Within an email marketing strategy, the acquisition of a GDPR-compliant contact database is fundamental and necessary.
This is why we often hear about the double opt-in process. But what is it and why is it important?
What is double opt-in and how does it work?
Sending newsletters is an effective way to retain users and keep them interested in your company. Not only that, but newsletters are also useful for capturing the attention of casual visitors and driving them to conversion and purchase.
To become a subscriber, a user must first fill out a contact form and agree to the use of their personal information. In order to ensure privacy and GDPR compliance, it is advisable to request double confirmation from the subscribing user in two ways: the first is by filling out a form (single opt-in), while the second is by sending a confirmation email (double opt-in).
The latter is used to require a more secure confirmation that only the real owner of the email address can give. For companies, double opt-in allows them to be more certain that the contact is truly interested in receiving future communications.
Double opt-in or single opt-in: which one?
To be more specific, it is good to define the difference between single opt-in and double opt-in.
With a single opt-in, the user fills out a form and confirms by submitting his or her information, which is then stored in your company’s database.
This method is often used by e-commerce companies because they not only need to speed up the sign-up process, but also increase their sales.
In contrast, double opt-in requires the user to take additional steps, such as receiving an ad hoc email to confirm their subscription.
Why should I use double opt-in?
As mentioned above, double opt-in requires the user to confirm their subscription to your database twice. This double opt-in has many advantages, such as a high retention rate of the subscribed user.
There is a common misconception that email marketing is a bulk strategy where you need to collect as many contacts as possible to send newsletters to. This perception is completely wrong: sending newsletters to a well-constructed database is very important because it aims to improve and maintain the relationship with contacts who are really interested in your product or service. This is where double opt-in comes in handy, as it allows you to filter out users who are truly interested at the subscription stage.
Other benefits include:
- Increased conversion rate;
- Reduced bounce rate and increased deliverability;
- Reduced SPAM alerts.
How to customize the subscription process with double opt-in
Now that you understand what double opt-in is, here is a practical example of how to implement a newsletter subscription process using double opt-in email.
- Create a sign-up form and place it on your website.
- Create a post-registration landing page to thank the user and signal them to check their inbox.
- Send a double opt-in confirmation email.
- Thank your users again and welcome them back.
If you want to realize a quick and easy newsletter subscription process, all you have to do is use the all-Italian, GDPR-compliant direct email marketing platform 4Dem.
With 4Dem, you can not only send email campaigns, but also SMS, automatic streams, and generate forms and pop-ups for contact collection and landing pages.
With 4Dem, not only can you quickly and easily link the double opt-in newsletter to your registration flow, but you can also customize the email to match your company’s brand identity. The platform also allows you to send double opt-in emails fully automatically, saving you time and resources to focus on other aspects of your business.
