As an internet customer and web surfer, you
no doubt have signed up for mailing lists, web site "memberships" or
to buy something online and experienced an email verification process. The process is pretty straight foreword and
most of us follow the instructions of the web site without giving it much
thought…
.
You sign up to have an ID on
the web site. This is a common practice
so you can make posts on a web site's message boards or get notifications of
changes to the site or news about the web site topics.
.
You provide the safe
information including what nickname you want to use, a password, perhaps your
zip code and your email address. Because
the web site doesn’t require phone number or address, you don’t mind giving
them this information , especially if they post a notice that they will not sell your email on a mailing list.
.
Once your registration is
processed, the web page instructs you that a verification email was sent to
assure that the email adders you gave is valid. You are then instructed to go
to your email address and find the verification email, open it and click on the
link to complete the activation of your membership.
.
You are obedient and complete
those steps and you are done. You might
get a "congratulations" email letting you know that you are ready to
use your new membership on the web site.
Have you ever thought about why the web
site owners created this system? It
might be to limit the people who can
post on their message boards or change their wiki pages. But that probably is not the reason. The real reason is to establish email
communications up front to head off any problems with email deliverability
issues and to encourage you to add the email address they will be using to contact
you to your preferred users list in your spam blocking software so their emails
will get through.
This technique for overcoming the email
deliverability problem is probably one of the best of the current thinking on
the problem. That is because the
solution is not based on assaulting the machinery in place to handle spam
emails. The solution is based in
building a relationship with the customer from the ground up. And by starting that relationship out with an
enticement, you start them communicating with them via email early on so that
channel of communication opens up.
However, I have often thought that the web
site owners miss a golden opportunity when they guide us through this
process. If you are like me, you are
happy to go through this verification process because it makes sense. And in a way it makes you feel good that the
web site owners want to know you are for real and they give you a chance to opt
out during the email verification process.
You are in a cooperative and partnering mood with the web site owner
which is a business providing you with a product or service, whether you know
they are that or not.
But the online business that just did such
a good job of starting you communicating missed the chance to keep you
communicating. Yes, the congratulations
email is a nice follow up. But this is s
a golden opportunity to start a dialog of communication with each customer that
not only keeps that email channel of communications open, it builds that
customer relationship so you can exploit it for more sales, greater
participation in the web site and for referrals.
At that moment when the congratulations
email, what if you put a coupon for 15% off a newsletter subscription or from
something in the catalog of products?
Immediately are drawing the customer to a buying relationship with your
internet business. And by drawing them
to your sales page, you can market all your goods and services to them as they
claim their prize.
There are dozens of ways to tease further
communications with the close of each successful transaction. You already have the customer's attention
when you step them through the email address validation process and you know
you have a "hot" email marketing contact point with an active
customer. Don’t miss out on using this
hot channel to build and expand that relationship and make it bigger and better
with each exchange of emails with that customer.
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