Send out Newsletters and Know About Double Opt In

Unless you already are, your organization needs to send out newsletters on a regular basis that contain useful information.  It does you no good if your email messages get blocked by your subscribers’ spam filters.  Double Opt In helps you bypass those spam filters.

Double opt in is a two-step process that works like this:

1. First Opt In: Someone subscribes to your newsletter at a web page such as the one here: http://www.fosterinstitute.com/it-roi-newsletter/
2. Second Opt In: Then your newsletter service will send a message to the subscriber asking them to “confirm” that they want the newsletter.

Now they are on your list of subscribers.

Were it not for Double Opt In, “a bad guy” could enter “a good guy’s” email address and your newsletter would effectively be “spamming the good guy” since the good guy is on your subscriber list.

Anytime your organization sends unsolicited mail, your organization might get placed on a spam list. Being on a spam “black list” can effectively reduce your abilities to communicate with others via email.

The solution is simple: Publish a newsletter to provide value and remind your subscribers that you do deliver value.  Use Double Opt In for your subscribers.

And FYI, The Foster Institute is undergoing a similar process right now to help avoid your spam filters. We are using Double Opt In to reconfirm all subscribers. Unless you’ve already done so, please renew your free subscription to the newsletter by going here: http://www.fosterinstitute.com/it-roi-newsletter/

And yes, you will receive a Double Opt In email asking you to confirm your subscription. If you are concerned the confirmation email is spam, please forward it to us and we’ll click the confirmation link for you. Many of you have already confirmed, and users who do not confirm will be dropped from the mailing list.

Posted by Mike Foster in Best Practices, social media, Technology on September 13th, 2012.

Tags: double opt in, email marketing