Gales Network • Brand building from the inside out

September 2009

The Ins and Outs of Opting
Valuable metrics lie in both actions

Big Idea: Allowing access to one's personal data by accepting an offer (opting-in) and cutting access off (opting-out) are two strategic touch points that provide both and quantitative metric data. Progressive brands are developing tiers of opting-in, which create an ROI thermometer reflecting degrees of consumer engagement. Brand properties are using opting-out as another opportunity to re-present their offer and build the brand.

At Issue: To date, metrics such as hits, click-throughs, page views and length of stay have dominated discussions of effectiveness. Brands may miss the potential of opt-in tiers which tell far more about consumers' depth of interest. All too often, brands overlook opt-out feedback that provides rich data for improving loyalty.

Big Ideas View: While the fine points of crafting opt-in and opt-out experiences are not as sexy as discussing Twitter, texting or cloud computing, maximizing their use is essential to building your brand.

At one time, opt-in was a term associated with direct mail clubs. Opting-in simply acknowledged the customer's acceptance of a long-term periodic snail mail offer. Opt-in is now a digital term primarily used in context of email databases. The art of convincing a consumer to opt-in is rapidly becoming a science for email, fan clubs, social networks, mobile and online promotions. Like the preacher who asks the congregation to say "amen" before he asks them to walk down the isle, we ask site visitors, store shoppers or email readers to acknowledge willingness to become involved a step beyond awareness by opting-in.

Sharing one's PII (Personally Identifiable Information) demonstrates a new degree of brand commitment. People who opt-in expect brands to deliver exactly what they promise. Treat a consumer well and she may be willing to graduate from free product information recipient or chat participant to ongoing newsletter subscriber and ultimately to paid content level or product customer. The pivotal act of opting-in is so powerful it is key to discussions now in Congress regarding its role in advertising and Behavioral Targeting (more on that in the next BIR).

In early email land, consumer complaints of relentless email advertising resulted in laws providing protection from unwanted spam. With marketers gaining more access to email and the mobile numbers of loyal consumers, the avalanche of direct communication has threatened to alienate valued customers and the opt-out process has become more sophisticated. Instead of just confirming an opt-out, smart brands are using this last interaction to re-engage the customer before oblivion. Opt-out links now connect to pages which allow feedback through surveys or multiple choice change options; offer modification of selection elements and/or ask for text comments (or a combination of these), while staying within legal guidelines. After this interactive communication, many customers are pleased to stay connected on their own terms and reverse their decision to leave.

If you're not already asking customers to opt-in for some higher level of interaction with richer rewards in exchange for more information (or payment), make the investment now. If your opt-out link simply removes them from your list without attempting to learn more from the experience (gasp!), it will cost you. Maximizing your opt-ins and outs... priceless.

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