Act-On's Subscription Management allows you to create categories for sending out email messages. Categories provide your contacts more control over their contact preferences. They are less likely to opt-out if they can choose what messages they receive. Read on to learn how to use this feature.
Prerequisites
- Your account must have the Subscription Management feature. To confirm, go to Contacts > Subscription Management
- If this option is not available, contact Support to enable the feature.
- Defined Subscription Categories that your contacts can subscribe to. These define the subject matter of the content in your marketing emails. Best practices include topics like:
- Newsletters
- Promotions and Offers
- Product updates
Instructions
The Subscription Management configuration page allows you to toggle this feature on and off. You can customize your categories and appearance while still keeping the on/off switch in the off position. This allows you to completely configure everything prior to using the page.
Customize Page Styling
At the top of the Subscription Management page, there are four drop-down menus. Use these to style the page.
Options include:
- Custom Stationery to update the page styling
- Use a Company Logo (upload to Content > Branding > Logos)
- Choose a default font and font size for paragraph text
Customize the Page Content
There are several place with generic text that you can customize.
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Page Introduction Use the Rich Text Editor to update the page introduction to match your company's voice and style. |
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Opt-Out Introduction Describe the impact of checking the opt-out box. This box functions as a re-subscribe when the contact de-selects the box and submits the form. |
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Opt-Out Option This displays next to the checkbox for opting out. |
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Page Footer Use the Rich Text Editor to update the page footer as needed. |
Add Subscription Categories
Add a Name and Description for each category.
To check a category by default when the form loads, check the box next to it.
Additional Settings
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Response Format This allows your contacts to control whether they receive a Plain Text or HTML version of your messages. By default, Act-On sends both versions and most mail providers will display the HTML version. |
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Settings and Opt-Out Response Type This controls the page behavior with a contact makes their selection and clicks Update Settings button. We provide two separate options so you can customize messaging for contacts who are subscribing to categories and for those contacts who are opting out. Options include:
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Preview and Enable the Page
Once you have finished customizing, click Preview at the top right corner to view the page.
When you are done, click the toggle to turn on the feature: 
Next Steps
Update your Email Footers
Now that you have enabled Subscription Management, you will need to distribute the preferences form. The best place to do this is in your Email Footer. Act-On provides three different options to customize your Email Footer links when using Subscription Management. See our article here for more information on each of these links and how to use them: How to Add an Opt-Out Link.
Send Messages to Each Category
Once you have contacts who have subscribed to your categories, you can send email messages based on subscriptions. See Using Subscription Management in Emails for more information.
Comments
2 comments
How can I brand the Subscription Management page? The Subscription Categories, Complete Opt-out Introduction, and Complete Opt-Out Option don't offer any formatting options.
Also, we work in both English and French. Is there an option to have a second subscription management page instead of requiring both languages on the same page?
Hi Randi - There isn't a way to update the formatting for the standard subscription management, but it is possible to build your own page/form that is fully customizable and pushes to the regular opt-out list. We definitely have had customers implement this to get support in multiple languages.
Here's a guide that explains how that would work. Hope that helps!
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