Key Takeaways

• Email marketing consent hinges on explicit and implied consent, each with distinct implications for legal compliance and audience engagement.

• Adhering to regulations like GDPR, the CAN-SPAM Act, and CASL is essential to avoid legal penalties and maintain subscriber trust.

• Implementing best practices for obtaining and managing consent, such as clear communication and double opt-in processes, fosters engagement and compliance.

Understanding Email Marketing Consent

Email marketing consent is more than just a legal checkbox; it’s a commitment to respect your audience’s preferences and choices. It signifies that your subscribers have willingly agreed to receive marketing communications, creating a foundation of trust and engagement. Without proper consent, your marketing efforts can backfire, leading to annoyed recipients and potential legal repercussions.

There are two primary types of email marketing consent: explicit and implied. Explicit consent is obtained when a user takes a clear and affirmative action to agree to receive marketing emails, such as checking a box on a sign-up form. Implied consent, on the other hand, is assumed based on a user’s actions, such as providing their email address during a purchase.

Recognizing these distinctions helps in developing effective and compliant email marketing strategies.

Explicit and Informed Consent

Explicit consent involves a clear, affirmative action by the user, such as checking a box on a sign-up form or clicking a confirmation link in an email. This method ensures that the subscriber is fully aware of their agreement, providing informed consent. For example, under Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), explicit consent can be obtained either orally or in writing, and it must be clear and unambiguous.

The double opt-in process is an excellent example of how explicit consent can be implemented effectively. This method requires subscribers to confirm their consent by clicking on a link sent to their email address, adding an extra layer of validation, which is a key aspect of confirmed opt in.

Although explicit consent may attract fewer subscribers, it guarantees a higher quality email list, resulting in better engagement and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CASL.

Implied Consent

Implied consent occurs when there is an assumption that the recipient would not mind receiving marketing emails based on their previous actions or relationships. For instance, a customer may provide their email address during a purchase or sign up for a service without explicitly agreeing to receive marketing messages. This type of consent is often easier to obtain but comes with its own set of challenges.

While implied consent can help marketers acquire a larger number of subscribers, it may lead to lower engagement and higher unsubscribe rates. Additionally, implied consent typically has time frame restrictions, such as being valid for only two years, and can pose deliverability issues if not managed carefully.

Seeking explicit consent from subscribers whenever possible can help mitigate these risks, requesting consent whenever appropriate.

Differences Between Explicit and Implied Consent

The primary difference between explicit and implied consent lies in the clarity and affirmative action taken by the subscriber. Explicit consent involves a clear agreement from the individual, often through a direct action like checking a box or confirming via email.

Implied consent, however, arises from existing relationships or inferred interactions, suggesting that the individual may be open to receiving communications without a formal agreement. While explicit consent ensures compliance with stricter regulations and fosters a more engaged audience, implicit consent is easier to obtain but can pose risks if not managed properly.

Legal Requirements for Email Marketing Consent

Navigating the legal landscape of email marketing can be daunting, but understanding the key regulations is essential for compliance and building trust with your audience. Various email marketing laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, and CASL, aim to protect user privacy, prevent spam, and ensure ethical email marketing practices.

Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to hefty fines and damage to your reputation, necessitating a thorough understanding and adherence to these legal requirements.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a cornerstone of data protection and privacy laws in the European Union. It mandates that businesses must obtain explicit consent from individuals before collecting and using their personal data for marketing purposes. GDPR emphasizes the importance of maintaining detailed consent records, including timestamps and the method of consent acquisition, to ensure compliance and mitigate legal risks.

Non-compliance with GDPR can result in severe penalties, including fines up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. This highlights the importance of adhering to GDPR requirements and implementing robust consent management practices to protect user data and maintain trust.

CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act, enacted in 2003, sets the rules for commercial email messages in the United States and aims to protect recipients from unsolicited emails. Key requirements include providing a clear and conspicuous opt-out mechanism, honoring opt-out requests promptly, and ensuring that the header information is accurate and not misleading. Starting in 2024, bulk senders targeting Gmail and Yahoo are required to include a one-click unsubscribe feature, further emphasizing the importance of easy opt-out options.

Following the CAN-SPAM Act helps avoid legal repercussions and enhances your reputation as a responsible email marketer. Clear opt-out mechanisms and respect for subscribers’ choices build a more trusting and engaged audience.

ePrivacy Directive

The ePrivacy Directive, also known as the ePrivacy Regulation, governs electronic communications and works alongside GDPR to ensure the protection of personal data in the European Union. Under the ePrivacy Directive, marketers must obtain explicit consent from users before sending marketing communications, highlighting the need for clarity and transparency in consent requests.

For businesses operating in the EU, adhering to the ePrivacy Directive is essential as it complements GDPR and provides additional guidelines for electronic communications. Ensuring explicit consent and maintaining transparency fosters trust and compliance with both GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) requires explicit consent before sending commercial electronic messages, which include emails, SMS, and instant messages. Consent can be either express, where permission is actively given, or implied, based on prior relationships or the public availability of an email address. Securing express consent requires clearly outlining the purposes for the request, along with the requester’s identity and contact details, including those from email service providers.

Every commercial electronic message sent under CASL must contain the sender’s name, the organization’s identity if different, and a method for recipients to unsubscribe easily. CASL applies to all entities that send messages for commercial purposes, making it essential for businesses to understand and comply with its requirements to avoid penalties and maintain a positive reputation.

Best Practices for Obtaining Consent

Effective consent procedures fulfill legal requirements, build customer trust, and enhance overall marketing strategies. Clear communication of the value proposition and understanding diverse preferences of prospects are key to developing a successful opt-in strategy. Companies often fail to provide clear opt-in mechanisms, leading to confusion about consent.

