The Opt-In vs. Opt-Out Dilemma in Detail

Maintaining your opt-in leads is crucial to success you do not want hundreds of e-mail addresses that are incorrect or continue to send information to those individuals who have opted-out. Nor do you want your Internet Marketing list overflowing with e-mail addresses that are no longer useful for you. What is the difference between opt-in, opt-out, and is it important to use either one of these tools in your Internet marketing business? In this article, we will look at the differences between opt-in and opt-out techniques for e-mail marketing.

By definition e-mail sent to prospects without their consent is considered “unsolicited bulk mailings” and is against all Internet Service Providers (ISP) Terms of Service. Consumers had no knowledge that their names and e-mail addresses were placed on a list and did not give their permission. These types of lists are known to have very low success rate and the complaints are enormous. When a consumer chooses to opt-out, they expect their name removed and that they will not receive any more correspondence from that service provider. They do not expect their name to be placed on another list and continue to be solicited. When they spend their time, actively stopping an action they never wanted in the first place will not be interested in the product marketed. They will not buy simply from being annoyed and the suffering they have experienced in trying to stop the unsolicited e-mails. They may even like the product and it would not matter. It is illegal (and unethical) to send unsolicited e-mail.

Unconfirmed Opt-Out is a way those who use spam get around technical issues. If an opt-in request in unverified spammers consider this an unconfirmed opt-out and will place the user on a mailing list. When this happens, the bulk-mail will generate a message that states that the user has opted out of the list. This method is an excuse used by spammers so that they can gather lists and claim that the consumer opted-in. If you send this type of e-mail, there is a strong possibility that your recipients will put filters in place to block all further e-mails coming from you. Now, this will not help you in establishing your opt-in list and you will run the risk of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) shutting your e-mail account down and/or removing it completely from the website. There are some ways to make your opt-in e-mails more welcoming to your intended target base.

The only way that opt-out could have a positive effect is if you offer it to your customers and when they make the choice to opt-out you immediately remove their name from your list and you do not contact them again. This is called a confirmed opt-out and the consumer will be contacted let them know they have been added and offer them the opportunity to unsubscribe if they want to. There will be a link somewhere in the body of the message or the consumer can simply reply to the e-mail.

Customers will be more apt at accepting your e-mails if you have treated them with respect by asking them first and the information you are imparting to them is relevant to their needs and you are not sending several e-mails during the day that they become overloaded and want to simply get rid of your annoying e-mails. There are several different opt-in techniques:

• Opt-In – Consumers actively sign up for your services. The downside to opt-in is that many third parties can also add others to the list. When this happens, you may not know if you have a list of consumers who are truly interested in your product and/or services.
• Confirmed Opt-In – This is also known as, “Closed-loop opt-in” and is an effective means to having a list of consumers who want to be there. As soon as a name has been added to your list an e-mail is generated to inform the subscriber they have been added and allows them the option to unsubscribe immediately. This form of verification has become standard in the Internet marketing business.
• Double Opt-In – The consumer must add himself/herself to the list and then confirm a second time through an e-mail that they want to be on your list. This step is done to allow anyone who was added without his or her permission to unsubscribe. The added protection is that if they do nothing they will not be added to the list. The benefit is that they will not be bothered by e-mails they do not wish to receive. You will not be wasting valuable time marketing to someone who is not interested.

Without opt-in leads, your business becomes stagnant with no potential for growing. Sure, you can call friends and family members asking them for potential customers but if you do not have another source of contacts how will your business continue to grow beyond the pace of a snail. There are many services that abound offering assistance to those who Internet Marketing business is either new or already established they will help you generate leads, which in turn builds your customer base and will increase the profit you are making.

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