Life is met with little annoyances that are sometimes unavoidable. From loud cell phone talkers to the person who just can’t seem to land within the lines and takes up two precious parking spots, we all regularly encounter pet peeves that are out of our control.

That being the case, we should better understand the benefit of lessening annoyances that are within our control—including email marketing efforts aimed at healthcare professionals.

The Power of the Opt-In

When you send a physician an email, can you say with certainty she wants to hear from you?

When you send a physician an email, can you say with certainty she wants to hear from you? Many healthcare marketers cannot, because they’re using an email database that was manufactured or assembled using illegal means such as scraping. Those physicians did not raise their hand and declare, “Yes! I would like to receive information from you.” They were not even given the chance.

As a result, your messages come to them unexpectedly—similar to those telemarketing calls that seem to happen right in the middle of dinner. Annoying? Yes. A repeated attempt to engage physicians in this way may very well end in you alienating them completely. Even worse, you put yourself at risk for noncompliance with CAN-SPAM laws and other data privacy regulations such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

If all of that wasn’t reason enough to consider verifying your list’s quality, a database containing physicians who have not opted in likely provides only a bare-bones profile (e.g. name, email address). So, even if physicians are initially receptive to your communications, they soon lose interest because you don’t have the kind of data points that allow for segmentation, targeting, and personalization.

Settle for Nothing Less Than First-Party Sourced

A repeated attempt to engage physicians in this way may very well end in you alienating them completely

To retain healthcare providers’ trust in your brand and keep those lines of communication open, you need to use an email list that has been first-party sourced—where healthcare providers have directly and voluntarily provided their information.

There’s no reason to waste time, money, and resources emailing healthcare providers who don’t want to hear from you. The video below explains why email opt-ins are essential for successful healthcare marketing and how to ensure your list includes only providers who are invested in your brand.