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Closed-loop opt-in – also known as double opt-in or confirmed opt-in
– is the gold standard of permission
email marketing. The rewards for using it are many. Higher delivery
rates. More sales. No spam complaints. A better contact list.
In a world where even the biggest email marketers get sent to
the junk file, closed-loop opt-in is your best defense against getting marked
as a spammer.
Closed-loop opt-in is a twofold process. Here’s how
it works:
| 1 |
A customer signs up to receive emails
on a Website ListBuilder/sign up box |
| 2 |
Immediately after they do this, you
send that customer an email where they are asked to confirm their
sign up by clicking on a link |
Single opt-in, which assumes that the first step above is the only permission
you need to send emails, can easily land on an ISP blacklist, essentially
blocking your emails from reaching your recipients. Here’s a common
scenario where single opt-in can land you in hot water:
| 1 |
Someone visits your ListBuilder and signs up
for your newsletter, using a friend or family member’s email
address. |
| 2 |
That friend or family member receives your email
and doesn’t recognize it. |
| 3 |
That same recipient marks your email as spam
because they know they didn’t sign up to receive it. |
| 4 |
Your delivery rates go down because you’ve been put on a blacklist,
which essentially marks you as spammer |
Closed-loop opt-in tells ISPs that you’re
a “safe sender”. In turn, ISPs will push your email all the
way to your recipient inbox. Another benefit to closed-loop opt-in? A better
quality email list.
Some customers may forget to confirm their subscription –
there’s no way to prevent this. However, of the customers that do
confirm, you’ll know for certain that they’re interested in
what you’re sending. You’ll save money by sending emails to
a smaller list, but you’ll also gain sales because you’ll have
a better audience.
If you’d like to find out more about building a closed-loop
opt-in list, click
here.
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