Do you create your email queries using opt-in lists or opt-out lists?

Kim Ethridge

Just wondering how organizations are handling their email queries. When we get a new email contact we automatically opt them into all of our e-communications interests (making it transparent to them, of course). This way if they go to unsubscribe or go to their email preference center these interests will be checked and they can easily opt themselves out of specific interests.


On the email send side of things, we are discussing the benefits of creating our send lists based on opt-ins or opt-outs. For example, if we are sending an action alert, there are two ways to create the email send list.

1) Use the Action Alert Interest Opt-in Group as the Target list and the Interest Opt-out Group as the Do Not Email list, or

2) Use all active emails as the Target list and use the Action Alert Interest Opt-out Group as the Do Not Email list.


Which way do you handle it?


Thanks.


Kim

Kent Gilliam

Great post! As a previous client and then a consultant (Convio) and then community manager and now as a CSM here, a total of 17 years in email marketing/fundraising, I've seen this question a lot. The truth is a majority of orgs I've worked with simply don't really use interests the way they could use them to empower quality communication without overwhelming inboxes. I've seen orgs implement interests but then they don't really use them for their email target groups. They only use them to hopefully have people only opt out of an interest and not unsubscribe altogether. This is especially the case at small orgs who don't have a large email usable housefile and the feel they need to blast every email to every contact. Then there are those orgs who make their interest options far too granular. Sometimes so granular that if you really held your targeting to the opt-ins it would result in some contacts only being emailed maybe once per year. I often encourage orgs to make their interest strategy program-based. Groups like animal welfare really have this model where they have interest opt-ins for volunteer info, adoption info, event info, rescue info, and more. But I never encourage anyone to have an interest about donation campaigns or anything like that. (Yes I have seen this countless times where an org asks a constituent to opt-in to receiving fundraising campaign emails)


To the question you pose, I could see targeting both ways. For those who have opted in to the alerts, you send them a very specific message that may refer to their selecting to be notified about the topic. You should expect to see a high open rate and response rate for this group. But targeting the rest of your housefile, suppressing those who have opted out of that interest, could be a way to expose your constituents to other things you do that maybe they are not aware of. I like seeing strategies like this where there are essentially two emails sent. One to those you know are likely to respond because they have indicated it's of importance to them, and another to those you hope to move to become involved.


You indicated you add everyone to every interest group so really don't need to consider sending two emails because everyone is exposed to an email type at least once before they opt out. But for orgs who only go by what people opt into when they register, a person may not understand what opting into "Action Alerts" may actually mean they will receive so they don't select it. So you may need to expose them to one so hopefully they'll take action. But even in your case where a constituent may opt out of something like action alerts, you could still use that "not opted into action alerts" info to make sure you update them in an enews or bulletin and give them the opportunity to opt back into that interest.


Hope that helps. I kind of got long-winded but like I mentioned in the beginning, I just don't see a lot of orgs really using interest opt-ins the way they are designed.


Kent