Incentives such as limited-time discounts, free resources, and exclusive offers can effectively encourage email subscriptions. By clearly communicating the benefits of subscribing, businesses can gather permission-based email subscriptions and foster a more engaged audience.

Using Sign Up Forms and Pop Ups

Building your mailing list with subscription forms and lead magnets is crucial for effective email marketing. Opt-in forms should feature concise messaging and eye-catching design to grab attention. Personalized content and integration with social media can further enhance these forms, driving greater engagement.

Consent forms should clearly state all purposes for data collection and provide links to privacy policies to ensure legal compliance. Checkboxes for separate agreements help obtain explicit consent for different types of communications, making the process transparent and user-friendly.

Double Opt-In Process

The double opt-in process requires subscribers to confirm their consent by clicking on a confirmation link sent to their email address, ensuring that only genuinely interested individuals are added to your mailing list. This method helps confirm the validity of email addresses, reducing bounce rates and improving deliverability.

Following the initial sign-up, a confirmation email is sent to the subscriber, who must verify their email to complete the subscription process. This step enhances the quality of your subscriber list and ensures compliance with regulations like GDPR and CASL.

Clear and Honest Communication

Transparency in email marketing helps recipients understand how their data will be used and builds trust between them and the sender. Clear and honest subject lines enhance trust and compliance, ultimately leading to better engagement and a positive brand image.

Managing and Maintaining Consent Records

Managing and maintaining consent records is essential for compliance with data protection laws like GDPR. Obtaining consent should involve transparent communication, checkboxes, explicit agreement, and confirmation emails to ensure accurate documentation and auditability.

Keeping Accurate Records

Maintaining evidence of consent is essential for compliance with laws such as the ePrivacy Directive. Accurate consent records should document who gave consent and when it was granted, including timestamps and the method used to obtain consent.

This information is crucial for establishing a clear timeline and demonstrating compliance during audits.

Regularly Updating Consent Lists

Regularly updating consent lists removes contacts who no longer wish to receive communications and corrects inaccuracies, reducing legal risks and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations for existing customers. Engaging in regular updates not only enhances customer trust but also alleviates potential legal repercussions.

Handling Unsubscribe Requests

Properly handling unsubscribe requests is crucial for maintaining a positive customer experience and avoiding spam reports. Companies often fail to provide a straightforward way for users to opt out of email communications, leading to frustration and damaging the sender’s reputation.

Providing Easy Unsubscribe Options

Including an unsubscribe link in both the header and footer of emails increases visibility and convenience for users. This approach ensures recipients can easily find and use the unsubscribe option, reducing frustration and maintaining a positive relationship with your audience. Opt-out links must be visually distinct and easily accessible, typically located in the email footer. Offering an email preference page allows users to adjust their subscription settings rather than completely opting out, providing a more flexible option for managing their email preferences.

Transparency in consent requests, including clear unsubscribe options, is crucial for fostering trust and compliance. Without it, subscribers may feel deceived, leading to higher unsubscribe rates and potential legal repercussions.

Processing Opt-Outs Efficiently

According to the CAN-SPAM Act, opt-out requests must be processed within ten business days. Promptly honoring unsubscribe requests is essential for maintaining compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and for preserving customer trust.

Efficiently processing opt-outs helps avoid potential legal issues and ensures your email marketing practices remain respectful and compliant.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Respecting the recipient’s preferences and privacy is fundamental in email marketing. However, many companies make common mistakes that can undermine their efforts. Clarity in email marketing consent forms is essential; messages must be clear, truthful, and understandable to avoid confusion and ensure valid consent. Common errors include unclear disclosure, missing privacy policy links, and overly complex forms.

Transparency is another critical aspect. Failing to be transparent in consent requests can damage customer trust and result in legal repercussions. By maintaining transparency and clarity, businesses can foster trust and ensure compliance with regulations.

Ignoring Regional Laws

Adhering to regional email marketing laws is essential, as non-compliance can result in significant penalties. Overlooking these regulations, such as GDPR or CASL, can lead to hefty fines and loss of trust from your audience. For instance, potential fines for violating GDPR can be up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher.

Implied consent may lead to compliance challenges due to varying jurisdictional regulations. Hence, understanding and complying with applicable laws in your business regions is crucial to avoid legal risks and maintain a positive reputation.

Overlooking Transparency

Clarity in email marketing consent disclosures ensures valid consent and helps recipients understand the consequences of their agreement. Lack of transparency can lead to invalid consent, damaging customer trust and resulting in legal repercussions.

By being transparent in consent requests, businesses can build trust and ensure compliance with privacy regulations.

Monitoring and Optimizing Consent Practices

Monitoring and optimizing consent practices is essential for maintaining compliance and enhancing engagement. Email engagement metrics help assess the effectiveness of consent practices, while tracking user behavior and feedback provides valuable insights for improvement.

Re-permission campaigns can refresh consent records and ensure compliance with evolving legal standards.

Analyzing Subscriber Engagement

Analyzing metrics such as click-through rates, open rates, and conversion rates is crucial for evaluating subscriber engagement. These metrics offer insights into how well your content resonates with subscribers, helping to identify the quality of your subscriber list and informing future strategies. Understanding unsubscribe feedback through optional surveys allows marketers to refine their engagement strategies and improve consent practices.

By analyzing subscriber engagement, businesses can enhance their email marketing campaigns, maintain a healthy subscriber list, and ensure compliance with consent regulations.

A/B Testing Consent Requests

A/B testing helps marketers refine their consent strategies by comparing different email variations to improve engagement. This method helps determine which version of a consent request is more effective in driving subscriber actions and can inform future strategies for optimizing consent requests and improving subscriber acquisition.

