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Publisher's Note: September 26, 2002
More Publishers Go Double Opt-in
I learned last week that another e-mail newsletter publisher is going double (or
confirmed) opt-in, following Ralph Wilson's lead. It's Anne Holland of
Marketing Sherpa; they are testing it with their Email Sherpa publication
(and if you haven't already, be sure to check out 'Torture
a Spammer,' their new online game).
One of the biggest issues those who use double opt-in registration face is the percentage of folks who sign up but don't confirm. In my experience with double opt-in, about 20% of the people neglect to take the extra step, and per Anne's blog, she is seeing about the same. I think I'll probably be taking The Jennings Report double opt-in before the year is over; I'm curious to know if anyone else out there is also considering it. Drop me an e-mail and let me know.
Note: I also saw a list broker ad touting 'double opt-in' lists in a print pub this week. It struck me, as I don't believe that term has been widely used in a while; single opt-in had kind of taken over. So my impression is that double opt-in is making a comeback.
Link Trick: Target Frame: New Window
New Pet Peeve: Links in e-mails which, when I click on them, open the new
full page in the same browser window I'm using to read my e-mail, effectively
logging me out of my e-mail program. In order to re-enter my e-mail, I need to
hit back and then sign-on again. I realize I'm one of the few using web-based
proprietary e-mail (it comes with my website hosting), so this probably isn't a
huge problem, but still...
Full disclosure: Until recently, my website and e-mail links did this too,
because I didn't know how to set them to open a new window. So for anyone else
out there like me, here is how to do it in Microsoft FrontPage:
Insert: Hyperlink: Target Frame: New Window
And here is the HTML code to do it:
<a target="_blank" href="Your link goes here">Linked copy goes here</a>
For people using web-based e-mail, it will solve the problem above. On your site, it will keep your site on the visitor's desktop even when they click to visit elsewhere. And in general, I just think it's a more elegant way to do things. Cheers!
Online Publishing: A Look Behind and A Look Ahead
Had a great time and a good discussion as a panelist at this event last
week in Philadelphia. I say discussion because there was lots of give-and-take
with the audience and between the panelists, which is much better than a stiff
PowerPoint presentation. We talked about online publishing models that work,
from WSJ.com's move into the consumer market to Washington Alert, Congressional
Quarterly's high-end online service which I was involved with when I worked
there in the mid-1990's. Bottom line: there are lots of good web models out
there that, with the right content, will be profitable.
One thing we talked about were sites that we use all the time and wouldn't mind paying for. Think about it. There are probably sites you visit all the time that you wouldn't mind paying a small annual fee to use. For me these would include WashingtonPost.com, Google and MapQuest. I think it's only a matter of time. And I'm fine with it. I'd rather pay a little and have them around then lose them.
Mark Feffer of Tramp Steamer Media, who organized this event, is producing another event on Interactive Publishing in October. Visit the Trenton Forum website to learn more.
Simba National Directory Conference
I had the honor of speaking with Jon Lowder of
Marketing Sherpa about
'Internet Marketing for Directory Publishers' at the Simba conference earlier
this week. We had lots of good questions in our session and we talked a lot
about how to treat different constituent groups (customers, prospects, people
listed in your directories, etc.) with regard to e-mail.
My general rule: If you've got an existing e-mail list but no permission, your past behavior should guide your future actions. If you've been mailing them on a regular basis, you should be able to continue the status quo (i.e. the same types of mailings at the same frequency) and assume you have their permission to do so. If you haven't been mailing them, I recommend a single e-mail explaining that you have their e-mail address and asking them to give you permission (i.e. opt-in) to communicate with them via e-mail. Each case should be evaluated individually, but this rule is a good starting point. Want more detail? Check out my ClickZ article on this topic.
I spent some time in the exhibit hall. It was smaller than I had anticipated, and a vendor told me that both exhibitors and attendees were down from last year. But he said he's received a number of leads and felt that the people who were there were high quality. On a personal note, it was nice to run into two people I'd worked with in the past but had lost touch with. Small world, this industry.
Opt-In News
Does anyone know what's up with
Opt-in News? The site, which boasts
testimonials from the likes of Larry Chase and Debbie Weil and which I found
useful, continues to feature the August 5 opinion article on their home page; it
appears no new opinion columns have been published since August 7. They are
still covering industry news (looks like they are turning press releases into
articles) and selling two special reports. But I fear the worst for them...
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The
Jennings Report
