While a lot of people are skeptical of email’s relevance in this day and age, the truth is that email marketing has continued to be a popular method of customer acquisition and retention over the years.
A marketing channel that’s suited for businesses of all sizes, email marketing revenue is estimated to reach a whopping $11 billion globally in 2023.
Despite being the oldest internet communication channel, email marketing has maintained its relevance alongside social media and continues growing faster than ever before.
A popular concept used by various email marketers and brands is the “double opt-in.” This process occurs every time a new user signs up to your mailing list and is redirected to a confirmation page via the first email.
That being said, there’s a lot to discuss the workings of a double opt-in mail and how it works.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into the technicalities of this email opt-in method and how you can use it to increase conversions.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.
What is A Double Opt-in Email?
Also known as a “confirmed opt-in,” a double opt-in occurs whenever a user signs up to an email list, after which a confirmation email is sent to the user with a link to complete the action.
Only after the user has clicked the “Confirm Subscription” button are they officially included in the email marketing list.
This method reduces the chances of including spam email addresses in your email list. Any bot accounts that sign up for your newsletter won’t make it to the list, helping you filter out spam traps and protecting the sender’s reputation.
Since it’s an added step for the user, it is a great way of gauging the level of interest in your business or topic, which leads to better engagement rates and results for your strategies.
While there are many marketers who’d balk at losing subscribers, anyone looking to buy your products or services will take the additional steps and confirm their subscription. It is thus a great hack to identify people interested in buying from you.
An engaged, high-intent email list is much better than an inactive, less-interested list of people.
Optimize Email Using Double Opt-In
Double opt-in permission practices are often deemed unnecessary and harmful for list growth. But when used correctly, they can help improve your email marketing campaign by protecting the sender’s information and encountering deliverability problems.
That being said, there are a few points you need to keep in mind while using double opt-in.
But before that, it’s important to answer the most important question, which is-
How Does A Double Opt-in Work?
Whenever an email is entered into the signup form or when a signup box is left pre-checked as part of a registration or download, the company will send the user a confirmation email with instructions to click a link in the email to confirm their subscription.
If they click the link, their subscription is confirmed, and a welcome email is sent, followed by other promotional emails. Alternatively, you don’t send them any further emails if they don’t.
You can even remove them from your mailing list in case of inaction.
Here are a few best practices to maximize double opt-in confirmations for email:
Best Practices to Maximize Double Opt-in Confirmations for Email
Make it Clear that Further Action is Required.
After someone has entered their details in the registration or signup form, it’s important to redirect them to a signup confirmation page with clear instructions that the process still needs to be completed.
A good way to do so is by adding titles like “Just one more step…” and “Check your inbox further…” followed by directions to confirm their signup.
The idea is to keep things simple.
Limit the headlines & instructions to 30 words or lesser, apart from removing banners, navigation bars, and social media links from the signup confirmation page.
Reinforce Again in the Subject Line and Preview Text
While you’ve clarified the need for further action on the landing page, you must reinforce the same in the subject line and preview text.
Do not leave the preview text unoptimized; use visible or hidden preheader text.
Focus the Recipient’s Attention on the Click
To reinforce the message, you can display a large headline alongside a bright-colored call-to-action button above the fold. Subscribers will see the same immediately upon opening the email.
Keep the primary text short (not more than 200 words).
Acknowledge the Subscription Email and Confirm on the Opt-in Confirmation Page
Once the person has subscribed and completed the opt-in process, send them a welcome email or display a “Thanks for the confirmation, you’re in!” message.
To drive the relationship forward, you can ask them to create/complete their user profile, provide links to your best blog posts, or offer a welcome discount that makes them feel welcome.
Double Opt-in vs. Single Opt-in
Opt-ins are the best way to determine whether an email subscriber needs to act once or twice.
Regarding increasing conversion rates via email marketing, choosing between a single and double opt-in can impact your results.
Opt-ins determine whether an email subscriber has to follow an additional step to get added to the list.
A single opt-in means a user or subscriber only needs to click and subscribe one time, and they’ll begin receiving all further emails from your business. Single opt-in is ideal for marketing teams who want to sign up for automated emails to be as easy as possible.
It is a great option if you want to create a huge list of potential customers and aren’t concerned about the subscriber’s intent.
Alternatively, double opt-in involves an extra confirmation step to verify the email address being added to your database. When this setting is enabled, your contacts will receive a link for confirmation.
It often leads to a better quality of leads and hence better conversions.
The double opt-in process differs from a single opt-in, where the company generally accepts all email addresses that might be entered into the signup form or all checked boxes as consent.
In the next section, we’ll discuss the multiple benefits of using a double opt-in mechanism.
Benefits of using Double Opt-in
Using double opt-in emails can be extremely beneficial. Some of these benefits include:
Improved Accuracy
With double opt-in, your mailing list will only contain subscribers interested in hearing from you via email or updates.
Fewer Spam Complaints
Since the list only contains persons who have expressly indicated their interest in receiving communications, the chances of spam complaints are less likely.
High Deliverability
Given that the email addresses are confirmed, a mailing list with double opt-in subscribers will likely have a high deliverability rate.
Respect for Privacy
Using double opt-in demonstrates your commitment to adhering to the best standards in email marketing and your regard for the privacy of your prospective subscribers.
