Reading time: nine minutes
In addition to meter readings and mail receipts, leaflets are sometimes placed in mailboxes. People are so tired of them that, without reading the contents, they throw them into the nearest trash can and go to complain to the concierge. Next time, he will make sure that advertisers with waste paper do not get into the front door.
So it is with email newsletters. If you bought a contact database and send letters to everyone in a row, no one will read them. Messages will not just be deleted (thrown away like unnecessary leaflets) – you will be marked as a spammer. And they can also complain to the FAS, which is fraught with a large fine. The role of a vigilant concierge will be played by spam filters that reliably protect people from your emails.
So, a large database ≠ a lot of purchases from email newsletters. Let s figure out together why it is not worth buying a base yet and how to assemble it legally and relatively quickly.
RF legislation
In Russia, it is forbidden to send letters to the purchased database. Also, you cannot add contacts from the Inbox and collect data from public sources. For violation of FZ-38 Article 18 “On Advertising” and FZ-152 “About personal data” there are fines ranging from 75,000 to 500,000 rubles.
Do you think our system works poorly and no one will punish you? In 2018 Sberbank fined for 250 thousand rubles per letter. The recipient did not give his consent to the mailing and complained to the FAS. If you have punished Sberbank, they will find you too. Therefore, it is better not to tempt fate and collect the base honestly.
Spam filters
The domain must have SPF, DMARK and DKIM digital signatures, otherwise the sender will not even know if something goes wrong with his mailings. For example, they will fall into the “Spam” folder or not reach user mailboxes at all.
So, Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a signature that contains information about servers that are allowed to send mail from your domain. One domain – one SPF record.
Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a signature that confirms the sender s authenticity and guarantees the integrity of the delivered letter.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is a policy that defines the rules for handling mailings that have not passed SPF and DKIM checks.
You can learn more about the basic settings in our article “What are SPF, DKIM and DMARC and why you should definitely configure them”.
In addition, the bases for sale often turn out to be spam traps – addresses for catching spammers. They cannot subscribe to the newsletter themselves. If a letter comes to such an address, it means that it was sent by a spammer. As a result, the domain will be blacklisted. It will take a long and tedious way to prove to the postmen that you have learned your lesson and will not be like this anymore.
So what happens if you don t set up digital signatures? Letters will not “reach” customer mailboxes or end up in the “Spam” folder. The time of copywriters, designers and marketers (or yours personally, if you run the mailing list yourself) will be wasted. It’s sad.
Useless mailings
Even if you buy a database with really targeted addresses, bypass spam filters and interest users with a clickbait subject line, the probability of a purchase is minimal. Simply because nobody buys from outsiders. Many will not even dare to click on the button from the letter – you never know what mechanism the link has in the message, what if the user s data is stolen?
Conclusion: if you wanted to spend money on buying a base, it is better to donate it to charity or take a couple of good books. There will be more benefits.
Now let s figure out how to legally increase the base.
Where and how to collect a contact database?
This question is worth asking yourself, even if you already have a base. It needs to be constantly increased, because users unsubscribe, change mailboxes, move, or simply no longer want to buy from you. So how do you build a base?
Subscription forms on the site
The call to sign up should be clear and attention-grabbing. For example, you can offer a discount, free shipping, or a gift for the user to provide their email address. Another option is to designate the elitism of subscribers. For example, everyone who subscribes will be able to join a VIP club or join a loyalty program.
For example, you can create a form in your Mailigen account and add it to your website. To do this, click on the “Contacts” tab and go to “Questionnaires and forms”. In the window that opens, select the list where new contacts will go and fill in the “Settings”. The changes will instantly appear on the right side of the form demo window.
We recommend adding “Google Recaptcha” – it will save you from incorrect addresses and obvious bots. Do not disable “Double Confirmation” – a small but interested database is better than spam traps, penalties for unwanted ads and domains in spam.
You can change the design in the “Design” tab.
To change the fields and mark the required fields, go to the “Select the fields of the questionnaire” tab. Here you can also set up consent to subscription and processing of personal data. We remind you that this is mandatory if you do not want to violate FZ-38 “On Advertising” and FZ-152 “On Personal Data”.
To customize checkboxes, select the “Multiple Choice” or “Single Choice” type, add the “Must Fill” setting. In order for subscribers to understand exactly what they are agreeing to, add in the “Custom fields” – “Name”. To see the information in the list and be able to segment by this parameter, fill in the “Indicator” field.
When you get your form ready, remember to set up your confirmation email and a thank you page for your subscription. To do this, select the desired position in the drop-down menu “Type of form”.
For more information on how to customize subscription forms, read in the knowledge base…
Static form
As a rule, it is located in the footer on the home page.
A static form should be user-friendly and simple. Do not ask the user to provide all information about him, including weight and favorite apple variety. The more fields, the lower the conversion. But it is not necessary to limit yourself to one email address. Look for a sweet spot – request data that will help you personalize your newsletters.
Dynamic form
Unlike static form, this form appears on different pages of the site.
Pop-ups are set up by scripts. You can think about them in advance: for example, a user spent ten seconds on the site, visited three pages, scrolled the page by 65%, etc.
While dynamic forms distract from your content, they remain a great way to attract new subscribers. According to Sumo statistics, competent pop-ups give up to 9.28% conversion.
registration on the site
When the user signs up, offer to subscribe to your newsletter. It is important that the new client himself, deliberately ticks the “Subscribe to the newsletter” box.
Landing page
Another easy way to enlarge your contact base. Prepare a landing page that will encourage users to subscribe to your mailing lists. People need to be clear about what you expect from them – a cherished email address. Don t forget a bonus or gift to further motivate people to subscribe.
Webinars and online conferences
Hosting online events, sharing experiences with clients? This is a great reason to add new contacts to the database! When people register for a webinar, they leave a mail – additional information about the event and a link to the webinar room or website where the event will take place are usually sent to the email.
Invite everyone who wants to come to your event to subscribe. Just leave the right to choose – no one will like compulsion. Or at least warn that by signing up for the webinar, guests will automatically subscribe to the newsletter.
Blog form
If you run a blog, you can embed forms with a relevant sentence into your articles. For example, in the article “Black Friday preparation checklist and examples of good emails»We offered to help with the creation of mailing lists.
What is the bottom line?
Replenishing your contact base is good. Buying addresses on the Internet is bad. Yes, collecting a database is not a quick process. Nobody likes to wait, they want to start selling as soon as possible, and more. But you have to be patient. Better to get 50-70 interested contacts per month than 5000 “dead” per week. Or you can completely lose your reputation with mailers and end up on the black list of spammers forever.
There are many ways to legally build a base. Install static and dynamic subscription forms on the site. Offer to subscribe to anyone who registers in your online store or wants to participate in the webinar. Add the form to your blog. Prepare your landing page. Use all channels and methods. Consider motivation – what can you give users for a subscription?
And don t forget that the coveted email address in your database is just the first step. Next, you have to maintain interest, engage, entertain, and gently retain the capricious subscriber. However, this is a completely different story.