What is Opt-In?

Right now as you read this someone is probably sending SPAM into your email account. SPAM is email you did not ask for and, more often than not, it’s mail that you don’t want. There’s so much of it because it’s so cheap to send. And all it takes is for one or two people to buy something from these emails for the sender to justify doing it again. And again. And again.

Another way to say it is that SPAM is email you have not Opted-In to receive.

So, if you are sending out emails to groups of people who have not asked to hear from you…yes, you are sending them SPAM.

Because of all this SPAM, companies around the world, as well as Governments, have joined in to fight this flood of unwanted email. SPAM filters and laws, which vary from country to country, have been used to try and halt this mess. As you can probably tell, these actions haven’t worked. They have, however, affected marketers who are trying to legally bring their products and services to market. And the SPAMers and SPAM blockers pose two main problems for legitimate marketers.

First, people get too many unsolicited emails and ignore most everything that does not come from someone they already know. So response rates for legitimate email continue to decline.

Second, IP providers are getting more and more aggressive on companies who send these kinds of 'blind' campaigns. Companies are winding up on 'blacklists' that can affect their entire email systems. (We'll go into more detail on this in a future article.) Combine this with SPAM software filters that block out huge amounts of mail and you've got even less of a chance your messages will be read. 

But if you are a B2B marketer, don’t throw out your email marketing plans just yet. While SPAM laws and SPAM software pose large challenges to getting your message out to the public, they also provide a wonderful opportunity for you to build a targeted list of prospects who, if you’re doing it right…may actually be looking forward to hearing from you.

The key is to get prospects (and clients) to Opt-In to hear from you. Also, known as Permission Based Marketing, this approach asks each prospect or client permission to allow you to send them further correspondence. It’s hard to do, but once you have this permission, it’s a powerful position for a marketer to be in. (You'll also hear the term "Double Opt-In" used, which refers to sending an email to anyone who Opts-In asking them to confirm they received the note, thus Opting-In twice.)  

In a sense, it’s like choosing the advertising you want to receive. Imagine if you could chose the TV commercials you want to watch. Now ask yourself: Why would anyone want to choose to hear from your company? THAT’s the BIG question you need to be asking regarding email marketing. Why do people care?

By putting an Opt-In marketing plan in place, you are forcing yourself to design content that is relevant to your audience. The key word here is relevant. Prospects and customers now have the power to shut you out if you are not giving them something that is relevant to them. And what's relevant to one prospect may not be relevant to another. This is tricky, folks, but it can be done.

So how do you do it?

There are good ways and bad ways to ask permission. It’s kind of like asking someone on a date. The method you use will directly affect your success.

Consider these two approaches for trying to get yourself that first date:

1)      “I want to see you again so I can tell you all about myself.”

OR

2)      “Can we get some dinner sometime? I’d love to know more about what you do because it sounds like we have some things in common.”

It’s a corny example, but let’s translate these two approaches into B2B marketing-speak.

1)      "Sign up to learn more about our product."

OR

2)      "If you take a minute to answer these 3 multiple choice questions about your company, we’ll send you the results so you can see how your company compares with the rest of your industry and you can learn what you can do to beat your competition."

In both cases, Option 2 has an increased chance of getting permission to take the relationship to the next stage. Why? You've taken the focus away from you and your sales pitch and instead put the focus on the prospect.

Simple questionnaires and offering free industry information that is pertinent to the prospect are two effective ways to get you that coveted Opt-In.

But how can you build an Opt-In email list if you can’t email them in the first place? Isn’t that SPAM?

Good question. The short answer is that you are allowed to ask people if they’d like to opt-in. You can use your prospect / client lists and lists you rent / purchase to seek permission to send them future correspondence. If you are reading this based on an email I sent you, you’ll remember that I asked you permission first to send you pertinent information about email marketing in the future. If you didn’t click on any links, I won’t keep sending you information. I only want to be in a dialog with people who are marketers who are looking for new ways to reach prospects and clients. If that’s not you, don’t worry, I won’t bug you.

Building an Opt-In database takes time and a careful approach. No two companies should do this exactly the same way, but if you use the right methodology and the right email platform, you'll be able to build a customized and highly valuable permission-based list that will increase your sales and decrease your cost-per-sale.

So take a quick look around our website. We’ve deliberately kept the content light. If you’re interested in learning how we can help your company build and develop your Opt-In marketing strategy, please call or email.