Summary

In summary, understanding and implementing best practices for email marketing consent is crucial for building trust, protecting user privacy, and ensuring compliance with various regulations. By obtaining explicit and informed consent, managing consent records, and handling unsubscribe requests efficiently, businesses can foster a more engaged and loyal subscriber base.

Implementing these practices not only fulfills legal requirements but also enhances your overall marketing strategy. By maintaining transparency and adhering to regional laws, businesses can create a positive brand image and build lasting relationships with their audience. Let’s commit to respectful and effective email marketing practices that benefit both businesses and subscribers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is explicit consent in email marketing?

Explicit consent in email marketing refers to a clear and affirmative agreement from individuals, typically obtained through actions like checking a box or confirming via email, indicating their willingness to receive marketing communications. This ensures compliance and builds trust with your audience.

How does the double opt-in process work?

The double opt-in process ensures that only genuinely interested individuals are added to your mailing list by requiring subscribers to click a confirmation link in an email sent to them. This adds an extra layer of consent and security to your email communications.

What are the key requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act?

The key requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act include providing a clear opt-out mechanism, honoring opt-out requests promptly, and ensuring accurate header information. Additionally, starting in 2024, bulk senders will need to incorporate a one-click unsubscribe feature.

Why is maintaining accurate consent records important?

Maintaining accurate consent records is crucial for legal compliance with regulations like the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive. It ensures you have documented evidence of who granted consent, when it occurred, and how it was obtained, which is vital for audits and accountability.

What are the benefits of analyzing subscriber engagement?

Analyzing subscriber engagement offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of your content and the quality of your subscriber list. This information can guide improvements in your engagement strategies and consent practices.

Are you interested in finding out more? Browse the rest of our blog for other marketing tips. If you’re ready to create your first email, survey, sign-up form, or landing page then register for a free trial to get the tools you need to build powerful marketing campaigns!

The post Best Practices for Email Marketing Consent: What You Need to Know appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Offer Incentives

Everyone loves free things, and offering incentives is an excellent way to entice your clients to sign up. You can offer various incentives, such as discounts, free consultations, free e-books, or exclusive access to upcoming sales. However, always ensure the incentive aligns with your target audience’s interests. For instance, if your business is about clothing and accessories, offering a free e-book about fashion and style would be more appealing than a cookbook.

A few examples of incentives:

– Discounts on products/services

– Free shipping

– A free consultation with an expert in your industry

– Exclusive access to upcoming sales or new product launches

– Free ebooks, podcasts, or videos related to your business.

Make it Easy

Make the sign-up process easy. No one wants to fill out lengthy forms. Keep the registration process simple, with just a few fields to fill out, like first name, last name, and email. You can also opt for Social Login, where people can sign up using their social media accounts. This saves them time, and they don’t have to remember another username and password.

Some examples:

• Include a newsletter sign-up field in your checkout process.

• Place a sign-up button on the homepage of your website.

• Add a link to the email signature.

• Create social media campaigns with links to the newsletter sign-up page.

Place Forms in High-Traffic Areas

Place your sign-up forms in high-traffic areas. You can add them to the homepage, footer, or sidebar of your website. Also, try using pop-ups, but ensure that they are not intrusive or annoying. Your forms should be noticeable and attract attention without interfering with the user experience.

Create a Catchy Subject Line

Your subject line is the first thing your subscribers see, and it’s what will make them decide whether to open or trash the email. Create a catchy subject line that stands out from the rest. Avoid using generic subject lines like “Newsletter #2” or boring subjects like “This week at Our Business.” Be creative and come up with something catchy that makes people want to open the email.

Provide Valuable Content

Now that you have your clients’ emails, providing valuable content is essential. Your newsletter content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. Provide insights, knowledge, tips, or advice related to your business. Also, don’t just focus on promoting your products or services, but offer a mix of promotional and informative content.

For example, if you are a clothing store, you can provide fashion tips and advice on styling, trends, etc.. or if you are a home décor store, you can provide home improvement tips and tricks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, getting your clients to sign up for your email newsletters may seem like an uphill task, but with the right strategies, it’s achievable. Remember to offer incentives to entice people to sign-up, make the registration process easy, add sign-up forms to high-traffic areas, create catchy subjects, and provide valuable content. By implementing these tips, you’ll be able to grow your email list and retain your subscribers.

If you want to learn more about marketing, check out the rest of our blog. If you’re ready to start making content, sign up for a free trial to get the tools you need to make great marketing campaigns, surveys, landing pages, and more!

The post Get Your Clients to Sign Up for Your Email Newsletter appeared first on VerticalResponse.

We spend most of our time simply trying to get customers to sign up for things like email campaigns. But if you want those who sign up to stick around, it’s important to send the right follow-up message.

Wondering how to write a follow up email that will keep customers coming back for more? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know to get started!

Write A Follow Up Email (But Don’t Write “Follow Up”)

It can be very difficult to write a follow up email because some of the best advice may sound a bit contradictory. For example, one thing your follow-up emails should almost never include is the term “follow-up.”

That’s because when a customer receives an email, they are mostly curious about what you can do for them. Our guide will later touch on adding value to your messages, but right now, the most important part is knowing what to avoid.

When a customer sees “follow-up” in an email subject line or body, they think you are mostly focused on what they can do for you. So avoid actually using the term “follow-up” unless you want to drive customers away.

Make A Meaningful Connection

One of the chief functions of email follow ups is to keep your hot leads relatively warm. And if you want to do this well, then your initial follow-up message should try to make a meaningful connection with the customer.

