Gaining explicit permission for email marketing is not only a best practice, it's also required by Keap and most email service providers in the industry. Email marketing without permission negatively impacts your sender reputation and ultimately leads to a decrease in deliverability and loss of leads.
What is Explicit Permission?
Explicit permission is obtained when a contact voluntarily requests to receive email communication from your business and is aware what content they will receive and how often they will receive it.
How do I obtain explicit permission for my bulk marketing?
- On web forms, use a check box defaulted to unchecked to allow contacts to choose to agree to marketing.
- Through personal interaction like at an event, over the phone, or direct contacts via social media, be sure to ask explicitly if you can send ongoing marketing emails to the address they shared with you.
What is NOT considered explicit permission?
- Having the contact sign up for a one-time email, but then adding them to additional marketing.
- Customers that have purchased a product from you and did not make a request or excplicitly indicate they wanted to receive email marketing from you.
- Purchasing a list of email addresses from a 3rd party that sells targeted lists.
- Borrowed or shared lists from companies in your industry.
- If you force or coerce contacts into sharing their email address for them to receive a discount, special access or even to create an account. Permission is only explicit when it is voluntary.
What do I do with contacts that have not given permission?
- Opt out any contacts that have not given you permission.
- Permission can be obtained by phone or personal interaction. Do not send bulk email to these contacts.
Here is an example of how to collect explicit permission:
Additionally, make sure you are following the best practices found in our Email Marketing Best Practices Handbook.