Optimizing Email Opt-in Pages

Optimizing your email opt-in process is one of the most important, though often forgotten, parts of your email marketing program. How you present your opt-in pages and forms determines the rate of list growth, the quality of your list and establishes subscriber expectations that subsequently drives email performance. In this article we'll look at:

1. Getting People to the Opt-in Page
2. Copy and Design/Layout of Opt-in Page
3. The Opt-in Form
4. Other Opt-in Pages

1. Getting People to the Opt-in Page

Once someone is on your Web site, how do you get them to the opt-in page? (For tips on growing your list in general, visit our earlier article on 28 Ways to Build Permission-Based Email Lists.)

• Don't Hide the Link – If your email newsletter/promotion is key to your business, make sure that it is easy and obvious for Web site visitors to find the sign up page. Consider including links in main and secondary navigation and promotional boxes in side bar areas. Don’t make your visitors search to see if you offer an email newsletter. Include some form of link on every page of your site.
• Don't Disguise It – When referring to your email in links and navigation areas, don't use some name or term that isn't obvious to all. For a link, "Newsletter," "Enewsletter," or "Email Newsletter" is fine.
• Home Page - If appropriate, promote articles and news from the current issue on you home page - and then link to article/issue.
• Back Issues/Articles - For newsletter publishers, make sure you have an area of your Web site such as a "Knowledge or Resource Center" where you house archived issues and individual articles pulled from the newsletter. Then promote subscriptions to your newsletter throughout this area.
• Web Version Subscribe Link - If you post your back issues on your Web site, make sure they include a "Subscribe" link within the actual email.
• Product Pages - For online retailers, consider including copy in a prominent spot such as:
  Sign-up for Retailer X's free twice monthly newsletter and get Special Deals and sales only available to Newsletter Subscribers.

The purpose of your email opt-in page has one goal – to convert as many visitors as possible to subscribers. Its design, layout and copy, therefore, should be similar to that of a landing page.

• Clean and Simple – The page should be designed in such a way that the images, copy and form instill confidence, trust and value.
• Samples – Always include a link to a sample copy or copies of your email and consider including a hyperlinked small screenshot of your email.
• Testimonials/Awards – Use testimonials in pull-quote format, either text or as an image, that highlight awards or kudos that readers and third parties have bestowed on your email publication.
• Incentives – Offering up an incentive or discount is a great way to increase conversion. Whether it is a “free white paper” or “$5 off your next purchase”, incentives work.
• Value Proposition – Subscribers are happy to provide you their valuable email address, but only in exchange for something of value. It is important that your opt-in page copy and images convey the core value of your emails. For example, if you are a retailer you should highlight things such as “email only specials”, advance notices of sales and other value they will receive as an email subscriber. Newsletter publishers should stress things such as the type of content, timeliness, your expertise and the content relevance to readers.
• Privacy/Email Policy – We recommend that you include a brief 1 or 2 sentence email policy located near the form “submit” button and a link to your company’s more detailed privacy/email policy. For example:
  EmailLabs will not use your email address or information for any purpose other than distributing the EmailLabs Intevation Report newsletter and related special reports.
  View complete Privacy Policy.

• Expectations – Lastly, the copy and layout should set expectations for the recipient. This includes the frequency of the emails, if they should expect other communications from your organization and again, accurately convey the value of the email. Further, clearly explain your confirmation process if you are using a double (confirmed) opt-in approach.

3. The Opt-in Form

The point of course of the actual form is to obtain the right balance of information that you need to send, personalize, segment and optimize your email program for each subscriber.

• Don't Ask for too Much Information – Your email opt-in form is not the place to qualify prospects or make them jump through hoops. Don’t ask for information that you cannot use for email delivery and personalization/segmentation. If you are concerned that you may have too many fields, consider denoting some of them as optional.
• Don't Ask for too Little Information – By the same token, plan for the future. While only asking for someone’s email address makes the sign-up process extremely quick, you have not obtained information that will help you deliver more relevant emails to your subscribers. This includes format preference, name and other preferences/demographics key to your program.
• Address Validation - To ensure that subscribers enter their email address correctly, include a script that checks for syntax errors upon submission. Additionally, consider a secondary box that requires them to re-enter their address. This will minimize invalid addresses due to input errors.
• Form Fields – The Minimum:
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email address
  • Format Preference (HTML or Text) – In addition to providing options of whether to receive HTML or Text, consider including a note such as the following: (Text is recommended if you use Eudora Light, Eudora Pro 3 and below, Lotus Notes versions below R5 or AOL 5.0 and under.)
• Form Fields – Optional:
  • Secondary Email Address (Since approximately a third of your list will change their email address every year, consider asking for a secondary email address. Then when their primary address bounces you can send a follow-up email to the secondary address.)
  • Frequency (Many sophisticated etailers and publishers give subscribers the choice of how often they wish to receive emails, i.e., daily, weekly, monthly.)
  • Demographics (gender, age, location, etc.)
  • Interests/Preferences (topic, rock vs. jazz, etc.)

4. Other Opt-in Pages

In addition to your actual email opt-in form pages, there are other means on your Web site of gaining new subscribers, including:

• Download/Registration Pages – Always include an email subscription check box as part of your registration (download white papers, membership, demo request, etc.) forms. This approach can generate a subscription conversion rate of 50 percent of more.
• Purchase/Shopping Cart Pages – Be sure to include product/shopping preferences in your shopping cart form and a clear opt-in check box for your email. EmailLabs recommends that you NOT use pre-checked boxes. If you choose to use this approach, however, the CAN-SPAM Act requires that you include a notice of advertisement in the email.

For related articles and tips, check out the following:

• Permission Email Marketing: "Permission" is Not Optional
• Using Email Marketing to Enhance the Success of Trade Shows
• Spotlight on Double Opt-in