Let your contacts opt-out of campaigns for sensitive events

Learn how to let your contacts opt-out of possibly sensitive events such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Overview

Sometimes you’ll want to avoid sending content to contacts who may find it insensitive. For example, you might not want to send a Mother’s Day campaign to contacts who would prefer not to receive it.

Here, we explain how you can use contact data fields to capture and use this information when sending campaigns for sensitive events.

Solution overview

An end-to-end solution involves four parts:

1. An email campaign
2. A landing page
3. A program
4. Contact data fields to store everything

First, we’ll show you how to set your data fields up. Then, we’ll talk you through building the campaign and landing page that work together to solicit preferences, and finally, the program to make everything work.

Before you start

Things you need to know:

• In this article, we’re setting things up to control Mother’s Day emails, but it’s easily adaptable for different sensitive events or even multiple events.

Step 1: Create your opt-out data fields

You must create one contact data field for each event that you want to offer opt-outs for.

To create a data field for Mother’s Day:

1. Go to Email > Contacts > Contact data fields, and select the Custom data fields tab.
2. Select NEW DATA FIELD, and enter a name.
   

   We're calling ours MOTHERS-DAY-OPT-OUT.

3. Expand the Data type drop-down menu, and select Yes/No.
4. For Default value, select No.
5. For Access, select This data label is private.
6. Expand the Folder drop-down menu and choose where you want to store the data field.
   

   We’ve decided to store all our sensitive event opt-outs in one specific folder. If you’re creating one for multiple events, we recommend you do the same.

7. Select SAVE.
   

Step 2: Create a program to update the data fields

The program takes the responses from your contacts and ensures their choices are updated accordingly.

To create the program that updates data fields:

1. Go to Email > Automation > All programs, and select NEW PROGRAM.
2. Select Blank template, then enter a name and choose a location for your program.
   

   To learn more about creating programs, check out the article Getting started with the program builder.

   
3. We'll be enrolling contacts directly from a form. Select the start node, then select Set schedule and No scheduled enrolment.
4. Drag the Update contact node onto the canvas.
5. Select the Update contact node, then select Have the selected data field updated. 
6. Select SELECT DATA FIELD, and choose the event data field you created in Step 1.
7. Expand the Data field value drop-down menu, and select Is Yes.
8. Drag an End node onto the canvas to finish.
9. To activate the program, select ACTIVATE. Don't worry, it won’t do anything yet.

Step 3: Create a landing page

When a contact clicks the sensitive events opt-out link in your email campaign, they go to a landing page that asks them to confirm their choice.

To create the landing page:

1. Create a new page.
   

   To learn how, check out the article Create a page.

2. Insert a Text box for the contact’s email address. Make sure the Question type is Contact email, and then set the text box to hide if it already has data.
3. Insert an Action Button, and set the text as needed, for example, Opt me out.
4. Select Form Options > Submit actions, and select the program you created above.
5. Design and modify the rest of the page as needed.
6. Save and publish the page.
   

   To learn how, check out the article Publish a page or form.

Step 4: Create your campaign

This is the campaign you’ll send in the run-up to a sensitive event.

You can use our Sensitive event opt-out free template to help you design this email. To learn how to use our templates, check out the article Use an email template.

To create your campaign:

1. Create a new campaign.
2. Insert a button, and link to the landing page you created above.
3. Design and modify the rest of the campaign as needed.
4. Save the campaign.

Step 5: Collect your opt-outs

Now, ahead of the sensitive event, you'll just need to decide which of your contacts to send your campaign to. You can select any of your existing Address books or Segments, or create a new one specifically for this campaign. Send the campaign above to this audience, allowing them to opt-out from further campaigns on this topic.

Step 6: Send to the right people

For all future email campaigns you send out for the sensitive event, be sure to always exclude contacts that have your data field for the event set to true. You can do this by adding an exclude clause to a segment: