Double Opt-In Email-Marketing

Due to the continuing prevalence of spam, delivery of legitimate email has dramatically changed over the last few years. Increased spam filters on both the ISP and consumer sides have made it very difficult to ensure messages are delivered directly to the inbox. In 2006 alone, legitimate markets with opt-in databases lost $3.5 billion in revenue due to messages incorrectly flagged as spam and therefore blocked or sent into a spam folder. The time and energy needed to combat these filters, along with high maintenance and licensing costs, are causing many companies to rethink using in-house solutions. It is now very important to have a true double opt-in email marketing solution. 

This means that only users who have agreed to receive messages from you are sent campaigns. They have not only signed up to your list, but have also agreed to a second email, which confirms that they wish to receive your messages. Having such a strategy can greatly increase your open rates as you will be sending messages to a much more receptive audience.

Best Practices = Best Results
In order to have the most optimal email campaign, we suggest the following:

• Have an opt-in or, preferably, a double opt-in mechanism for your site.
• Make the opt-out mechanism easy—and make sure it is very visible in the email. Ensure that the colors of the links are not lost within the HTML backgrounds, and that the print is not too small.
• Provide a "brain-dead" opt-out policy, clearly indicated at the bottom of the message. Don’t make the end-user jump through hoops. If you provide an email address for opt-out, use your business domain, not a third-party domain. Use all three unsubscribe methods:
• web address
• email address
• physical address (per the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act)
• Try to do mailings from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. This timeframe has the least amount of mail traffic for ISPs.
• Do not use lists bought from other mailers or companies.
• Make sure that when you generate your lists for mailings, they are less than seven to 10 days old, to ensure that people who have opted out are removed from the database.
• Make sure your double opt-in email messages state their purpose, either in the subject or at the top of the body.
• Try not to have a “spammy” domain, like bulkmailer.com.
• Use “non-spammy” email addresses for your return or “mail from” address.
• Avoid “from” addresses with unique identifiers, i.e. bounce-9683564@domain.com.
• Consumers like to see easy-to-read emails with information that’s easy to get through.
• Know who your target is.
• Send messages using your widely-known business name, not another domain; for example, use domain.com and not domain.bf0.com.
• Do not use mime-encoded mail or obfuscated HTML; it looks like spam and will be blocked.
• Try not to use 100% picture-based campaigns.

One platform, Stun!, helps you do all this and more. For further information please go to www.mobilestorm.com or contact sales@mobilestorm.com to discuss your double opt-in email marketing efforts.