Need an email template for your Opt-In Email campaign?

"Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort."
John Ruskin

OPT-IN EMAIL 101:  THE BASICS OF OPT-IN EMAIL

If you're planning on reaching your target audience through opt-in email, here are some important factors to keep in mind when creating your email message:

SUBJECT LINE

The Subject Line is what your recipient will see when your message is in their inbox.  This could very well be the most important element of your message...if the recipient isn't motivated to open your email, then your click-through rate (number of recipients who click through from your message to your website) will be affected dramatically.  When considering your subject line content:

• Keep the length of your subject line to 60 characters or less
• Avoid using symbols such as $, #, !, and X, as spam filters tend to associate them with unsolicited email, even though they have opted in for information
• Inform the recipient of the nature of your message while adding excitement and benefit.  For example, let's assume you're selling oranges.  Although they both relay the same information, the second subject line below is far more appealing than the first:

"Oranges now in stock - order today", or "The Juiciest Oranges Ever Tasted - Ready for Shipping".     

In less than 60 characters, the subject line informs the recipient what you're offering, why it's the best product in your industry, and what the benefit is.

FROM LINE

The From Line is what your recipient will see advising them of where the message is from.  You can opt for either a company name or an individual name.  It's usually best to use a company name, which gives your message a more professional and authentic look.

CONTENT

Comprehend. Consider. Click.  That's the primary objective of what your message should achieve with your recipients.

Let's use the oranges scenario again.  Your creative might have images of the "Juiciest Oranges Ever Tasted" as a visual enticement to the recipient.  A brief summary of why the oranges are the best in the world, and how the recipient would benefit from trying your oranges would be great content at this point.  Perhaps "Buy One Try Two" is another benefit...certainly you'd want to include this in your creative.  If you need an email template to get you started, click here.

Keep in mind that opt-in email acts as a "driver" to your website by first introducing your product or service to your recipient, and then "driving" them to you site for more information, such as price, shipping info, etc.  If you provide too much or too little information in your message, you may be giving the recipient a reason not to click through to your site, as they would know all they need to know - or not know enough - about your product to make that decision.

AND THEN?

Once you have your message ready to go, we send it to the list owner.  The first step is for them to set up your message as a "test message", which is an exact copy of your message sent to you so that before deployment takes place, you can see exactly how the recipient will view your message.  Once you sign off with your approval, deployment is then scheduled (usually within 24 hours).  We also request a copy of the message when it's sent to you, so we can also check to make sure it looks great!

TRACKING AND REPORTING

Once deployment has taken place, reporting will be available on your campaign's progress which outlines:

• Opens:  the number of unique recipients who have opened your message
• Click-throughs:  the number of unique recipients who have clicked through to your website
• The total number of opens and click-throughs to your site (some unique visitors may click through more than once)

FINAL STEP

Are you ready to start your email campaign?  Contact us to start researching the best opt-in email files available for your project.  And if you've never done an email campaign before, just let us know.  We'll walk you through each step, every step of the way.

No time to fill out the Detailed Research Request form?  This button's for you!

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