Would You Do This With Your Optin Form?

Personally, I like to personalise the emails so would always ask for at least "First Name".

-John.

In my opinion, I thiunk yes continue to collect both name + email and personalize my email messages

Yes, I would ask for persons name if it's different niche then IM, MMO (in your case it is different), because people are not so IM tools savvy like we are. They don't know what autoresponder is, they don't know you are sending to thousands of people with single click.

They feel like you are writing only to them.

That's why this feature was added to autoresponders - to strenghten relationship and trust. But since so many marketers used this technique it started to have the negative effect - emails are looking fake, cheap and cold when you are saying "Hi Tim!"

I've read somewhere (can't remember exactly where) that by not collecting their first name, you could significantly increase the number of people subscribing. Obviously, the less things they have to do, the more inclined they are to do it. That's the pro.

The con is that your email open rates and conversion rates might get affected, since people still love to be called by their name (it's the sweetest word in their vocabulary).

Personally, I would still ask for their first name at least. Quality over quantity.

This sounds very good, to me (i.e. it's higher than I've ever managed with a confirmed opt-in!).

Personally, I recommend it strongly.

My own feeling is that addressing people by their first names in outgoing autoresponder email can actually be a disadvantage.

This was among the questions I asked everyone on all my lists, back when I had only 6 lists (three confirmed opt-in and three single opt-in, at that stage, not that it's too relevant to this point) and a considerable majority out of those who expressed a preference said that they preferred not to be addressed by name. It surprised me at first, but when my parents said the same thing, and I gave it some more thought, I saw that for some lists it does make sense. Some people (and perhaps especially older people, which may be very relevant from your particular perspective?) feel that using someone's name makes you sound like an insurance salesman. It's perhaps one of those issues over which it's all too easy to think like a marketer rather than like a customer.

I think you'll also definitely build bigger lists by asking for the email address only.

I suspect that all my comments above may not apply to the so-called "IM niche", of which I have no experience.

For my lists, I usually only ask for e-mail address. I don't think I would ever use a form field to try and personalize a mass e-mail. That may have worked at one point in time, but the positive effects are probably out-weighed by the potential negative effects.

Being a member of the somewhat "older community" my
thought is every time someone who I know doesn't really
know me insists on addressing me by my first name I'm
instantly suspicious of their motives.

It's phony to me.

Tsnyder

Collecting the name is awesome as you can personalize the emails to fit the specific buyer. It makes them feel more comfortable.

If you don't have their name, by what salutation do you address them when you email them? Hey Buddy/Babe..? Dear Pussyfoot? Dear whateveryouremailhandleis@gmail.com?

How about putting the email field first and putting the first/name field second, making it clear that it's optional? That way I think you could reasonably assume that those who bothered to enter their name would prefer for you to address them by it, and those that didn't... wouldn't.

Is that doable?

Robert

I like getting personalized emails. Seeing my name 'called' at the beginning of the email gets my attention and I read further.

I also like the use of my name judiciously scattered throughout the email. I think it's a nice touch that helps build trust.

Yes, I realize that it is automated and I may be one of 30,000 subscribers. And, I also looked up to the sky the other day when my daughter said, "Look, Mom, gullible is written in the sky!"

Get rid of the name field, it is only killing your optins. This tactic may have worked years ago when it was a novelty but no longer. Once everyone starts doing something, do the opposite.

I don't know about you but I get a ton of spam emails nowadays that include my first name in the subject. And I never ever get an email from a friend or family member that has my name in the subject line - it's just not what someone who knows you well would do.

Which type of relationship are you trying to replicate with your subscribers?

email and first name only, thats the usual trend.

Nothing earth shattering I can add to this but if it aint broke don't fix it. Sounds like you have a great thing going so keep it keep it going. BTW, at minimum I ask for email addy and Fname.

I wouldn't change a squeeze page with > 93% confirmed double-opt-in rates

Yes keep your emails personal, especially given your demographic. The personal touch can directly translate to $$ using Aweber analytics.

I personally prefer to keep my opt in forms to just the email in order to get the maximum number of people subscribing... personalization does help with conversions particularly if done right but I am able to make much more through requiring less information and having a much larger list.

Personally I would feel to stick with what is currently giving you a 93% convertion ratio, then again there are those that claim that just the email address dos boost optins

Why don't you test both theories...you never know.

I think both sides of this argument are right... but for perhaps wrong reasons.
Bare with me here...

I totally agree that adding my name to email broadcasts, to me instantly shows someone is perhaps trying to sell me something. Ok, i know i signed up to the list, but i rarely read the rest of the headline. I know that is personal...

On the flip side, asking for names has a real big advantage, even if you NEVER use it in your marketing emails...

Think back to the Obama election campaign. This has been one of the largest studies in marketing due to some interesting tactics used. Obama build his huge following based on promised from customers.
What they did is to print cards... which every supporter signed at their rallies. These cards sealed the supporters declaration to vote in Obama's favour. This is how:

They found, that by asking the voter to print their name on the pledge, and then to sign to say they had read and committed to the pledge to vote... that 90% of those who signed the cards followed up and gave Obama his victory.

Ok, let me bring it back to Internet Marketing...

Surely we can take the lesson here. By asking them to stamp their name on the option form, it is a psychological form of commitment. To make that commitment even stronger, then perhaps we should add a checkbox too that is accompanies that something that reads 'I agree to reading this newsletter and using it's content to increase my business success'. (I'm currently trailing this, but due to the nature of my product, I already have a 90% open rate).

If the aim of mailing lists, is to create ACTIVE lists and not just collect numbers.... then it's time the industry started to also think about commitment rather then simply option rates or list sizes....

I hope I made this point clear enough to be understood.

Going for a personal approach then obviously capture their first name. Did you do some tests? How many clicks did you get with using their name, and how many without?

I'd be more inclined to collect names outside of the IM niche as they are not aware of using name tags to personalize emails.

But in the IM niche I think it's a waste of time as people are wise to putting name tags to personalize emails.

However if you're main concern is getting more optins, then NOT collecting names should higher your optin rate.

But as always, never take my word for it... Split-test.

Hope this helps.

James Scholes

I personally prefer to personalise my emails and I think you should too.

This will make you more close to your list and this will make your conversions higher.

It depends. If you're offering some really crappy products (hyped) in reutn people will have trouble even with giving out their email.

I personally get the same opt-in rate if I use both name and email.