Double Opt-in Emails: Use of Personalization

For some people, email marketing still carries a rather unpleasant aura. In past practices, consumers were often essentially inundated with advertising emails from companies. This has changed considerably over time, and the trend has now moved to “less, but more personal.” In this vein, double opt-in emails are recommended to avoid scaring consumers with your email marketing. Not only does this show more respect for the recipient, but it is also more efficient for the sender and can ultimately even lead to a higher conversion rate.

Read on to understand what exactly a double opt-in strategy means and how you can use it to personalize emails for your customer communications.

What is a double opt-in email?

With previous email marketing, the number of emails that did not generate a response caused companies to question the effectiveness of these practices. There seemed to be little sense in sending thousands of emails if no one read them. Moreover, they wanted to ensure that the information reached the prospects and did not end up in the spam folder.

The first solution was to ask users for their consent to receive emails from companies. This is called an opt-in. Essentially, the recipient fills out a form and provides their email address to indicate their consent. In this way, companies build a database.

This technique utilizes the double opt-in email. As the name implies, this is a two-step consent process. As in the previous case, the potential subscriber provides his or her data. Once submitted, they also need to confirm their interest.

The subsequent confirmation message often contains a direct link to the sender’s website. By clicking on it, the recipient automatically verifies their email address. The email may also contain a code that must be entered on the sender’s website to confirm the subscription. Only then will the potential subscriber be added to the mailing list.

Personalization of double opt-in emails

At first glance, you might think that double opt-in emails are an unnecessary complication. But this is in fact the opposite! Dual confirmation has many advantages, which we will discuss in more detail below, but it also offers many possibilities for personalization.

On one hand, this provides more opportunities to interact with your target audience and get to know them better. On the other hand, you will be able to offer added value with messages that are increasingly tailored to the interests and needs of these people. Below we discuss how you can use the steps of a double opt-in email process to personalize your customer communications.

1. Subscription form

This is your first contact with a potential subscriber. This can be a section of your homepage or a pop-up window. This cannot be manually personalized as you have no information about the user.

The free newsletter popups from uptain calculate based on the end device which incentive, browser or user behavior, will convince the individual user to join the email list.

2. Thank you for subscribing page

This is an optional page. It appears when a new subscriber has completed the form to subscribe. Use this option to tell your customers about the next step, which is to check their email and click on the confirmation message. If you decide to skip this, you can replace it with a pop-up thank you message. Both can be used to highlight your branding with graphic elements and an appropriate tone of voice. Their purpose is to ensure that the user feels comfortable with their decision.

3. Confirmation email

All users who have subscribed will receive a confirmation email. This is just a transactional email, but you should not underestimate it. It is your first opportunity to interact with your audience at a more personal level, so take advantage of it to emphasize what your brand stands for. Create an engaging text and ask the user to confirm their new subscription.

4. Confirmation landing page

When the subscriber clicks on the confirmation link, you can direct them to your website or to a thank you page. This informs them that the confirmation was successful. Keep your message direct and simple so as to not overwhelm your new subscriber.

5. Welcome email for subscribers

The welcome email completes the double opt-in email process. If you have promised benefits to new subscribers, this is the best time to offer them the opportunity for redeeming them. This serves to reinforce the customer’s decision to join, as they are already receiving value from fulfilled promises.

At this point, it is an ideal moment to call attention to this information in the subject line of your email and address the new user by name. The subject line could, for example, read: “Jonas, welcome to the club” or “Leyla, here is your welcome discount code.”

Note that the subject line significantly affects the open rate. Read our article, Newsletter opening rate: 7 tips to optimize, to take advantage of this.

It is very important that your welcome email provides the option to unsubscribe. It may seem counterintuitive, but it shows the customer that their preferences come first. In addition, providing a revocation option is a legal requirement.

If someone has subscribed by mistake or finds that they are not interested in your offer, they should be able to unsubscribe without difficulty. Moreover, keeping inactive users on your mailing list will not benefit you. They will likely mark your messages as spam.

6. Developing your double opt-in email strategy

Once you have acquire subscribers, you need to develop your double opt-in email campaign. Try to use means of personalization in all your future communications. Customize the text of your future emails, or better yet, use dynamic images to increase their relevance. For example, you can send the following types of personalized double opt-in emails:

• Recommendations based on your customers’ latest product views
• Reminders to customers who have abandoned their shopping cart without completing the transaction (Abandoned Cart Emails)
• Rewards for regular customers in the form of a loyalty program.

Would you like to see an example?

An online cosmetics store could send personalized recommendations to a customer shopping for eyeshadow and offer the season’s new color palette.

Marketers use the customer journey and automation to obtain data and personalize content based on this. You can segment your audience by buying behavior to improve your personalized offers. Consider every user interaction as an opportunity to generate a sale.

Advantages of personalized double opt-in emails

The double opt-in email strategy is considerably beneficial. It has a positive impact on the perception of your brand and the resulting customer trust. Additionally, managing your mailing lists becomes more effective, prompting better results. These will also lead to a significant increase in your profitability.

Advantages of double opt-in emails

First of all, the double opt-in email optimizes content delivery. Because subscribers have confirmed their email addresses, the bounce rate drops while deliverability increases. You have the assurance that you are sending your messages to active email accounts. This eliminates the possibility of invalid addresses being added to your list.

