Double opt-in vs. single opt-in
Ever wondered why even after crafting the perfect campaign and implementing hygienic email sending practices, the campaign receives spam markings and unsubscribes? When you carefully analyze the issue, you will be surprised to find that the root cause is the mailing list. This may leave you puzzled as your mailing list contains contacts only those who had subscribed to receive your emails. The real problem lies in the opt-in technique you may have followed. There are two types of opt-in techniques: single opt-in and double opt-in.
Single opt-in: In this single-step subscription process, when leads enter their email address in the signup form, it will be directly added to the mailing list of the business/service. An email containing a link to confirm the subscription will not be sent to the leads.
Double opt-in: In this two-step subscription process, when leads enter their email address in the signup form, a subscription confirmation email is sent to the lead and includes a link that the lead must click to confirm the subscription.
You can click here to learn more about enabling double opt-in for your account.
Let's dive deep and learn more about these two techniques. The single opt-in technique is a simple procedure where the email addresses collected using signup forms or through events will be directly added to the mailing list. In these situations, mistyped email addresses may enter your mailing list. When you send emails to such addresses, your emails may bounce. When the emails you send bounce, your sender domain and IP address will earn a negative reputation.
The double opt-in technique ensures that mistyped email addresses will not enter the mailing list. Instead, only interested contacts will enter the mailing list, and email bounces will be fewer. Though implementing the double opt-in technique is not mandatory to be GDPR-compliant, it is advisable to implement it as it is the best way to grow a healthy mailing list. At Zoho Campaigns, we strongly urge our contacts to use the double opt-in technique to grow their mailing list as it will help them build a quality mailing list that will help them achieve their conversion goals. Let's look at why double opt-in is the best subscription technique.
Better inbox placement and email engagement
When you use the double opt-in technique, your mailing list will contain only contacts who are really interested in your business/service. Interested contacts will actively engage with all the emails you send. The chances of interested contacts marking your emails as spam are much lower. Major mailbox providers consider email engagement to make inbox decisions. When your contacts positively engage with all the emails you send, your sender domain will earn a positive reputation from mailbox providers. When your sender domain and IP address keep earning a positive reputation, the chances of your emails landing in the inbox will increase.
Better ROI
Businesses invest a lot of money in email marketing. An email campaign will be considered successful only when your contacts engage with your emails and perform the desired actions like clicking a link, downloading a file, purchasing a product/service or subscribing to it. This is possible only when your mailing list has contacts who are really interested in your product/service. When you implement the single opt-in technique, leads that signup on a whim will be added to your mailing list. They will not only fail to engage with your emails but will also even leave your emails unopened. If your mailing list has a lot of these types of contacts, you will not be able to achieve the desired conversion.
Whereas, when you implement the double opt-in technique, only people who are really interested in your product/service will complete the subscription process. They will actively engage with your emails and will be looking forward to hearing more from you. If you analyze their purchase history and the links they have clicked in your previous emails, you can easily identify their needs and interests. When you have accurate data about your contacts, you can segment contacts according to these needs and interests.After segmenting your contacts, you can use the target marketing strategy to address their needs and maximize conversions.
Though single opt-in is simple and guarantees quicker mailing list growth, the quality of the mailing list may be poor, and it won't help you hit your conversion goals. Double opt-in will help you build a healthy mailing list with which you can maximize your conversions. In the long run, it will help your business grow, as the biggest asset for a business is a loyal and active customer base.
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