This topic is quite recurrent, but there are still many questionable behaviours to note. Here's an anecdote that inspired this article.
Recently, I was contacted about a routing issue. This person sends out prospecting emails to a list of contacts who, in his opinion, are very likely to be highly interested in his solution. The results of his campaigns are very satisfactory. Despite this, his prospects are flagging his emails as spam more than usual, and he has just been banned for the second time by an email campaign router. He has found a new one but would like some advice from me to avoid making the same mistakes. After a few minutes of discussion, I immediately understood the source of his problem, That's how you build your base. Quite simply, they retrieve their contacts by «sniffing» forums relevant to their activity. Look no further. Why be surprised at being considered a spammer when using a spammer's technique? Even if the CNIL gives the possibility to canvass companies using named addresses as long as it remains within the scope of work, nothing says that these contacts agree to receive your emails.
The major rule for building a strong, responsive and long-lasting contact base is to obtain the agreement of your contacts, a sort of contract. Be careful, you mustn't do just anything here either. A bond of trust must be established between you and the contact. There are many possible agreements, but some are worse than others, or even illegal:
’Opt-out« involves sending you an email and validating your address through your unsubscribe action. This practice is mainly used by spammers and is strictly prohibited in France.
’Negative opt-in« involves automatically signing you up via a form. To not subscribe, you must, for example, uncheck a box. This practice is also forbidden in France.
’Opt-in« represents the minimum consent in the emailing relationship between the two parties. It consists of taking into account your agreement to receive a newsletter when you have ticked a box during your registration on a website.
’Confirmed opt-in« signifies a greater level of consent than »opt-in". The principle is to send you an email containing an unsubscribe link following your registration on a website. This method is interesting because it allows you to protect yourself from malicious registrations.
Le « double optin » ou « optin vérifié » est Los Angeles preferred method. Following your registration, you will be sent an email containing a confirmation link. Until you have confirmed, your registration will not be processed. This method guarantees you a contact base with valid emails.
You'll tell me it's easy to talk about theory, but how do you put that into practice, and more importantly, how do you obtain these «double opt-in» contacts? There are two ways to build a database: either internally or by renting or buying contacts. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
In-house list creation
There are many ways to collect email addresses as part of your business activities. I have listed the most common methods below:
Create a registration form on your website, making sure to include a checkbox for permission to send future emails.
Recruit offline at trade shows, exhibitions or conferences.
Train your staff to collect email addresses during their sales prospecting.
Use viral marketing by inviting contacts to share their newsletters via a «forward to a friend» link.
Take advantage of Web 2.0 tools and offer your contacts the chance to share your newsletters on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
Exchange your «partner opt-ins» (contacts who agree to you passing their email to your partners) with other companies.
Place banners on target and partner sites.
Organise sweepstakes.
Publish white papers.
Following these actions, it is strongly advised to send an email with a registration validation link, guaranteeing «double opt-in». It is necessary to keep the registration-related information, such as the date and channel of registration.
A few tips
Request a double entry of the email in the registration form.
Validate the entered information in real time.
Send your contact a welcome email upon validation of their registration. Suggest they add you to their address book and remember to include a viral marketing link.
The rental, the purchase
Compiling a list internally can seem long and tedious. Companies offer you contact databases, which are more or less targeted, for rent or purchase.
Attention, in order to buy or rent a base, you need to ask yourself a few questions:
Through which channel were the addresses collected?
Did these contacts give their permission?
What is the age of the list? (At least 1/3 of contacts must be less than 6 months old)
How often is the database updated? (At least twice a year)
What is the NPAI rate? (soft less than 10%, soft less than 2%)
How does the company compensate you for "NPAI" (No Such Addressee)?
What information is available for filtering contacts? (age, gender, socio-professional group, etc.)
How and by whom is the list used?
Has a competitor recently used this list? Buying or renting a database allows you to recruit more quickly. Take advantage of this action to convert targets and build your own contact list.
A few tips
Prefer lists with «double opt-in» contacts»
It's better to trust a recognised provider. A file with numerous addresses at a reduced cost increases the chances that the list was compiled illegally.
It is very clear that building a good contact list is not easy. It takes time, but the returns will only be better for it. It is better to establish a lasting relationship rather than to destroy one's reputation just for a few quick returns.
There are two recruitment methods: internal and via a third-party provider (rental, purchase). The first gives you a guarantee regarding the origin of the contact and their interest in your company. However, the recruitment process is longer and more tedious. The second method offers a quicker recruitment process, but the origin and responsiveness of the contacts remain less certain.
Our recommendations
Consult codes of practice edited by the SNCD and UFMD
Confirm that your approach complies with current laws (file declaration with the CNIL, legal information to provide to contacts...).
