How to implement your opt-in to make sure it’s delivered correctly
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This article is to help you implement your Opt-in so that you can start getting subscribers today. I explain how to connect the platforms plus the things you need to consider as you lay out the breadcrumbs for your audience.
How to implement your opt-in to make sure it’s delivered correctly
(PART 1 OF 3 IN THE OPT-IN SERIES)
So you have your landing page, your email list within your email provider and a thank you page. What now?
You need to connect it all. This is where ‘mapping' comes into place. It’s really useful to have a logistical map of the step by step of your customer’s journey so that if any adjustments are made, you can make sure all the right steps are taken for everything to work properly on your customers end. There’s nothing worse than someone signing up for your 'thing', them being added to your email list, but then they don’t actually get the thing they asked for. Not the best way to start a relationship, right?
So write down everything you see that needs to happen. Use a pen and paper and make a flow diagram. It will go something like this:
Subscriber lands on opt-in page and signs up.
Email address gets sent to your Email Service Provider (ESP).
Subscriber gets sent to thank you page (which could also be a limited-time paid offer).
ESP sends confirmation email.
Subscriber confirms and receives free thing.
Subscriber is put into a nurture sequence to learn more about what you do.
Offer is made within your email sequence.
So, now you need to think about what steps you need to take to makes sure all those 7 things above happen for your subscriber…
Steps 1 & 2
First of all, we want to make sure the landing page and mail provider are linked. With most mail providers you need to create a form or list where your subscribers will be added.
Think of it like a basket or a bucket and your subscriber is a ball. Your landing page needs to throw the ball to the mail provider. The ‘bucket’ you create will allow the ball to be caught by your mail provider.
Once you have created the form, you will be able to take the code for either a button or the signup form and embed this in your landing page. Some landing page platforms will have the integrations set up and so all you need to do is connect your mail provider account and select the form from a list to tell the landing page where to send the subscriber.
Step 3
You need to make sure your opt-in form or landing page is linked to your thank you page. Most have a redirect URL option where you add the URL of the thank you page.
Step 4
This is where you set up an automation, to send a message for them to confirm their subscription. In ConvertKit you can set your form to send an incentive email - which is your confirm subscription disguised as an email that says download your thing.
Step 5
In ConvertKit you can set the confirm subscription button to directly send them to receive the download (if you are offering a PDF). Otherwise you can set up a separate sequence that once they confirm subscription they get sent another email with a link to download, or link to a new page where your opt-in is delivered (eg. a page where you have embedded your video). If your freebie is a free email course you set up the sequence to start sending immediately after confirmation.
Step 6
Once the opt-in is delivered, it is a good idea to then nurture your subscriber with a set of emails so that they learn a little more about who you are, what you do and why they should actually care. Usually this is all about really knowing your ideal customer and speaking to their desires, outcomes or results they are seeking.
Step 7
Once they have got to know you, you then make an offer. This is where the opt-in cycle happens again. Whatever the offer is, you set it up following the exact steps outlined in this series of articles. However, just remember there are no rules! You make the rules! If you want to offer something straight off the bat whilst they are engaged and ready to solve their problems, you can do that right away. It’s about speaking their language and understanding their pain points, behaviours and desired outcomes.
I hope you have found these articles useful. As I said, there are no hard and fast rules about how you do this. If you decide to use an opt-in in the traditional online marketing sense, then you just need to think about the customer journey and the logistics of setting up the systems to make it happen.
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3: Implement your Opt-In (this article)