How to Setup Double Opt-in in Eloqua10
Double Opt-in or Confirmation Opt-In (COI) for our purposes involves having the contact in your
database confirm that they indeed want to receive email communication from you. This is mostly used
for B2C but this is something to consider if you’re targeting the EMEA region or are concerned with
certain anti-spam laws.
This document will take you through creating the forms, emails and programs needed to ensure that
your contacts have a double opt-in. You’ll first create a general form that will be used to send an email
asking for an opt-in confirmation and then you’ll learn how to include this process in your other forms.
We also include some possible email text you can use.
1. Create two new Contact Fields
We called the fields SYS_opt-in and SYS_opt-in Date
It’s recommended to create a new Contact View that includes these new fields. This will allow you to
search for contacts and easily see if they have opted-in and the opt-in date.
2. Create Two Shared Update Rules
Go to: Contacts > Shared Library > Shared Update Rules > New
You can name it Permission Marketing – Opt In. Complete the Update Rules as per below.
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Create a second Update Rule called “Permission Opt-Out” and complete the Update Rule per below
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3. Create Confirmation Opt-in Entry Form
Create a form and call it Double_Opt-IN. This form can be used as part of a campaign to try and
get people to opt-in but is really used behind the scenes and will work in conjunction with your
other forms.
Add the following fields below:
Create the following processing steps:
o This will set the SYS_opt-in to “yes” and apply an opt-in date
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o This will set the SYS_opt-in to “no”
o This will send the Opt-in email to the registrant asking them to opt-in
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o This will send an Opt-in confirmation email if they have opted in
o This will send an Opt-out confirmation email if they have opted out
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o This will globally unsubscribe all contacts (contacts remain unsubscribed until they
subscribe)
o This will globally subscribe the contact if they have opted-in
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o Add in a confirmation page to direct visitors after they have completed the form
4. Create Confirmation Emails
Double opt-in ensures that no email address is valid in Eloqua unless the confirmation email is received
and the registrant clicks on the confirmation link.
Confirmation emails should always allow a person to (a) easily identify the address being subscribed, (b)
link to company and/or affiliates information privacy policy, and (c) a company’s webmaster or privacy
officers’ point of contact.
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You need to create the three emails below. The content can be slightly different but you will need to
have a confirmation link that is highlighted below. You’ll create a “Blind Form Submit” that will make it
easy for email recipients to opt-in.
Examples of Opt-in/Opt-out Confirmation Emails
Opt-in Email (sent when a form is filled out)
Opt-in Confirmation (sent when someone confirms their opt-in)
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Opt Out Confirmation (Sent when someone has opted-out)
5. Setup Blind Form Submit Links
Create these “Blind Form Submissions” for the form you created. See the following article on how to do
this: http://topliners.eloqua.com/community/do_it/blog/2011/02/11/eloqua10-trigger-multiple-
actions-with-an-email-click-through-via-blind-form-submit
The items in red need to be changed depending on what you called your form (the HTML name of the
form) and the name of the opt-in form field.
Here are examples of what this looks like:
Confirm Opt In: now.eloqua.com/e/f2.aspx?elqFormName=doubleOptIN&elqSiteID=siteid&email=EmailAddress&SYS_Opt-in
=yes
Global Unsubscribe: http://now.eloqua.com/e/f2.aspx?elqFormName= doubleOptIN&elqSiteID=siteid&email=EmailAddress&
SYS_Optin=no
Once completed, add these links into the emails as indicated above.
NOTE: Links not working? Make sure ?elqFormName is the HTML Form Name of your double opt-in
form.
6. Integrating This Process With Existing Forms
You will need to create a program in Program Builder that will handle the opt-in/opt-out process and
send the opt-in email.
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Go to Setup > Program Builder and create a new Program. Name it and select “Contacts” as the
default member type.
When you’re done, click on Edit Program Flow and then click below to add the first step of the program.
Create a Start step that has no action and then select “Edit Step Path” as per below.
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We’re now going to check if the contact has opted-in. Choose “Send to a new Decision Rule”
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Choose the “Contact Field Comparison” and select the SYS_Opt-in field and type in “yes”.
Next, we’ll define the “yes” path. Select “Edit Decision Yes Path”
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Choose “Send to a new step” per below.
Choose “Subscribe to Campaign” and select the checkbox per below
Your program should look like this:
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Next add a new step and per below, select the “Remove from Program” step.
Now, go back and select “Edit Decision No Path”
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Choose, send to a new step. Select “Send Batch Email” as the action and choose your “Opt-in”email that
will ask registrants to opt-in.
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Your program should now look like this:
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Continuing on in the No Path, you’ll create a decision rule that will check to see if the email recipient
opted-in. Next, select the “Edit Decision Yes Path” and per below, choose the “Subscribe Contact” step
but also add a retry rule that will check for a week to see if the person has indeed opted in.
For the No Path, send the person to the “Remove from Program” step.
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This is how your final program should look. Activate your program.
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Now, go to the form that you want to add the double opt-in process and add the following processing
steps:
1. Add the “Add to Program” and add the person to the Program you just created
2. Unsubscribe the contact
To add contacts that have opted in to a nurturing program, you can always create a Segment that looks
for contacts that have the SYS_Opt-in field to “yes”. If you have a specific campaign code as part of the
form or upload, you can also use this as part of your Segment criteria that will pull people into a
Campaign.
REMEMBER: You’ve gone through the trouble of implementing a double optin system. When creating a
Segment for a Campaign, be sure to only include contacts that have a “yes” for the SYS_Opt-in field you
created.
TIP: If you’re uploading contacts into Eloqua, consider sending an email asking for double-opt-in.
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