There are different ways to do this. You can include details about personally meeting the person, or maybe details you have gleaned from their public social media accounts. A little flattery can go a long way, and you can spend a few lines talking about how something they said or wrote really inspired you.

The exact way you go about this isn’t as important as simply making the meaningful connection in the first place. This way, the customer doesn’t feel like they are getting emails from a random person or business. Instead, they feel like they are maintaining a relationship with someone they trust.

Include a Strong CTA

One of the more common “rookie mistakes” a business makes when sending out followup emails is that they don’t include a CTA. Oftentimes, this omission is deliberate because they are worried that a CTA will mess with the casual tone of a friendly follow-up message.

However, a CTA is always important in your marketing emails, and this scenario is no different. The only thing you may need to tweak is how you personally define “call to action.”

For example, you don’t need to be pushing a hard sell in these initial messages. But you can include softer requests, including customers visiting your site, replying to your email, filling out a short survey, and so on.

Always Add Value

We touched on this before, but it’s worth diving into in more detail: your customers expect value from their interactions with your company. If you want to enjoy more success with your follow-up emails, then the simplest solution is to add more value to those messages.

One easy way to do this is by including a value statement in your follow-up correspondence. In brief, it’s important to tell customers what you have to offer and how this can help them out. Additionally, it would be good to spare a line or two about the unique value proposition of your own company.

You can add value in other ways, including linking to blogs relevant to customers’ interests and offering them rewards (like coupons or free ebooks on topics like saving money) in exchange for participating in things like online surveys.

When you do this, a customer will understand how you can help them almost right away. And they will be eager to receive future messages because they know that you A) won’t waste their time and B) have practical advice and exciting rewards that can improve their lives.

Frequent Follow-Ups For Unresponsive Customers

Now, the goal of the initial follow-up email is simple. You want customers to open your messages, follow the CTA, and ideally become loyal customers of your particular brand.

However, customers sometimes ignore that initial follow-up. And they may even ignore the next one. At this point, what is the best thing your company can do?

Surprisingly, the answer to that question is “keep sending messages.” Various studies have shown that customers are likely to respond to repeat messages. And even if they have ignored the first couple of messages, they may be very likely to respond to a third or fourth.

With the right email automation, it’s easy enough to set a schedule of repeat messages for unresponsive customers. And while some may never respond, you may be surprised by how a few repeat messages can boost customer retention on your email list.

Use Credible Links

Remember when we said your messages need to contain value? Value doesn’t always come from value statements and free goodies. Sometimes, it comes from the researched information you have to offer.

To really make an impact, you should include relevant statistics from reputable individuals and companies. Whenever you are sharing important info with customers, make sure they know exactly where the info came from.

Ultimately, credible links are part of the “ethos” of any message you send. When customers realize you are getting information from a reliable source, they are much likelier to conclude that you, too, are reliable.

How To Write A Follow Up Email Made Easy

The above tips will help you transform your follow-up messages into something more persuasive. But what if you didn’t have to write a follow up email on your own?

Here at Vertical Response, we are experts in all things related to email marketing. If you’re ready to improve customer retention and boost your bottom line, all you have to do is contact us today!

The post How to Write a Follow-Up Email for Your Campaigns appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Owned media has several advantages over paid media, including being far more cost-effective and immune to unexpected algorithm changes. You may also alter the narrative for your brand. An engaged email list is a company’s biggest asset since it is a portion of owned media or media channels your organization has complete control over.

Building and maintaining an email list in a specific place is easier than you think. Each year, the email database declines by 22.5%. Because individuals change, your contact email addresses are transferred from one business to another, and some people choose not to receive emails. An organization that understands its importance has made expansion a top priority.

How Email Lists Assist Companies in Expanding:

You can increase the size of your email list for various reasons. The most apparent argument is that you have more prospective consumers or clients the more individuals subscribe to your list. Customers prefer to interact with firms that remember them when they email them about new items, information, or sale announcements since it’s a personal and professional form of communication. Large companies like email marketing because it offers significant sales returns for a little investment.

Email lists are beneficial because they enable you to communicate with and establish relationships with your audience. Brands interact with their audience on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

In the digital age, an email is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their clients. New customers may visit your website to learn more about your brand by checking out your social media presence. However, because there are so many brands on social media and so many brands engage with their customers and visitors through email marketing, there is no guarantee that people will see your content or even remember you if you only interact with them through social media.

Why you should create an email list:

If you’re new to online business, it may be mysterious why you require your email list. But there are numerous advantages. In actuality, the most valuable asset for the majority of well-established online businesses is their email list.

Advantages of creating your email list:

It costs less

The price of digital advertising is flying while its effectiveness is declining. Comparatively, sending frequent emails to your email list is very affordable.

Emails are private

You can customize emails, but advertisements cannot. Additionally, unlike on social media, you may automate emails so that they are sent depending on consumer activity.

You can much more accurately aim

The targeting on Facebook and other ad networks is deteriorating. You may target certain things with emails, such as demographics (city, gender, and birthday) or behavior (bought product, clicking on the email, etc.)

Your list is yours

You would not need to rely on any other business or platform. Your email list is incredibly precious, and it belongs to you.

Email also use to establish connections

Digital advertisements naturally adopt a “spray and pray” strategy to communicate with as many people as possible. You can tailor automated emails that follow a customer’s journey using email. Ads won’t allow you to do that.

How can you grow a massive email list?

Here are three strategies for partnering with others and creating win-win alliances that expand your respective email databases and increase sales:

1. Partner with Local Business:

Indirect competition is common among neighborhood businesses, and many share your customer base. Ask them if they’d like to collaborate on a regional email marketing campaign by getting in touch with them.

