Intro
Permission-based email marketing is also commonly known as double opt-in. The reason it’s called double opt-in is because there are 2 steps involved in obtaining permission to send email to a subscriber.
First step is when they sign up for your newsletter or a service on your website. The second step is when they click a verification link in the first email that you sent them. This ensures that they have keyed in the correct email address and have explicitly given you permission to send them email marketing materials.
Sending emails without permission
Email marketers who are just starting out may be tempted to buy a mailing list off a less than reputable vendor online. This is a very short-sighted approach as there are some pitfalls to this method of building your mailing list.
The very first pitfall is that you won’t know if any of the email addresses on your purchased list are even valid email addresses. Some might even be spam traps expressly designed to mimic a real email address to snare unethical email marketers and get them blacklisted as spammers.
Assuming some of the email addresses on that list are real and valid, you run the risk of angering the recipients as they will have no interest in whatever you might send them as they did NOT sign up for your email marketing contents. That’s the second pitfall. Once a recipient is riled up enough, they’ll just press the spam report button to classify your email as unsolicited email.
If enough people classify your email as spam, you will definitely end up being blacklisted by the ISPs and then none of your emails will be able to get through. Therefore, never buy any mailing lists, no matter how reputable the vendor may be.
Always obtain permission before sending any emails
Make sure the signup forms on your website are double opt-in. It takes a bit more effort but will be better in the long run. It is also good to reengage with your subscribers every now and then to make sure they are still interested in your email contents. Give them the option to unsubscribe if they are no longer interested.
Practicing permission-based marketing is key to the success of your email marketing campaigns as you can be certain that only subscribers who are genuinely interested will receive your emails.