You may have noticed your email inbox – and in some cases, even your mailbox – has started to fill up with communications from companies asking you to opt-in to comply with ‘new data regulations’.
These are known as ‘Permission Passes’ – an email sent by an organisation asking for consent to continue emailing an individual. These campaigns – have been around for a while, but GDPR is taking Permission Pass Emails to a whole new level. Suddenly, organisations around the globe are realising that they need to gain that dreaded phrase – ‘confirmed opt-in’ – from their databases.
So what are different organisations doing to ensure they get the most opt-ins from their emails? After all, you only really have one shot.
I’ve been collecting examples to help clients running their own Pardot permission pass campaigns, and filtered them down to my 7 favourites. Get inspired by these templates and automation and copy in your own Pardot account (or any other marketing automation tool you use, for that matter).
1. AnimalsAsia: Cute and Ahead of the Game
As well as being the sort of cute-sy communication you’d expect from this brand (who doesn’t love a pun?), a couple of things stand out from this email. The first being that rather than a privacy-focused email, it was part of a larger communication in the form of Christmas wishes and an update from the Founder.
This leads us on to the second point, which is timing: this was a Christmas message, sent back in December! So AnimalsAsia get bonus points for actually being the first GDPR Permission Pass email I received. Great to see this from a charity – and one not even based in Europe!
2. P&O: Luxury through and through
The direct mail opt-in request I received from P&O cruises was exactly the kind of luxury you’d expect from a cruise brand. A glossy brochure-like mailout with beautiful, aspirational imagery of a cruise ship sailing into the sunset. Granted the process to opt-in is a tad complex, involving signing up for an account, but for a client base that is unlikely to include many tech-savvy millennials, this feels comfortably appropriate.
3. The Guardian: Multi-Channel Execution
The Guardian are particularly reliant on subscriptions as their business model, and often publish articles on data protection, so it’s no surprise that they’ve executed their opt-in campaign with exquisite planning.
I’ve received emails, direct mail, and pop-up mobile ads, all highlighting that they will cease communication on a certain date: 30th April, which everyone in the know will realise is almost a month before the *actual* deadline, giving themselves plenty of time to recoup the stragglers and check their processes.
The email itself also features an animated gif with the text ‘Tick/Tock’ (a play on ticking for consent), to help get attention and drive urgency. Nothing cheesy or overly created here, but a clever and well executed multi-channel campaign.
4. ASOS: ‘Here’s what you enjoy now…’
What’s really good about this email is that it outlines just what you’ll be missing out on by losing those emails. Rather than outlining the benefits of opting in, ASOS focuses on existing benefits the prospect will lose. From a psychological perspective, losing something always creates a greater pain point than not getting something new. Smart.
5. Linley & Simpson: Opt-in to Win
When I first saw this email, my initial thought was, ‘Is this legal?’ It’s carefully worded, and provides a definite incentive to opt in. I’d be interested to see the results on this one.
6. TrustFord: Free Car!
Another competition, but this one definitely stays on the right side of the law by allowing prospects to enter the competition even if they opt out. Great work, but probably necessary from a Ford subsidiary with ‘Trust’ in its name!
7. Taskfeed: Friendly & Casual
Taskfeed are one of our own – a Salesforce AppExchange app that sits on the platform to aid project management. What stood out for me with this email was the casual quirkiness of it. The email subject line, and the text itself, felt personal and friendly. If you know the guys at Taskfeed, you’ll know this is definitely on-brand!
And what about you…?
How will you be regaining consent from your Pardot Prospect database? Maybe some of these examples can help you stand out from the crowd.