• Exchange emails promoting each other’s weekly offers.
• Offer each other’s email list and describe the advantages of joining.
• Make a unique package. For instance, a restaurant and movie theatre might advertise a “couple’s date night” package. A win-win-win scenario is where each business provides a discount, customers sign up for both businesses’ mailing lists, and they enjoy an affordable night out.
• Create a weekly “community deals” newsletter in collaboration with other local businesses. Every company may post its weekly offers and assist in promoting the list to its clientele.

2. Collaborate with internet companies

Have a local, national, or international clientele? Consider possible business partners that do not directly compete with you but have the comparable size and client demographics by looking outside the boundaries of your zip code.

For instance, an online billing software company might collaborate with an online bookkeeping company. Alternatively, a business that sells dog food might collaborate with a business that offers dog toys.

Ideas for partnerships with online email include:

• Encourage the sale of related goods and services.
• Promote one another’s lead magnets, such as eBooks, to get clients to join one another’s email lists.
• Customers should be aware of special offers; for instance, if someone buys dog food from one company, they might offer them a 15% discount if they join the mailing list of the dog toy company.
• Establish affiliate relationships so that one business benefits financially when a customer of the other makes a purchase.
• Create packages for joint venture partnerships where you combine two goods or services into one reduced deal.

Many online businesses exist, so do your research and identify the top candidates. They offer complementary goods and services rather than ones in direct competition with you. Similar to local partnerships, it benefits everyone as the consumers receive a fantastic deal, and both companies split the marketing expense and profit from sales. It’s a fantastic way to instantly grow your Audience and boost sales through dependable referrals.

3. Work together with charitable organizations

You can reach a targeted audience through nonprofit organizations eager to contribute money to a worthwhile cause. You can make the deal more enticing by providing something in return, like a good or service.

Measures include:

• Hold a unique, time-limited sale where a portion of the proceeds is donated to a charitable cause. Opportunities abound during holidays, membership drives, and special occasions.
• Anyone who joins a nonprofit organization’s email list can receive a special coupon. To deliver the coupon and carry on marketing to its Audience, the nonprofit will share its subscribers with you.
• Give a portion of the proceeds from each sale to a charity that is important to your clientele. As long as the program is profitable for everyone involved, you can continue it.

Nonprofit organizations will promote your email list to their members, donors, and email subscribers. The relationship benefits both parties. Because they receive a portion of sales (or another type of donation, like an in-kind donation), you gain more subscribers and customers, and customers get a great deal while supporting a good cause.

How to successfully form email partnerships?

You should have picked up on a theme by now: to make email partnerships work, you must establish a win-win-win scenario. All partners profit as a result, but customers gain the most.

More advice for effective email collaboration is provided below:

Collaborate with a company has a similar Audience:

Cooperate with those with a similar audience to your own and avoid going head-to-head (who are easy to work with). Make sure the relationship benefits both parties equally and both parties receive benefits.

Never send spam to email partners’ subscribers

When you form partnerships, it’s a good idea to be clear about how you intend to use your expanding email list.

Prioritize subscribers

What will encourage them to join your mailing list? List of your partner? Then choose how to design a package or program that motivates subscribers.

Try it out with only one potential companion first

If your efforts are successful, consider forming new alliances or teaming up with several companies to run a single promotion. If you fail, figure out what went wrong and fix it: the wrong partner, target market, or offer.

Conclusion:

Any firm must have email lists for marketing purposes. They are an excellent means of getting in touch with your clients and subscribers. Your email lists will increase if you use social media, CTAs, giveaway competitions, collaboration with other companies, blog authoring, and guest blogging.

The post 3 Ways to Double Your Email List and Boost Sales With Email Partnerships appeared first on VerticalResponse.

What’s more, shoppers are also found to spend 138% more when marketed to via email, and email is shown to be 40 times more effective for acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined.

From stats like these, it’s obvious that email marketing is highly lucrative and effective. However, before you can leverage the power of email marketing, you need to have a list of addresses to market to.

This is where list building comes in.

Although it might be tempting to do whatever you can to gain subscribers, this is a dangerous (and ineffective) tactic.

One of the most important things to focus on when starting with email list building is customer autonomy. To create an email list that truly fuels business growth, you should be using opt-in list building techniques.

If you don’t, this will compromise your email lead building efforts.

Ready to find out why we choose opt-in list building? Let’s jump into the details.

What Is Opt-in List Building?

Have you ever signed up for a service or online account and come across a small check box and the words “Tick to receive marketing materials and newsletters”?

If you have, this is an example of opt-in email list building. The company is asking for your consent before adding your email to their marketing lists.

Another example of opt-in list building is when you subscribe to someone’s newsletter on a site by filling in a form. The form acts gain your consent for receiving emails from the site or business.

To carry out opt-in list building, you need to ensure leads are given an opportunity to grant consent to receiving your marketing emails.

If you purchased a list of email addresses or are using addresses from business cards—and marketing to them without their active consent, this is non-opt-in list building. The same goes for using email addresses that your site has collected where the owners did not consent to receive marketing materials.

Let’s now examine why this is not a good idea and why we recommend opt-in email list building strategies instead.

It Is the Law

First and foremost, in many cases, it is illegal to send unsolicited marketing emails.

In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act does not require you to gain consent from email recipients. This means you can send marketing emails to American leads without breaking the law. However, this is not the case with European and Canadian leads.

According to the more stringent GDPR laws and Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, you must gain clear and affirmative consent from recipients before sending them marketing materials.

What’s more, even though the CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t ban unsolicited emails, it’s still advised to steer clear of this with American recipients to avoid complaints.

