Subscribe to RSSDouble Opt-in Email Marketing
January 11, 2008 · Print This Article
You cannot send unsolicited emails to anybody. That is morally, ethically and legally wrong. Spamming is the worst thing that can happen to your business.
Therefore you should take utmost precautions not to spam anybody.
But you need to have a list of email addresses where you can send mails related to your product and business.
Part of the answer is a common sense approach called opt-in marketing, in which customers or prospects volunteer to receive email. when you send emails to the people who provide their email addresses (but without confirmation of address) is called single optin marketing.
Single optin marketing is fraught with dangers that can backfire and destruct your business. Somebody can fool you by providing email address of someone else. This would result in spamming the one whose email address has been provided.
You can also be taken for ride by providing false email addresses and affecting your email researches by adding ineffective addresses.
Bad thing.
To counter this loophole double opt-in marketing was devised. Double optin to minimizes the risk and maximize the return on your email marketing ventures.
In double opt-in a user consents to receive email newsletters or standalone commercial messages. A confirmation email is sent to that user, who is required to take one more action to be included on the list. The person must click the activation link within the confirmation email to affirm their wish to join your mailing list.
There is one problem with double optin. It can loose subscribers who do not confirm their addresses. But it gives you quality subscribers who are better to business with and is proven to be more successful.
There are various measures that you can take to get more subscribers with your campaign.
- There should be minimal sign-up work. If you present a user with lengthy form to fill he would soon averse and leave it.
- There should be several sign-up opportunities on a site. Sign up form should be present in all your website pages and there should be continuous subtle reminders and invitation to join your newsletter.
- A privacy policy that addresses what will be done with user information should be posted in an obvious place. This helps to build trust among your users.
In addition you also need measure to increase number of users who would confirm their email addresses.
- When a user enters his address, mention an email will be sent to him and include its estimated arrival time. Indicate the user is required to respond to that message to receive subsequent mailings.
- Confirmation message should sent immediately while the subscription is fresh in subscribers’ minds. If you delay it by few hours, you might be loosing valuable customers.
- In your confirmation email, only ask for the confirmation and nothing else. You must explain users that they will not be added to the list until they take the necessary action.
- It is highly desirable to keep one click confirmation. Do not ask them to write and reply back. If you require email confirmation, you must give users a reply option with subject line intact.
- Ensure that your contact information is included in the confirmation message and, if possible, include a link to your privacy policy.
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Tags: double optin, email marketing, optin, spam, subscribers newsletter, writing newsletter
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