What is Double Opt In and How to Use It in Email Marketing?

Why there are so many talks about the double-opt-in? What is the difference of it comparing with single opting in? And why you need to use this in your email marketing? These questions are the ones that bother marketers today. It is not surprising as the emailing policies are becoming more complicated and people want to receive the messages they really want. That is why online marketers need to make sure their content is delivered to the target person. One of the ways to reassure this is to use opt-in verification of the subscription. You can add either a single or double opt-in feature. However, the second one is considered to be safer as it provides additional evidence the person subscribers consciously.

“Email marketing, gives the opportunity to chat with the client and all registered personally. A good tool for those who know how to use it and achieve results in sales, brand promotion, etc. One of the stages of successful mailing is cleared of poor-quality email lists of contacts for mailing. Email validation(email validation service) and verification is one of the aspects of successful mailing and good indicators of deliverability and openness. Read the article below: what else needs to be taken into account in letters (email campaign) for its success.”

Types of Opt-Ins and Their Differences

As it was already mentioned, there are two ways the person can confirm the subscription. Let’s take a closer look at them, what do they mean and what differences they have. Also, we will reveal the pros and cons of every option. We start with single opt-in as it is a simpler process.

Single Opt-in

When you have a huge database, this option can serve a good deal. However, when you are focused on quantity, you can harm the quality. That is why the risk to get the address of the person who does not personally allow using their email is higher. The situation is following: you sort of asked for confirmation of the subscription, but the person can write in someone’s else addresses or even the fake one in order to get perks you offer but do not bother with subscription content you are about to provide.

Among pros we can highlight the following aspects:

• quick confirmation without taking much people’s time and efforts;
• you still can keep the address of the person who does not confirm it yet;
• you still get higher conversion rates.

Downsizes can be the following:

• higher risks to collect fake and invalid emails;
• in case you offer the useful material in exchange for the addresses, people will likely use fake emails and spoil your reputation as a newsletter deliver;
• lower open and click-through rates comparing with double opt-in implementation.

Double Opt-In in Email

The name of this confirmation method tells much about it. There are two steps the person needs to make in order to become your subscriber. Firstly, he or she submits their address you can add to your list and then confirm that is their email and they have access to it. Usually, it is done with the link delivered to the mentioned mailbox. After clicking on it, the person reassures you that you have rights to deliver newsletters and other messages to this mailbox. This is more secure way comparing with single opting in and protects you from spammer’s reputation. This process creates more questions and can bring more benefits if you apply it correctly. That is why we will discuss it in detail.

How Does the Double Opt-In Work?

So, we have started to discuss the process. It includes two steps. Firstly, the person clicks on the subscribe button, fill in the special form and in other way provide the address as the sign of the subscribing. Secondly, you need to get the confirmation of that address, so you send the link the person gets in the mentioned mailbox. By clicking on it you get the verification of the email and the subscriber now shows the interest in your material for sure. Now you have all rights to deliver the particular type of content the receiver has agreed on.

So, basically, it is an extension to the single opt-in. However, the main advantage of it is that you get more info on subscriber’s behavior and get the proof you have the permission to deliver the specific type of the letters.

The Importance of Double Opt-In in Email Marketing

After discussing what is double opt-in in email marketing, let’s talk about its importance and take a closer look at the reasons you should apply this strategy to your activity. As any possible approach, there are some minor cons as well. However, the advantages are worth some inconveniences. So here’s the brief list of pros and cons:

Pros:

• a higher level of engagement with the subscribers which leads to higher click-through and open rates;
• you minimize the risks of getting involved with the spamming and fake addresses and protect your reputation by avoiding suspicious activity within your mail provider;
• higher conversion rates because your subscriber list consists of mostly the ones who are interested in your content.

Cons:

• shorter email list due to the fact that not every visitor will follow the double opt-in steps;
• fewer emails may correlate with the sales rates.

In some cases the single opting in works well, so you can test the variants and make sure your business will be fine. Still, experts recommend getting extra confirmation though.

Effective Double Opt-In Email Lists for Sale

These are the key reasons you should add this feature to your website or blog. They not only show how useful it can be but display the obligation of it. It is vital for email account owners as they will be protected from getting unwelcomed emails and subscriptions since they will need to confirm their address for registration and so on. For marketers, it is important since their lists consist of the people who really want to set the communication. The single opt-in feature does not offer such perks though.

So let’s talk about a list of addresses. The whole point of the approach we are talking about is in attracting people who can become your prospects. So with double confirmation, you have reasons to assume your lists include mostly, let’s say, high-quality receivers. This is what does double opt-in mean for your budget. Imagine, you have 30,000 addresses for your newsletter delivery. You buy services for quick email distribution and pay for emails you sent but which will never reach the target receiver. From this perspective, it is better to have 3,000 emails in your base but with the strong reassurance that behind each of them you can find the person who will be happy to get your content and use your offers.

Fewer Spam Complaints

The other reality of the email marketing is getting spam complaints and unsubscribers. While the second type of cases happened when the person is no longer interested in your letters and you have a chance to persuade the subscriber not to leave, the spam complaints can have a serious impact on your reputation. People hate spam and they are quite determined when it comes to the emails they do not allow to the receiver or simply forget about (yes, this is the thing too).

Maybe it is hard to believe, but with double opt-in, you can reduce this rate down to the one digit number. That is also why most experts foresee that double confirmation will become obligatory considering anti-spam laws and regulations.

How to Use Double Opt-In: Strategies

It is completely up to you and your website purposes on how to implement this approach into your practice. However, knowing what double opt-in is, you can study some offered strategies for designing opt-in pages and collect the emails of your customers and readers for further communication.

1. Discounts. Offer new visitors to your website some discounts on the basic products after their subscription. Ask for email confirmation for sure and inform about limits of your offer. There are risks that the person will opt out after getting free stuff, so you need to think of the easy unsubscribe option as well. But in case you will be lucky and get the quality customer, your efforts will be rewarded.
2. The Content Upgrade. This is where you can put an original opt-in. Depending on the content of the page and the keywords you can generate the page where you will ask for the email address in exchange for the unique materials. The same works with blogs where you can offer additional materials and ask for subscription in return.
3. Loyalty Programs. This is another common strategy. You can offer various goods, constant discounts, special access to the restricted features and so on. Depending on the loyal users’ activity you can reward them. It can be shares, reviews, marks, feedback and so on. At the same time, you have their email addresses you can use for delivering informational letters about new products, services etc.

Also, it is worth mentioning that you need to pay attention to the form design. It is important due to make it easy for visitors to sign up and confirm their addresses as well as get the idea of what you offer and what ask in return. So use the following checklist:

• add real labels that lead to the particular pages (not just image to cover the space);
• placeholders can be used when you show the example of an entry, for instance;
• check whether the form is available and visible;
• provide real-time validation to make the process quick;
• add the disclaimer about privacy;
• test buttons before launching.

Apply Double Opt-In in Your Email Marketing

As we can see, there is hardly any difficulty in this option implementation. Sure, it requires some developing skills, but if you rule the email marketing activity already, it must not be a problem to you add the double opt-in. Moreover, there are chances this will become one of the obligatory things when considering email marketing laws. So after learning what a double opt-in is you need to think of the following:

• What can you offer to your subscribers to get second confirmation of the provided address?
• How can you alter your call to action in order to get opt-in info in the first place?
• What can motivate the person to click on the confirmation link?

You should keep in mind that such approach can shorten your email list. However, you will have reasons to expect the much higher efficiency of it. That is why you need to trust it and add the double opt-in feature.