Repercussions for violating anti-spamming includes being blacklisted and fined, sometimes as much as $41,484 per non-compliant email.

For many online marketers, you will likely have residents from all over the world on your email list. To avoid violating anti-spamming laws, it’s essential that you use opt-in email list building practices.

It’s More Effective

Besides keeping you on the right side of the law, opt-in list building is more effective.

This is because everyone on your list has agreed to be there. They are a more targetted group of leads, and the likelihood of them engaging with your emails and marketing materials is therefore higher.

If you send emails to recipients who haven’t given their consent, they will most likely ignore these communications because they will look like (and be) spam.

It’s Cheaper

Let’s be honest. Email marketing does come with some costs. The larger your email list and the more emails you send out, the higher your costs will be.

For this reason alone, you don’t want to have a bloated email list filled with recipients who don’t want to receive emails from you. This will bring down your ROI and drive up costs unnecessarily.

Besides choosing opt-in list building and respecting permission levels, you should also do regular pruning of your list to ensure that all your recipients want to continue receiving your messages. All you have to do is send out a mail to the addresses with the lowest open rates, asking the recipient to take action if they don’t want you to remove them from your list.

If no action is taken, remove the address.

This is an essential component of email list management. The last thing you want is to give yourself more work by adding people to your list who never wanted to receive communications in the first place.

Opt-in List Building Is Better for Your Brand Image

Have you ever been spammed? If so, what did you think of the company doing it? You probably thought, “Bunch of money-hungry sharks, there’s no way I’m buying anything from you!”

If you start emailing people without their consent, this is spammy behavior. The recipients will likely think you’re just after sales, and you aren’t providing value. This is the opposite of how you want them to feel.

In today’s marketing world, the most effective techniques are ones where brands prove and provide value first and then directly market their offering. This is also the core of successful drip campaigns.

Sending out unsolicited emails without doing proper email lead building will work against all your engagement efforts because the receivers probably won’t trust your brand.

Streamline Your Email Marketing

Besides being the most compliant route, opt-in contact list building is also one of the best ways to streamline your email marketing efforts and build trust with your subscribers. Not only is it cheaper and more efficient, but it’s also far more effective.

Are you looking for more ways to optimize your email marketing campaigns? We have a suite of powerful tools that will allow you to build campaigns in minutes. Packed with additional features, such as automated follow up emails, landing page builders, and more, our full-service email marketing package gives you everything you need to launch and run highly professional and impactful campaigns.

Sign up for a free trial today and leverage the power of streamlined email marketing.

The post Prioritize Consumer Autonomy: Why We Choose Opt-In List Building appeared first on VerticalResponse.

The dynamics of winning back customers can be tricky.

You need to identify the possible reasons why they chose to become inactive. You also need to determine the factors that will bring them back to the fold.

And when it comes to rebuilding your lost connection, one of the most effective ways of doing so is through a win back email campaign. This is a strategy that involves re-engaging inactive subscribers or customers.

However, there is a proper way of crafting a win-back email wherein you don’t sound like hard-selling to your customers. But how exactly do you do that?

Continue reading below for the answers.

Examples of Successful Win Back Email Ideas

Before we discuss the steps and elements of a subtle win-back email, let us first look at some of the most effective ones that came out recently. First, there is Duolingo’s short but timeless re-engagement email.

It opens up with the phrase “We haven’t seen you in a while” in bold letters. Right below is an image of their official mascot that appears to be crying.

Below it, they invite the visitor to start learning a new language in minutes. Completing the email is a call to action (CTA) button saying “Get back on track.” A call to action is a marketing term that refers to strategies and tools encouraging consumers to further engage with the business.

Another excellent example of an effective win-back email idea is that of Grammarly. Their email prompts inactive users to reactivate their accounts.

The message says “You’ve Just Unlocked: The Wrinkle in Time Badge.” It goes on to say “you previously installed Grammarly on your browser back when you were really into writing things.”

It then tells that user that it’s high time to “come back and continue writing awesome things now.” And much like the Duolingo email, it came with a CTA button at the bottom.

The Key Qualities of a Win-Back Email

To come up with a subtle but effective win-back email campaign, you must first understand the key qualities of a good win-back email. The campaign involves a series of emails, each one containing unique qualities and content.

For starters, utilize compelling subject lines. This means your subject line must pique the curiosity of the email subscribers. In turn, it should compel them to click on your email.

It should also come with a body that also compels them to act. And when it comes to the action, the message needs to come with a CTA button to facilitate the action.

As for the CTA button, it must be visible and straightforward.

Work on Your Subject Lines 

Let us go back to discussing your subject line. Since it is the first thing customers will see when they open their inbox, you need to keep it short and sweet.

Also, use a sender name that is familiar to them. Make sure to use an email address that comes with your brand name.

Furthermore, consider including their name in the subject line. By personalizing the subject line, you are raising the chances of the customers opening and reading the email. Also, you are making them feel that they matter to you.

Additionally, avoid using all caps in your subject line. Keep in mind that responding in all caps is like shouting at your customers.

Last but not least, always put your subject line to an A/B test. This will give you an idea of what your customers will likely respond to.

The First Email: The Rebuilding Phase

For starters, the first email should focus on rebuilding your relationship with your inactive customers. Hence, you want to remind them about your brand and what you’re offering.

Reintroduce your brand by showing them some of your latest products. Make sure these products can benefit them the most.

In case you don’t have anything new in your product line, use one of your best-selling products or services. When creating a template for your initial email, be sure to use an exciting tone.

The Second Email: The Re-Offer

As for your second email, you want to use it to make a stronger offer. This is the time when you can fire a special offer especially if the customer didn’t respond to the first one.

