SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Opt In Email
What Does Double Opt-In Mean?
Everyone must make small decisions for all
aspects of life, such as whether or not to use leaded, unleaded,
or premium, caffeinated or decaffeinated. These decisions
are important and it makes sense that the choice you make
for your email marketing list will be made according to what
is appropriate for you as well.
When a prospect has completed personal information requesting
goods or services and an email is sent back to them asking
them to verify if they have filled out the application and
want the information you have no made your list a “double
opt-in” list. This theory is all about getting the permission
of the consumer prior to sending them email product information.
In sending email to people who have requested it, you will
distinguish the messages that are legitimate from spam.
Opt-in
mail comes in different forms. When a person signs
up for information on the Internet and clicks “send” they
are automatically on the list – this is called a single opt-in.
When a consumer receives a second confirmation email asking
them if they are the intended recipient and to verify their
interest your list then becomes a double opt-in. Adding one
more step makes this a double opt-in and it is one more guarantee
against spam. This is becoming the standard form of email
marketing among Internet businesses.
The easier you make it for the consumer to send the confirmation
email the higher the chances are that they will. There is
software available that automatically sends confirmation
email immediately upon receiving the initial request. The
reason this is effective is that the products and/or services
the consumer is interested in will still be fresh on their
mind. This automated software simply asks that the consumer
hit “reply” to send the message back. They do not have to
write anything in the subject line or state that they want
the service. All they have to do is simply reply to the email
message to confirm their interest. The easier it is for the
consumer to reply and contact you the higher your advertising
rates will become.
Do
you wonder why you cannot simply have them sign up and
that is all? The simple answer to that question is that you
leave yourself wide open to spammers and that is not a good
thing. Not only will your consumers get annoyed at being
spammed you will become liable and possibly lose your business.
Using the double opt-in method solves the problem of someone
submitting his or her address in error and/or a third party
submitting an address that is not theirs. When the consumer
does not respond to the confirmation email, their address
is rejected. The benefits using the double opt-in feature:
Individuals who work in Internet marketing and use email
as a form of advertisements know that their advertising dollars
have a higher rate of return when using the double opt-in
method. They are aware that the consumers who receive their
emails are interested in the products and/or services and
will eventually become customers. Now, double opt-in is not
fail-safe and there will still be some inaccurate replies
to the confirmation emails but the numbers will be significantly
less.
There is a downside in that many consumers are not familiar
with email advertising and they do not always read what they
are supposed to do to confirm or unsubscribe. To make the
matter more confusing, not every email marketer uses the
same technique. Therefore, if the consumer received one email
where all they had to do was hit the reply button to be added
and another marketer wants them to put a message in the subject
line the consumer may do the same thing for everyone. Either
this will have them on lists they do not want to be one or
you will lose a consumer that really wanted your services.
There really is no way stopping this unless there is a universal
code of conduct for all Internet marketers.
As you go through your lists and you probably have one that
is set aside for those who decline your services it is always
a good idea to check back with them (in a reasonable amount
of time) to see if they are interested or not. This way you
catch some consumers who may have fell through the cracks.
# # # # #
