Sending e-mail is not just as simple as clicking the send button anymore. Nowadays marketers are criticized for about every facet of e-mail based marketing. Of course this change is welcome to those of us who do not spam, but it also makes getting your message in their in box that much more daunting.

Obviously getting permission to send to the list is the first step in being compliant. This is very easy if you are building a new list, but appending an old list to create proper documentation of opt-in compliance is like calling up a past customer and asking them to virtually buy your product again after ages of hassle free use. To get the opt-in or double opt-in you will have to do the unbearable, ask for it.

This means sending out an e-mail to your entire list and asking them to agree to let you e-mail them formally. Many mail services like Constant Contact or Vertical Response have this feature built into their systems. Once the user checks the box or clicks the link to opt-in, the entry is appended and that e-mail is now legally free to e-mail. Unfortunately many of the people on your list will refuse to opt-in for fear you will sell their information, simply delete the e-mail requesting it or decide it’s not worth the risk. Unfortunately, there is no way around this, unless you can prove that the e-mail belongs to a current customer.

If by chance your list is small, I find that addressing specific groups or people can help this process. Start with small batches and tailor the message to the group. Here is a good example:

Dear Henry,

Can you believe it’s been 3 years since you first signed up to receive the “Best Practices” newsletter we send out weekly? It has been a true pleasure to bring this information to your inbox. In support of new CAN-Spam laws, we’d like to confirm your continued interest in receiving our publication. We support this law because it stops people from sending unwanted e-mail to our customers. Please click on the link below to confirm or contact me directly to answer any questions or concerns you may have with this process.

Again, thank you for being a part of our success for so many years. We look forward to sending you our most recent edition filled with great tips on Money Management, Tax Season Tips and Superior Customer Services Tactics.

What you have above works because it addresses loyalty, trust, honesty and value. Certain parts of the e-mail can be personalized to create a more direct effect. This can be years of time on the list, words that matter to your industry and upcoming content you’d like to use to tease them to stay with your service.

Getting the opt-in is important. A growing number of ISP’s will no longer accept mail that is not designated by major mail services as opt-in. This stops the flow of your e-mail to your list, often getting deleted 50% more than opt-in e-mail. Compliance is worth the time and energy and will equal bigger profits as people learn to trust the e-mail in their inbox as worthwhile every time.

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