It can be an upgrade to a regular product or even a discount on a premium item. And since they are existing customers, make sure to check on their previous purchases.

Revisit your customer data and use it as a guide. From there, determine the product that you think they will personally use.

The Feedback Email

The feedback is something that you can incorporate in your second email. It can also be your third. Here, you want to get the sentiments of the customers for giving you the cold shoulder.

Here, you want to get to the bottom of the matter as to why they didn’t respond to your previous emails.

If they respond to this email, then your hopes of reviving them remain alive. If they respond and tell you the reason why they became inactive, act on it accordingly.

Send an apology email if necessary. If not, give them a special discount.

Keep in mind that when writing these emails, you need to keep a conversational tone. This will keep you from hard-selling your customers, which may turn them off.

The Final Email

As for your final email, this is where you inform them that you are unsubscribing them from your email list. You will send this email if they did not respond after the second or third email.

Why is this step important? This is because they are doing you more harm than good. Keeping them in your mailing list will only affect the quality of your list.

And if they respond after this final email, consider it as a bonus.

Let Us Handle Your Email Marketing Requirements

Creating a subtle yet effective win back email is something all businesses should learn. Not only will it help build your client base, but it will also develop the way you take care of your clients. But if you have too many tasks on your plate, we can help ease your burden right away.

We offer top-notch email marketing solutions for entrepreneurs and business professionals. Get in touch with us and sign up for a free trial. Let’s work on your email marketing requirements, today!

The post Winning Their Hearts Again: Subtle Win-Back Email Ideas appeared first on VerticalResponse.

1. Respect permission levels

There are a few layers for this part of list management. For one thing, if you haven’t reached out to someone in a while, it can be worth it to regain permission to email them. This prevents confusion and high bounce rates by ensuring that the people you email want to hear from you. But if these people ask to be removed or don’t respond to your attempt at regaining permission, it’s best to remove them from your mailing list.

Another thing to consider is subscription management: Let people manage their email preferences, so they don’t have to unsubscribe altogether just to reduce one specific type of content they don’t want. Also, understand that there are email laws. And if you’re sending to countries around the world, there’s special legislation you need to be aware of. The passage of GDPR, even though it applies mainly to Europe, also may affect communications with some of your recipients.

2. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario

Make it easy for subscribers to leave. It’s not ideal, but it’s better in the long run to have a simple unsubscribe option, and it’s definitely better than having your emails marked as spam. Put the unsubscribe button somewhere that’s easy to find, such as in the footer of your email or at the top in the preheader area. Don’t hide it in a long paragraph of terms and conditions.

3. Know your audience

Consider surveying email recipients to understand how they like to receive information. If your subscribers prefer to receive information via written online content, like traditional blogs, you will not be able to reach them effectively with podcasts. Also, ask them demographic questions that yield valuable insights into their age, location and the like. These questions will help you tailor content. For example, if you realize most of your email list is made up of 30-year-old investment bankers, you may use a different tone and voice than if your list is primarily young mothers.

Editor’s note: Although purchasing a third-party email list may be faster and easier on your end, the results are less than stellar. Not only have people from these lists likely never come in contact with your business, but they also didn’t ask to receive emails from you. This significantly reduces your ROI (return on investment) and reduces the odds that they will even open your emails in the first place. Instead, for best email list management, build your list by letting people sign up from your website, blog and social media, and at in-person events.

4. Look for hard bounces

Hard bounces are emails that get returned because the email address is invalid. This can happen because the recipient’s email address has been mistyped or the account has been disabled or closed. It’s a good idea to audit your contact list weekly, monthly or in between big email campaigns to remove any bounced email addresses.

5. See what’s working

Another idea for list management is to look at engagement metrics to see if people respond better to receiving multiple emails a week versus receiving two a month. Check out what kind of content gets higher open rates, and what time of day gets the most opens. This may seem obvious, but don’t just glance at the metrics once in a while to say you did it. Dig into what the data means. Check out the hidden nuggets of information that can help you better your emails. Also, try A/B testing. Only change one thing at a time so you can pinpoint any differences in responses.

Maintaining your email list is like maintaining your relationships. Put in the time to get it right.

The post 5 indispensable email list management best practices appeared first on VerticalResponse.

But how can you make the most of Pop Ups? We recently walked through some quick tips for using Pop Ups in different types of businesses. Keep reading for even more excellent uses of Pop Ups, no matter your industry.

Pop Up tips for nonprofits

Pop Up when engagement is high. People who visit your website are likely interested in your organization, so Pop Ups can give them the chance to sign up and stay in the know. Place your Pop Up at the end of your most recent blog post, or catch visitors’ attention with a Pop Up that’s triggered when they’ve scrolled down the page to learn more.

Target the right people. If people are interested in donating their money or their time to your cause, they’re prime candidates for your email list. Why not embed a Pop Up on your donation form, volunteer registration form or donation acknowledgment page? But be cautious about interrupting visitors who are looking to donate: Keep an eye on your website analytics to be sure your Pop Up isn’t preventing visitors from completing those tasks on your website.

Keep Pop Ups polite. This pop-up form from Open Arms of Minnesota uses heartfelt language to connect with visitors and lets them know exactly what they can expect to receive when they sign up. The form reflects the colors of the organization’s brand, and it can be closed at any time.

Offer exclusive rewards. The Art Institute of Chicago gets visitors excited to join by rewarding them with subscriber-only perks.

Pop Up tips for restaurants

Grant early access to events. Does your restaurant offer live music or other special events? Place a Pop Up on the webpage where you let visitors know about the fun events you have planned. Encourage them to sign up for your newsletter and stay in the loop about upcoming shows.

