Implementing Ontraport's Double Opt-In with a custom web portal

Challenge:

A mid-sized e-learning and certification business that specializes in providing certifications to healthcare workers to keep them compliant and up to date with state and federal requirements.

The company had a sign up page hosted on a custom WordPress site. This form served 2 purposes:

1. Enables login to the online platform where the users could take up their required exams and download certificates. The platform maintains their certifications for each year
2. The data captured through the form was also used in their Ontraport instance to send periodic updates, offers etc

The challenge was in the emails being sent through the Ontrport instance. Since there was no double opt-in done, the email delivery was very restricted.

Solution

The company implemented Ontraport’s Double Opt-In feature to ensure that only genuinely interested subscribers were added to their email list. The customization options allowed the company to craft a branded and engaging confirmation email, providing clear instructions and a strong call to action.

Implementation Steps:

1. Our team created a new sign-up form using Ontraport’s form builder and integrated it into their website.
2. The form submission generated a customized confirmation email, including their logo and a welcome message along with a double optin link. The Ontraport API is used to populate this data in their online platform’s SQL database as well to enable login
3. If the user tries to login to the online platform, it first checks if Double Opt In has been done in Ontraport. This is done through a custom integration that we developed that pulls in this information from Ontraport to Wordpress
4. If the opt-in is successful, the user is able to login. If its pending, they are requested to click on the verification link in the email sent to them. There is also an option to submit their name & email again to regenerate the opt-in email again
5. The double opt-in now enables login to the online platform and also is complaint with opt-in process to improve delivery of marketing emails
6. After a successful implementation, they monitored their email campaigns through Ontraport’s reporting features.

Results:

• The company saw 90% successful double opt-ins in all new signups immediately.
• They reported a significant drop in bounce rates.
• Spam complaints have decreased and subscriber retention improved as more users interacted with the brand's emails.

Ontraport's Double Opt-In System

Introduction

Ontraport, a leading marketing automation platform, provides businesses with the tools they need for managing customer relationships, automating workflows, and tracking leads. A key feature within Ontraport’s offerings is its Double Opt-In system, designed to ensure that businesses only engage with customers who are genuinely interested in receiving communications.

In this case study, we will examine Ontraport’s Double Opt-In feature, its benefits, implementation, and impact on businesses using the platform. We will explore how this system increases user engagement, ensures compliance with regulations, and boosts overall marketing effectiveness.

A double opt-in strategy allows you to ensure your email list is filled with valid email addresses from people who actually want to receive your emails — which goes a long way toward keeping your email delivery and engagement rates top notch.

With a double opt-in requirement, contacts who provide their email address on your form will receive a confirmation email with a link to click to confirm the validity of the email address (which also confirms that your form was filled out by a person rather than a spam bot). Once confirmed, they’ll be able to receive emails from you.

The Ontraport team has created double opt-in messages for you to use (already in your account) or you can submit a new custom double opt-in message for review.

Opt-in settings

Opt-in settings dictate how new contacts are added to your account database and what page they’ll see after submitting their form responses. 

You’ll also see the option to send contacts to the “default thank you page” which is an Ontraport branded page.

Single Opt-in

The default setting for your forms is “single opt-in,” and it adds contacts to your database when they submit a form. This opt-in setting does not require contacts to confirm their email address; you can immediately send them messages.

Double Opt-in Required

The double opt-in required option confirms that a person who signed up to receive your emails wants to receive them. A double opt-in email prompts the recipient to confirm their subscription by clicking on a link. Sending email to high-quality, engaged contacts improves your email deliverability; however, you will collect fewer contacts than using a single opt-in.

Your contacts’ bulk email status will be “unconfirmed” until they click the confirmation link in your double opt-in email. Once they confirm, their bulk email status will change to “double opt-in,” and you can send them messages.

If contacts are added to your automation while their address is still unconfirmed, we will not attempt to send messages to them.

To prevent your contacts from continuing through your automation without receiving your messages, add a goal under your trigger that moves
your contacts when their bulk email status is updated to double opt-in.

Configure double opt-in settings

Configure the following settings:

1. Confirmation Email: Use the dropdown menu to select the desired confirmation email.
2. On submit, send visitors to the following page: Select the confirmation page visitors will see once they fill out the form.
3. Send contacts who already opted in to a different page: This checkbox allows you to send contacts who have already double opted in to a different page than the contacts who still need to verify their address. 

Double Opt-in Optional

This combination setting allows you to add contacts to your database when they submit forms and sends a double opt-in email to confirm their address. 

This option does not protect your account from bad email addresses, but it allows you to capture more double opt-ins who are more valuable and engaged contacts. 

Contacts who do not click the double opt-in link can still be sent messages — their bulk email status remains single opt-in. But they still have the chance to verify their email, which changes their bulk email status to double opt-in. 

To set this up, select the “Double opt-in optional” setting and follow the setup instructions above.

Conditional redirects

For all three opt-in settings, you can also check the “Conditional Redirect” box to create personalized experiences for your contacts based on their form field responses. 

1. For example, you can create rules based on your contacts’ country field. If they live in the UK, you can redirect them to a page describing data protection and privacy policies for the UK. 
2. Or you can redirect them to different product pages based on their responses to the form questions.

