E-mail marketing as a practice of sending frequent promotions and e-newsletters is under pressure. Various conversion rates are on the decline and this is also the reason why it is so important for such e-mail programs to be function of the recipient’s real-time needs on all levels: timing, content and integration etc.

Decreasing conversion rates are obviously a priority for e-mail marketers. It’s not only important for the ROI of their e-mail marketing programs but also from the deliverability viewpoint: interaction, open rates and click rates are becoming ever more important in determining the sender reputation.

The best solution is to see e-mail as a cross-channel strategy whereby all actions, content, timing etc. are in function of the triggers, actions and interactions of the customers. Obviously a transition to this approach does not occur just like that and sometimes it is not possible or desirable.

The need for a loud and clear direct permission

In B2B lead nurturing procedures, for example, this vision on e-mail marketing is extremely relevant but for media groups sending out informational newsletters it is often better to look for optimization in advanced techniques of personalization and segmenting. As always in marketing, it depends.

The importance of conversion rates is big but the importance of obtaining a loud and crystal clear permission from the (prospective) customer to form a relationship via e-mail is even bigger.

What we need is permission for this relationship, not a kind of opt-in semi-subscription that could lead to confusion.

The use of pure promotional tactics for recruiting opt-in e-mail addresses can, for example, if they are carried out poorly, lead to a growth of the lists but to a decrease of conversion because people were actually interested in the promotion but not in the e-mail program itself. With a clear and relevant course of action this can be avoided.

With rented lists and co-registration programs it is a whole other story. In the early years of e-mail marketing renting e-mail lists was very popular. Even now, list rental, obviously opt-in and unfortunately sometimes not, is still used. Co-registration programs are still used often as well, although it differs from country to country.

Both practices are still generally used but in general I strongly advice against them. Both co-registration (whereby people enrol for an e-mail newsletter program while they register for a list of a, mostly related, other program) and lists rentals can, according to some still be used under the strictest conditions.

Amongst other the following are included in these conditions:

- The initial message on the leased list is sent by the list owner.
- Everything occurs opt-in and preferably double opt-in with absolute transparency.
- The permission is extremely clear, not passed on, and must be earned moving forward.

In practice, we often see, amongst other with co-registration programs, that people do not always know or understand that they are registering for yet another newsletter, even if this is made very clear. With rented lists it depends on the exact nature of the use of them but also here there are often ambiguities. Purchasing e-mail lists is obviously completely “not done”.

When acquiring opt-in e-mail addresses with promotions, leased lists and co-registration programs, from an active list and ethical perspective, an e-mail should first be sent to the “subscribers” requesting their permission for receiving your newsletter and explaining where and how you obtained their e-mail address, even if this was obvious during the initial (co)registration. Look at it as some kind of delayed double opt-in.

Risks for conversion, deliverability and reputation

Experience shows that there are always “subscribers” that were not sure what they were doing when subscribing via co-registration for instance or…they simply forgot. Result? Low conversion, many unsubscribes, and almost guaranteed, just a matter of time before someone clicks the spam button.

If you would do this exercise (asking permission to people behind e-mail addresses you got via co-registration) you would quickly note that many people will not subscribe to your newsletter after the request for a second opt-in. Then you see how senseless these practices often are, how they cost far more than you think, how important a direct and clear opt-in is and what the risks are on the level of conversion rates and deliverability. And those e-mails from rented lists and addresses you obtained via aggressive promotions? Try it and watch how many addresses don’t exist or are dormant.

So, is it worthwhile? IMHO not. Explicit permission is more important than ever and there can be no confusion. Thus, maybe it’s best to spend the time, effort and money for these activities on the development of relevant content and segmented and personalized e-mail programs in function of the needs of your client.

There are obviously always a few e-mail list specialists who work very professionally. If you decide working with them, make sure you choose the best that the market has to offer. And act as the advocate of your subscribers: be very demanding. Again: if you do it.