As you know by now, each month you’ll automatically receive a report regarding the expiry dates of the implied consents for the subscribers of your mailing list—why not take the opportunity to obtain the express consent of these subscribers? Otherwise, you stand to lose the privileged email relationship you have with them—possibly for good.
Let’s review the basics:
- Express consent: The subscribers willingly gave their consent to receive communications from you.
- Implied consent: Usually stems from a business relationship, without the subscribers having given their express consent to receive communications from you (purchases, requests for quotes, business partners, etc.).
To find out more, see our on the subject.
It’s far easier to obtain a person’s express consent early on, such as at the time of purchase—a satisfied customer is more likely to agree to receive your emails than when they’re approached months later. But even then, all is not lost! Here are some things you can do:
1. Add a consent block
Make it a habit to include the consent block available to you in every communication you send. Because it’s dynamic, the block will only be seen by subscribers who have given their implied consent. If your content is compelling, there’s a good chance they will click on the link to confirm their subscription.
2. Send a consent email
Many of your subscribers probably don’t realize they haven’t given you their express consent, and if they haven’t unsubscribed, chances are they find your content interesting. Before their implied consent expires, send them an email explaining that your company wants to comply with the anti-spam legislation, and unless they confirm that they want their email address to remain on your mailing list, soon they will no longer receive your promotions, special offers, etc. Grab their attention with a subject line like “We’ll miss you!”
3. Make them a special offer
Essentially, you have two years to send communications by email to someone who made a purchase with your company. Do you believe that an offer such as a money-saving coupon or a discount might induce these customers to make a purchase? If this approach works, try to obtain their consent immediately. If not, you’ll have a grace period to convert them.
You can put mechanisms in place at any time to encourage people to sign up to your newsletter.
Here are a few things you may want to try:
- Offer a subscription form on your website.
- If you have an online store, include the opportunity to sign up for the newsletter in the purchasing process.
- Obtain customer’s email address in store during the payment process, and keep a log.
- Add a subscription form to your Facebook page or at the end of your blogs.
- Hold a contest.
For more tips and tricks on how to grow your mailing list, read the following article.