Jason Smith
BuyerZone.com Editorial Staff

In this Internet-centric world we live in, unsolicited emails known as "spam" are plaguing email communication for both business and personal use. So many ads for everything from mortgages to online gambling sites to herbal medimailing_listsion finds their way into unsuspecting inboxes that many people resort to blocking any email from senders they don't recognize.

So how are companies expected to use the Internet to market to new customers without wearing the scarlet "spammer" label? One way is through true opt in email lists.

What are opt-in email lists?

Here's the concept in a nutshell: a consumer specifically requests information on a particular topic and grants permission to be contacted about similar offers. A mailing list owner then compiles that data and rents it out to brokers who work create lists of viable customers to market to. Since it is purely permission-based, there's little concern about spamming a customer.

Types of opt in email lists

There are many ways this can be done, but the two most common - and most effective - are opt in and double opt in email.

• Opt in email lists consist of people who actively choose to receive a newsletter, discount offers, or news updates - typically by sending an email or selecting a checkbox in an email message or web form. In some cases, the box is already pre-selected and it's up to the person to uncheck it if they are not interested.
• Double opt in email lists (or opt in and confirm email lists) are made up of people who take a second step. After the user signs up for the email, they need to verify the request, either by replying to an email confirmation or by clicking a link containing a unique string of characters called a token. This action confirms that the user wants to be part of that list.

Why the extra step?

It's simple really. Anyone can enter a random email address into an opt in form. But by accessing their email, clicking the link in the confirmation message, and verifying that they want to remain in the loop, subscribers confirm that they are indeed interested in receiving information via email.

Double opt email in prevents you from potentially being blacklisted by anti-spamming organizations or individuals choosing to block your incoming emails. By immediately confirming they wanted to be added to a list, customers have the request fresh in their minds and will allow your email materials to reach them. Double opt in also keeps opt in email lists clean: the person verifies the request and confirms the email is legitimate, preventing you from wasting time sending information to non-existent addresses.

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