Better Engagement
Double opt-in subscribers are more likely to be involved and intrigued by the content you deliver, which results in greater open and click-through rates.
Double opt-in, although widely used and highly recommended, is challenging. Some of the problems associated with double opt-in include the following:
Common issues with Double Opt-in
Given below are some common issues related to double opt-in emails:
Lower Conversion Rates
As the double opt-in process has two stages, some potential subscribers might not complete the confirmation stage, resulting in fewer subscribers.
Delay in Activation
It may take longer to add subscribers to your mailing list using the double opt-in process instead of the single opt-in process.
Potential Technical Issues
Technical difficulties such as incorrect email addresses, undeliverable confirmation requests, and bounced emails may disturb the double opt-in process and not allow new subscribers to be added to your list.
Deliverability Issues
Double opt-in confirmation emails often get caught in spam filters, reducing delivery rates.
While double opt-in has shortcomings, it is nevertheless a valuable tool to ensure the quality and accuracy of mailing lists and exhibit respect for subscribers’ privacy.
Email Marketing Tools
Now that you’ve understood the double opt-in process, its benefits, and its challenges, it’s time we get to explore some popular email marketing software in detail.
#1. Omnisend
Omnisend is an email marketing software designed to help e-commerce businesses to reach and engage their customers through email, SMS, push notifications, and other channels.
It offers a range of in-built automated campaigns like welcome emails, orders follow-up emails, and abandoned cart reminders to help businesses increase sales and engagement.
It integrates popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, etc., making it easier to import customer data and automate email campaigns.
Omnisend offers three pricing plans – free, standard, and pro. The pricing depends upon how many people you’re sending emails to. For up to 250 subscribers, the standard plan starts from $16 per month, and the pro plan starts from $59 per month.
Features:
- Facilitates multi-channel marketing like email, SMS, push notifications, etc.
- An easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor that makes it simple to create and design email campaigns
- Automated campaigns allow you to reach out to target customers.
- Library of customizable email templates to match a brand’s style and messaging.
Omnisend currently offers integration with only a handful of e-commerce platforms. In addition, it’s also comparatively more costly than other email marketing solutions.
If you’re new to email marketing, there might be chances of technical issues with using the software.
#2. Mailmodo
Mailmodo is an email marketing platform that assists businesses in creating, sending, and tracking email campaigns. It offers features like email automation, A/B testing, email design templates, and analytics to help users make the most of their email marketing efforts.
Small to medium-sized businesses commonly use Mailmodo to create their email lists and send newsletters, advertising emails, and other email campaigns to their subscribers and customers.
Mailmodo offers four pricing plans – silver, gold, platinum, and custom. The plans start from around $70 and go up to $500 per month.
For custom plans, connecting with the sales team is recommended.
Features:
- User-friendly and easy-to-use interface
- Wide range of email templates for customization
- Detailed reports and analytics on various metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates
- Offers affordable pricing for businesses of all sizes
Mailmodo is a comparatively simpler email marketing software with limited features. It has fewer integrations with third-party tools and services.
If you’re just starting with email marketing (less than 500 users), this might be suitable for you.
#3. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is specially designed for professional influencers, bloggers, and content creators. It helps to make your work stand out with beautiful landing pages and signup forms, increasing subscribers.
It then helps you to convert these subscribers into customers by setting up automated email sequences, like product launch sequences and welcome series, to deliver content.
ConverKit has three pricing plans – free, creator, and creator pro. The pricing for creator starts from $15 per month for up to 300 subscribers, and creator pro starts from $29 per month. It also offers a 14-day free trial.
Features:
- Customizable opt-in forms to easily integrate with a website or landing page
- Advanced segmentation and automation features that help to customize and automate email campaigns.
- Strong customer support, including live chat support, to assist users.
- Economical pricing
Very limited email design customizations and integrations with 3rd-party tools are available for users.
#4. Sendinblue
Rated as the best email marketing automation platform, Sendinblue is an all-in-one marketing platform that provides email marketing, chat, and CRM capabilities.
It is made for small and medium-sized businesses and includes features such as email automation, email templates, and reporting.
The platform also has SMS marketing capabilities that allow users to send SMS to their subscribers and customers. The CRM features offer users a centralized database to store customer information and track customer interactions, enabling better customer relationships.
Features:
- Affordable pricing and a range of plans for all business sizes
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface that helps to create and manage email campaigns easily.
- Comprehensive SMS and chat support capabilities
Sendinblue offers four pricing plans – free, starter, business, and enterprise. The starter plan starts from $20, while the business plan starts from a meager $50 per month. For choosing an enterprise plan, it is suggested to contact the sales team of SendinBlue.
Conclusion
Double opt-in is a useful email marketing strategy that ensures subscribers are genuinely interested in getting emails from a business. By requesting email address confirmation from subscribers, businesses may establish a more valuable and engaged email list.
Double opt-in improves the deliverability of emails as it helps businesses to reduce the number of hard bounces and spam complaints.
Business owners can choose between this software based on their business goals, audience, and marketing strategy. As per the research, SendinBlue and Omnisend are among the popular email marketing software commonly used by companies worldwide.