This is important because erroneous registrations can be penalized by email services. Even typos made by users when entering their email address can affect your reputation. Without an efficient double opt-in email strategy, this inaccurate data will be stored in your system and generate bounces. If this happens frequently, your domain will be classified as spam. The double confirmation process prevents this.

Similarly, double opt-in email helps you build high-quality subscriber lists. You can therefore expect greater engagement and involvement from your audience, as they are users genuinely interested in your content. This means that you can achieve higher click and open rates. At the same time, you reduce the cost of managing your list and achieve more accurate A/B testing results.

Advantages of personalization

Furthermore, personalizing your double opt-in emails can increase your chances of successful sales. In this context, the latest results of Hubspot’s State of Marketing Report are worth mentioning.

The report shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that offer personalized experiences. Thus, it is not surprising that companies indicate that this is their most important strategy for increasing engagement rates in email campaigns (source: Not Another State of Marketing Report, 2021).

Do you need to implement double opt-in emails to comply with the GDPR?

Strictly speaking, it is not essential to implement a double opt-in email strategy to comply with the GDPR. However, this procedure undoubtedly facilitates compliance.

What is the GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union regulation that governs the processing of personal data. The law entered into force on May 25, 2018 and is binding throughout the EU. If your subscribers reside in or your business is registered in these countries, you must comply with this regulation.

This regulation affects the privacy of users. It provides individuals with more control over their personal data and how it is used. As a result, no company can collect and process data from EU residents without their consent.

This means that you must request permission from subscribers before adding them to your mailing list. Furthermore, this permission is limited to the agreed terms of use. You have probably seen login forms with consent fields for the use of statistical or marketing cookies, which you can optionally enable. For example, if a person agrees only to the use of necessary cookies, the domain owner is obliged to refrain from using other cookies.

If your customer only gives you permission to send notifications about purchase transactions, you are not permitted to send information about offers or promotions.

Why is it appropriate to use double opt-in emails to comply with the GDPR?

Compliance with the GDPR poses an additional challenge, as user consent must be actively granted. This means that silent consent is not considered permissible. Also, the form should not contain pre-selected fields.

Nevertheless, a simple opt-in email could be considered a valid consent. The problem is that no identity verification is performed in the process, so anyone could provide the data of a third person. In the event of a dispute, you would have no way to prove that the user consented to receive your communications. For this reason, a double opt-in email guarantees compliance with the GDPR.

You can also find out what other legal regulations you need to be aware of when it comes to abandoned cart emails.

Automation of double opt-in email personalization

Automating personalized double opt-in email campaigns goes a long way toward improving the efficiency of your digital marketing plan. It enables you to better track actions and keep a close eye on results. The greatest value, however, comes from your ability to improve the user experience with double opt-in emails. The best example of this is uptain’s personalized shopping cart abandonment emails, which automatically win back your shopping cart abandoners.

Frequently asked questions about double opt-in email

Is a double opt-in required under the GDPR?

Strictly speaking, no. A double opt-in is not essential for GDPR compliance, but it undoubtedly makes compliance easier. The GDPR requires actively granted consent, so silent consent and pre-selected form fields are not permissible. A single opt-in can count as valid consent, but it verifies no identity: anyone could enter a third party’s data. Double confirmation provides that proof.

What are the advantages of double opt-in emails?

Because subscribers confirm their address, the bounce rate drops and deliverability rises. You know you are sending to active accounts, and invalid addresses or typos never enter your list. That protects your domain from being classified as spam. You also build higher-quality lists with genuinely interested readers, which means better open and click rates, lower list management costs and more accurate A/B test results.

What is a double opt-in email?

A double opt-in email is the second step of a two-stage consent process for email marketing. The potential subscriber first submits their data through a form, then receives a message asking them to confirm their interest, usually by clicking a link that automatically verifies the address, sometimes by entering a code on your website. Only then are they added to the mailing list.

Which steps does a double opt-in process include?

Five steps, each of which can be personalised. First the subscription form, placed on your homepage or as a pop-up. Second an optional thank you page telling subscribers to check their inbox. Third the confirmation email. Fourth the confirmation landing page after the link is clicked. Fifth the welcome email, which completes the process and delivers any promised benefit.

What belongs in the welcome email for new subscribers?

The welcome email should deliver whatever you promised at sign-up, for example a discount code, because fulfilled promises reinforce the decision to subscribe. Address the new subscriber by name in the subject line, since the subject line significantly affects the open rate. An easy unsubscribe option is both respectful of customer preferences and a legal requirement.

How does personalisation improve double opt-in emails?

Personalisation turns a formal consent process into a series of touchpoints that build brand perception and customer trust. It also raises the chance of a sale: 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that offer personalised experiences, which is why companies name personalisation as their most important strategy for increasing engagement rates in email campaigns.

Why is it worth automating personalised double opt-in emails?

Automation makes personalised email campaigns considerably more efficient: you track actions more precisely, keep results in view and can tailor every future message. Typical automated formats are recommendations based on recently viewed products, reminders to shoppers who left items in the cart, and loyalty rewards for regular customers. Personalised abandoned cart emails win back shopping cart abandoners automatically.