How do we motivate people to opt-in? – Part two

An emergency notification system alerts citizens about power outages, severe weather events, and much more. Therefore, it is worthwhile to consider every possible opportunity to promote the benefits of an opt-in program to ensure all citizens can receive critical information in an emergency.

People must be compelled to opt-in – otherwise, they could miss out on the benefits of your emergency notification system. In my last post, I outlined one program that could motivate people to opt-in. Today, I’ll examine another example of how we can motivate people to sign up for emergency alerts.

Program 2 Outline:

There are several departments that interface with specialty groups. In this case, consider how many people in your community attend and enjoy your local farmers market. A fresh farmers market e-newsletter would be a welcome and appropriate email to receive if it outlines current seasonal offerings, vendor types, off-schedule closures, or other important information.

Provide a place on your opt-in page for citizens to “select” the e-newsletter as a communication they want to receive. The farmers market coordinator gets a powerful tool at no cost, promotes your opt-in program on the street every week to all of their customers, and you, in turn, get a surge in opt-in traffic.

In the scenario above, you are in a win/win/win situation. If you have a notification system that allows you to customize your notification types with the ability to easily target those asking for specific communications, you are right in line for this type of public/private support partnership. If your system can’t do custom opt-in categories … dump it.

Move into the now of notification – after all, it isn’t 2005 anymore. Go, promote your system, drive your opt-in program, protect your citizens, and communicate with them in a way they want.