Just click Add to create redirect rules that correspond with each of your form responses. The rules for redirects run in order, so if your contacts fit the conditions for multiple rules, they will be redirected by the first rule that applies to them.

Always on rules

Always-on Rules: If you’ve toggled on the “rules for form submissions” in your account’s legacy features settings, you can add rules that run when your form is submitted.

Rules: Successful Payment (Order Forms only): These rules will be run for the contact submitting the form if the payment gateway returns a successful transaction code.


Rules: Failed Payment (Order Forms only): These rules will be run for the contact submitting if their payment fails.
Notifications and routing

These settings allow you to set up notifications to a user in your account after a form is filled out.

Send Notification: Enter an email address to be sent a notification that the form was filled out. This is a pre-formatted, standardized notification. 

Make Contact Owner: If the contact submitting the form is a new contact, use the dropdown to select one of the users on your account as the contact owner. If left blank, the administrator user will be the contact owner. This setting will not overwrite the contact owner for contacts who already exist in your account.

Set up double opt-in email

Use a pre-created and pre-approved double opt-in message

Simply access them by following these steps:

1. Click → Administration → Email → Double Opt-In / Invoice Manager.
2. Select New Message Template.
3. Under Double Opt-In (Ontraport Email), choose Copy Existing....
4. Select the email you want to use, add the title, make any edits and click Save.
   • If you make any edits to the default message, once you click Save, your email will be provisionally approved and submitted for review by our email delivery team. Our team will review it within two business days and, if it does not meet the requirements listed below, we will deactivate the email and notify your account administrator via email. Standard double opt-in messages will be supplemented to avoid interruption.

Create your own double opt-in email

Creating your own email allows you to add your branding and customize the wording. However, these emails require approval by our email delivery team to ensure they comply with spam regulations.

1. Click → Administration → Email → Double Opt-In / Invoice Manager.
2. Select New Message Template.
3. Click Double Opt-In (Ontramail).
4. Choose the email template you want to use; personalize it to your liking, and add your content. To ensure your email complies with requirements, please review the requirements listed below.
5. Once you click Save, your email will be provisionally approved and submitted for review by the Ontraport email delivery team. The Ontraport team will review it within two business days and, if it does not meet the requirements listed below, Ontraport will deactivate the email and notify your account administrator via email. Standard double opt-in messages will be supplemented to avoid interruption.

Requirements for double opt-in email content

To comply with spam laws, your email must:

• Include the <a href="https://go.ontraport.net/u?a=doi_sf&aid=3&aaid=2&cid=39&fid=&kid=&typeid=1&object_type_id=10064">Confirm your subscription</a> merge field (Insert it via the Mail Merge dropdown in the Double Opt-In Manager)

• Clearly notify leads that by clicking the opt-in link they agree to regularly receive emails from you/your business

• Not contain any further marketing, links to further marketing, or calls to action

• Clearly state that subscribers will have the option to unsubscribe at any time

Key Features of Ontraport's Double Opt-In System

Customizable Emails: Ontraport allows businesses to customize the confirmation emails. These emails can include branding, personalized messaging, and even incentives for users to confirm their subscription.

Automated Workflows: After a user confirms their subscription, businesses can automate follow-up workflows, such as sending a welcome email, offering a discount, or beginning a drip campaign.

Compliance with Regulations: Double Opt-In ensures businesses remain compliant with regulations such as GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL, which require clear consent for marketing communications. This is crucial for businesses with international customers, particularly those in regions with strict privacy laws.

Reduced Bounce Rates: Since users must confirm their subscription, the quality of email lists improves. This reduces bounce rates and increases deliverability.

Benefits of the Double Opt-In System

1. Improved Engagement: Double Opt-In ensures that only those who genuinely want to receive communications are included in a business’s email list. This results in higher open rates and engagement, as the subscribers are more likely to be interested in the content.

2. Better Deliverability: Email providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, recognize Double Opt-In as a best practice. This means businesses using Ontraport's system will see fewer emails flagged as spam, increasing the likelihood that their messages reach subscribers' inboxes.

3. Higher Data Quality: The Double Opt-In process ensures businesses only capture valid, active email addresses. This improves data hygiene and reduces the risk of sending marketing emails to fake or incorrect addresses, which can hurt the sender's reputation.

4. Trust Building: By using Double Opt-In, businesses can show their subscribers that they respect their privacy. The transparency of the process builds trust and can improve customer relationships over time.

5. Legal Protection: With stricter email marketing regulations, Double Opt-In helps businesses stay compliant with global laws, safeguarding them from potential fines and penalties.

Conclusion

Ontraport’s Double Opt-In system provides businesses with a robust, reliable solution to improve email marketing efforts. By ensuring subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving communications, businesses can achieve higher engagement rates, improved deliverability, and greater compliance with legal regulations.

As shown in the case of the e-commerce business, the implementation of Double Opt-In not only addressed the company’s immediate concerns of low engagement and deliverability issues, but it also provided long-term value by building a healthier email list and fostering trust with customers.

For businesses seeking to improve their email marketing and enhance customer relationships, Ontraport’s Double Opt-In system offers an effective strategy for achieving these goals.