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In Our Next Edition:
Narrowcasting: Selling in a Consumer Controlled Market
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| | Dear Reader, |
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Welcome back to the Topica Online Marketer. Every month we deliver to you the latest news on the online marketing industry, as well as the tips you need to build and improve your online marketing success. At Topica, we strive to maintain the highest standards of privacy and subscriber permission levels. Consequently, please note that during the month of January we will be switching over to “confirmed opt-in only” mailing. Please confirm your subscription by clicking on the confirm link below or in the footer of this email. Please read on to find out how subscription confirmation can help benefit your email campaigns.
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Getting Your Subscribers to Say YES, YES, YES!
In 2005, we read a lot of articles aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. But out of all of the articles aimed at helping you GET YOUR EMAILS READ, we noticed one glaring omission: the importance of confirming subscribers. While all the other strategies are great parts of building up your program, confirmation is the key to targeting your potential customers, making subscribers happy, and keeping them coming back for more.
Keep them committed
We all want our email list to be full of receptive and responsive subscribers. So why do many marketers fear that sending confirmation messages will alienate their subscribers? While we can't speak for everyone, we always feel reassured when the companies we request email from to ask to confirm our subscription. It shows corporate responsibility, legitimacy and a respect for my privacy, AND in the long run, we tend to stick with my subscription even after I've lost interest in reading the newsletter on a daily basis. As it turns out, we're not alone. In Marketing Sherpa’s “Email Marketing Metrics Guide 2005” studies showed that 22% of subscribers who signed up for a newsletter without confirming ***d in the first month. Of those subscribers who did confirm, only 7.9% ***d. And while there is no data for long term *** rates, we would wager that the gap between these two rates increases dramatically.
Boost your conversion
Another advantage of confirming subscribers is conversion. A common perception of confirmed opt-in is that of a stumbling block that prevents subscribers from getting offers. The truth of the matter is that the process of confirmation is another step in the process of qualifying potential customers. For retail clients, our research shows that confirmed subscribers perform at a conversion rate of 30%, compared to unconfirmed subscribers who convert at a rate of 10% to 12%.*
Be on the safe side
Confirming subscribers also helps protect you from legal action that may be taken by subscribers who do not want to receive your email. Over the past two years, since the CAN-SPAM act, we have seen an increase in legislative interest around email marketing. Most recently, laws aimed at protecting children from adult content were introduced in Michigan and Utah (and if your business meets the criteria for adult content, we do recommend reading up on these laws). Confirmation can reduce erroneous mailings due to typos or forgery and may also provide an opportunity to upgrade permission levels and to manage preferences.
Since more regulation on email is to be expected, keeping your list as clean as possible will become increasingly essential for all online marketers. So if we have one bit of advice for 2006: Start confirming your subscribers today. Not only will you see benefits in the immediate future, it will also make life easier for you down the road.
*Average conversion rates over a 3-month period.
Attract & Acquire Quality Leads
The first Webinar in Topica's new 5-part Educational Series
Thursday, January 26th at 10 a.m. PST
Register Now!
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