Offer a discount. If you offer gourmet food and gifts for sale online, you can place your Pop Up on your online shopping page. Legal Sea Foods offers first-time email subscribers a discount, which makes their luscious lobster even sweeter to shoppers.

Make visitors crave your content. Olive Garden entices hungry visitors to sign up for their eClub with a photo of scrumptious food and the promise of a free appetizer.

Pop Up tips for service companies

With dozens of laundromats, landscapers, salons, mechanics and other service industry companies online, it’s crucial to stand out from the crowd. One way to do this is with Pop Ups. Start by adding a Pop Up to your services page because people will go there to see how your offerings and prices stack up to similar businesses in town.

Then move beyond the services page and get poppin’ with these tactics:

• Drive sign-ups by giving email subscribers a chance to win a free year of lawn care, car washes or other great prizes.
• Invite people to join your email club for access to new specials, discount coupons and a freebie on their birthday.
• Make your Pop Up the key to unlocking subscriber-only content and tips and show off your expertise in the process.
• Give email subscribers a free gift for signing up, such as a webinar, workshop, step-by-step tutorial, checklist or e-course.
• And if people are leaving your services page, use an exit pop-up to offer a free consultation or promo code for their next service.

In the example below, gethealthyu.com creates a compelling offer by inviting subscribers to join their community, get a free newsletter and receive a bonus weight loss e-book.

Pop Up tips for retailers and e-commerce businesses

Pop Up for a purpose. Place a Pop Up with a coupon on your sales or shopping cart page to give people some added incentive to complete the checkout process. Or use a Pop Up that’s triggered when a visitor tries to leave your website (an exit pop-up) to capture their information before they bounce.

Make subscribers feel special. Offer them a first look, a sneak peek or an exclusive update the way Lord & Taylor does in the example below:

Create an irresistible offer. Wayfair uses a pop-up form to spotlight whopping daily sales of up to 70 percent off home furnishings.

Use multiple Pop Ups. Vary your Pop Ups to keep your audience engaged. In this example, Basic Outfitters uses a discount to grab visitors’ attention:

Sometimes people aren’t quite ready to buy, and they need a gentle nudge. Basic Outfitters uses the pop-up form below to offer folks a friendly reminder, along with an incentive to complete the checkout process:

If it looks like shoppers have had a change of heart and are getting ready to leave the site, give them a reason to reconsider. Basic Outfitters asks for their email address with an exit intent pop-up form that reads, “Not ready to commit? Sign up, and we’ll keep you in the loop on all things new and exciting.”

By now you should realize that Pop Ups are good for your business, no matter your industry. They can grow your email list by leaps and bounds, but not all pop-up forms will work for your audience and website. Use the examples in this article as a springboard for creating your own powerful Pop Ups with VerticalResponse. Then A/B test your Pop Ups to measure their effectiveness. VerticalResponse lets you experiment with design, triggers and placement of your Pop Ups to make sure you’re getting them just right.

The post Proven pop-up practices for different industries appeared first on VerticalResponse.

To ensure that your Pops Ups are seamlessly integrated into your website and create the best user experience possible, you need to know when and where it’s most appropriate and effective to use them. Just as you would optimize your website’s overall design according to industry, you can do the same for the Pop Ups you use. To help you get the best results, here are some ideas of where on your website to place your Pop Ups according to the type of business you operate.

Nonprofit organizations

Visitors to nonprofits’ websites are likely to be the most engaged with your content and your cause while reading about your organization’s mission, needs and successes. Encourage these prospective supporters to sign up for your newsletter by placing a Pop Up on your most recent blog article or the “latest news” page of your website.

Tip: A Pop Up that’s triggered when visitors scroll down the page is ideal, as the act of scrolling implies that they’re interested in what they’re reading. If they’re interested in the content, then they’re more apt to share their information with you and sign up for your email list.

Retailers and e-commerce shops

Retailers who sell products online or showcase on their website what they have in stock can embed a Pop Up on their product page. This is a page where prospects want to learn more about what your store has to offer, so you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to connect with them.

Tip: To ensure you don’t distract them from making a purchase, use a Pop Up that’s triggered when a visitor tries to leave your website — often referred to as an exit pop — to capture their information before they bounce.

Bonus tip: If a visitor ultimately doesn’t make a purchase or decides to leave your website, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t interested in your shop. Adding an exit Pop Up gives you a chance to continue marketing to people who might not be ready to make a purchase, but are still curious about your merchandise.

Service industry companies

When people visit the website of a wedding planner, plumber, mechanic or other service industry professional, they’re often doing research. They’re comparing your prices and what you offer to your competitors. Place a Pop Up on your services page to reach out to them when they’re spending the most time with your content.

Tip: While visitors might not be prepared to immediately book a consultation, they may be interested enough in what they see to find out more about your company and continue their research through email.

Restaurants

Does your restaurant hold private or community events? Do you cater? Are there nights where you serve special menu items? The page on your site where you let visitors know about all the exciting or unique things happening at your establishment is a great place to put a Pop Up.

Tip: When you ask visitors to sign up for your newsletter, tell them in a sentence or two that when they sign up to receive your emails, they’ll be the first to know about events, menu updates and so on.

For all businesses

As with any updates to your website’s design, don’t forget to A/B test your Pop Ups. For example, your audience may be more receptive to Pop Ups that are immediately triggered when they land on your website than they are to Pop Ups placed on a sidebar. With VerticalResponse, you can experiment with design, triggers, and placement of your Pop Ups, and learn what works best for your audience and website.

The post How to make Pop Ups work for you appeared first on VerticalResponse.