Do You Need an Opt-In Form?

Not all online businesses will benefit from having an opt-in form on their website. Other businesses, however, would do very well if they did incorporate an opt-in form on at least one of their web pages.

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How can you know if you need one or not, and what are some of the benefits and disadvantages to having one? This article examines those questions.

In most cases, an opt-in form is a small bit of coding that you add to a web page. When this coding hits a browser it produces a dialog box that the visitor can input his or her data into, such as name and email address. This data is then sent to the host server where it is stored. It can also trigger another event such as an autoresponder email message or allow the visitor access into a private area of the website. For a small bit of code, it can do a lot of things.

Online companies that can benefit from the use of an opt in form are those that need to collect email addresses and those that need to trigger another event.

Collecting email addresses is a good way to build a mailing list but needs to be done carefully and legally to avoid problems with both consumers and the legal system. You can avoid trouble by simply being honest and telling your visitor what you plan to do with his or her email address.

Online companies that need to trigger another event also benefit from the use of an opt-in form. Let's say you are running an affiliate program and you only want very interested people to gain access to a particular section of your website. You can use an opt-in form to handle that task.

One of the most popular ways to use an opt-in form is to use it for permission to send newsletters or other pieces of information. Other pieces of information might include ebooks, free reports, and, of course, newsletters. Any of these materials can be used to share information as well as help you stay in contact with the consumer. Many consumers will not make a purchase immediately and will need more time and information. This can be accomplished by having your message sent to them, with their permission, until such time as they do buy.

Online companies that would be at a disadvantage in using opt-in forms are those companies that do not have any purpose in using them. This may sound like common sense, but there are many websites that contain opt-in forms that do nothing other than collect the visitors email address, usually so they can sell the address to an email farm. Most of these companies are shady to begin with, but adding a useless (to the consumer) opt in form only makes them appear more dishonest. If you do not have a true reason for implementing an opt-in form, then don't add one.

Using an opt-in form with the consumer in mind is the best policy. Consumers often want your information and this is a good way to deliver it to them. The trick is to not abuse their trust.