Permission is something that is discussed every day with our deliverability customers. They are always asking questions around what is and what isn’t acceptable. Senders want to understand who they can email, and how can they grow that list each and every day. The list of places where marketers are asking for permission also seems to grow every day as well.
Let’s review the standards of permission that we believe are necessary to be successful.
We require an explicit opt-in to communicate with customers. This might be an eye-opener for some senders who have relied on implicit opt-in as the permission method of choice. Why the change? This change came from the evolution of ISP’s and how they look at engagement. They have upped the standards to a point where sending to implicit opt-ins at any volume levels will most likely result in the bulking or blocking of those messages. There are also the questions of specific country regulations that are trending on the explicit permission side (some countries have laws that regulate this sort of thing). If you haven’t yet spoken with your legal team, it’s past time to evaluate potential risk by sending to folks who didn’t explicitly opt-in.
What are explicit opt-ins? You give the customer an opportunity to enter an email address specifically to receive email. They are given an opportunity to check a box, tick a bubble, or otherwise move a permission lever in order to receive messaging. This does not include pre-check boxes, which we don’t recommend in any circumstance.
One of the newest permission questions to arrive on the scene concerns apps. We’re all downloading some type of app these days, whether we’re searching for Pokemon, or checking our email. As part of the sign-up process there are multiple methods for collecting email addresses. Some methods don’t require the email or give an unchecked box that the user can choose to fill out. Some just require the email address and sail through the sign-up with no options for marketing materials. We obviously feel strongly that the former method is the way to go. The backlash from people who wanted to play a game, but are now bombarded by marketing messages is not pleasant. We see high spam complaints, and low engagement coming from these recipients. These are both pretty bad news for deliverability.
The apps/permission question is very much like the debate around the abandoned cart email. We don’t believe that someone who visits a site for the first time, and puts something in a shopping cart without finishing the process has “signed-up” for email. It can be a controversial subject, but we know that senders who follow this practice generally see reduced deliverability performance.
What’s the way around these issues? We would recommend the following method if you are required to email people gathered through one of these implicit methods. Send a series of 2-4 permission pass messages. Ask the person if they want to receive email from you. If they don’t respond, respect that permission. You’ll send less email, but the reality is that the messages you do send will probably be seen by your customers.
Don’t trick your customers, or feel like you've gained a customer by slipping that permission choice past them. The harm done by someone who is upset that they are being “spammed” is far greater than the few people that you might convert with liberal permission marketing policies.
Although we have covered the standards of permission necessary to be successful, you will definitely find that the Email Deliverability Modern Marketing Guide will get you on the right track for successful email deliverability. Download it today!
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