all their contacts, including their unsubscribe lists, when they have a regulatory or contractual obligation to do so. And it also has built-in touchpoints where organizations communicate with their contacts why they are using Mandatory Messaging.
Great Communication is Always the Goal
In this blog, we’ll explain what these touchpoints are, and discuss the benefits of keeping your subscribers informed about Mandatory Messaging and why you use it. After all, great communication is the fundamental purpose of your profession.
And it’s especially important when you are using a feature that overrides a subscriber’s desire to opt out.
Mailchimp Won’t Let You Email Your Unsubscribe List
If you’re a communications professional, you likely already know that Mailchimp and Constant Contact don’t recognize this use case and won’t let you send emails to your unsubscribe list. These email marketing platforms are made for marketers who are subject to anti-spam regulations prohibiting them from sending commercial emails to unsubscribed contacts.
These laws are good: nobody wants to receive spam. However, they create a problem for communicators who use these platforms Sometimes they need to send essential information to all contacts — even those on the unsubscribe list — and they can’t do it.
This is often how communications professionals discover Envoke. We’ve written other blogs detailing how Mandatory Messaging works if you’d like to read more.
Are you a communicator looking for a tool like Envoke to send mandatory messages to all of your subscribers? Try us out for a 30-day free trial period and see if there’s a good fit!
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There are a few key touchpoints in the Mandatory Messaging interface where stakeholders can learn about your use of Mandatory Messaging and the benefits of doing so. Let’s dive in.
1) Explain Why You Are Emailing Your Unsubscribe List Right in the Email
Organizations use Mandatory Messaging because they have a regulatory or contractual obligation to do so. Your contacts need to know this! It’s important to convey that you are not simply disregarding their opt-out request and that Mandatory Messages are only used for essential information.
To keep contacts informed, every mandatory message sent from Envoke includes a footer displaying your reason for sending mandatory messages. (This reason is entered just once, at the account level, and is repeated in each mandatory message.)
Benefit: Keeps your stakeholders informed and decreases the likelihood they’ll mark your message as spam.
2) Include a Link to Verify the Reason for Sending Mandatory Messages
Every mandatory message also contains a link to an online document that verifies your contractual or regulatory reason for sending mandatory messages. For example, you might link to your terms of service or an online regulation that demonstrates your reason for sending obligatory email.
Benefit: Keeps your stakeholders informed and decreases the likelihood they’ll mark your message as spam.
3) Give Your Contacts Options
The footer of your mandatory message also includes a link to an Email Preferences page where contacts can request to be removed from your Mandatory Messaging list. Your contacts can’t self-serve unsubscribe the way they can with optional emails. Instead, this page lets them explain why they are requesting removal: maybe they’ve retired or moved out of your jurisdiction. Every request is reviewed by an admin in your organization.
Benefits:
- Encourages stakeholders to start a conversation with you rather than hit the ‘report spam’ button.
- Discourages email platforms like Gmail and Yahoo from automatically assuming your email is spam because it does not contain an unsubscribe link.
Great communication pays dividends!
Note: Not Every Message is Mandatory
Mandatory Messaging is essential for sending emails your stakeholders are required to receive. But it’s important to note that not every message is mandatory. With Envoke, your contacts still can unsubscribe from non-essential emails because Envoke differentiates between opt-in and mandatory consent.
Optional Communications: Content that contacts have opted in to receive.
Mandatory Communications: Information that contacts must receive, regardless of subscription status.
Offering these two distinct types of consent offers peace of mind, knowing your stakeholders will never miss out on the essential information they need. Nor will they be blanketed with optional information from which they have unsubscribed.
Common Questions About Emailing Your Unsubscribe List and Mandatory Messages:
What types of messages are mandatory?
Mandatory content varies by industry but essential information could include:
- Health and safety updates in the workplace.
- Contractual information for employees.
- Regulatory changes for a professional association.
- Scheduling changes for students at a university.
Is it Legal to Send Mandatory Messages to My Unsubscribe List?
Yes, it’s legal for communicators to send non-commercial emails, even to their unsubscribe list. Because they are not commercial in nature, they are not governed by anti-spam legislation like CASL or CAN-SPAM, which explicitly dictate that marketers cannot send commercial messages to people who unsubscribe.
Who Uses Mandatory Messaging?
Many municipalities, universities, regulatory bodies, and public sector organization organizations rely on Envoke to keep their stakeholders — all of them — informed. To enable the feature, you must demonstrate the regulatory or contractual reason for sending Mandatory Messaging. Every mandatory message you send will display this reason, along with a link to the document that verifies it plus a link for your contacts to request removal.
That’s good, transparent communication that empowers people and builds long-term relationships: which is your goal, and ours!
