Yes. We do not allow any email communications through Digital Direct that do not comply with the CAN-SPAM act.

We don’t actually get the emails from the social media services. Digital Direct uses the publicly available API of the social media services to access an individual's unique social media ID. We then cross-reference the social media ID’s against our database to find the individual's email addresses and opt-in information. Only people with a verified opt-in will become part of your Digital Direct account database.

Generally, when building a database via social media, you will be able to get deliverable emails for 30-40% of the target. All of these contacts will have previously given opt-in permission for 3rd parties to send emails to them.

This covers the programming and data costs for building your custom database, performing inbox verification and delivery scrubs on your list, creation of your custom responsive email template/landing page and the set-up of your initial drip campaigns.

There’s a lot that goes into building your database and setting up your email campaigns. Here is a general summary of the process:

Digital Direct uses a network of publishers to expand our opt-in database. If we don’t have the opt-in directly, we compensate the publisher who does, in order to use it for our client. Each person in your database will have previously confirmed by checking a box that they want to receive content from 3rd parties.

The Digital Direct service is, in part, an email service provider (ESP) allowing all emails to be sent via your Digital Direct account. The branding on the email will be all yours, so to the recipient it wil appear as it is coming directly from you.

Because emails are being sent exclusively from Digital Direct lists and email sending service, all complaints are handled by Digital Direct staff who provide the appropriate opt-in data to inquiring Internet Service Providers (ISP).

When a reader opts-out the system disables email sending capabilities to that address. At the end of each month all opt-outs are replenished with new names, as part of the monthly subscription.

Digital Direct owns the database and leases it out for a flat monthly subscription price. Ownership transfers from Digital Direct for any contact that opts-in and may be downloaded and added to the clients in-house database.

Clients have the option to export all opt-ins to their own “house” database or continue to mail to them inside of Digital Direct. At the end of each month all exported opt-ins are replenished with new names, as part of the monthly subscription.

Email deliverability is primarily based on the brand reputation of the sender. When a new Digital Direct client account is opened, the IP addresses are clean, but neutral. First we scrub each database to make sure that the emails are active and deliverable. Then Digital Direct has a built-in 30 day process for systematically “warming up” your brand reputation which involves staggering out the delivery of email communications over a period of time. As your brand reputation builds, we reduce the throttling of the email sending.

On a day-to-day basis, you will have an account manager who will do most of the “heavy lifting” for you. This includes sending your emails, setting up your campaigns, providing you with export links and reports. Your primary “work” is pasting the content of your emails into the custom template we’ll create for you and telling your account manager when you’d like the emails to be distributed.

Digital Direct offers the ability for you to send a highly targeted, real-time emails to a person who uses a certain phrase or keyword in a social media post or takes a specific social media action (i.e. “liking” a Facebook post/group).

You can email each client up to once per day.

Digital Direct is 100% web based, meaning you can access it anywhere and there’s no software to install on your computer.

Inside the support area of your account is an email ticketing system. You just write us a note saying you want to cancel and that’s all there is to it.

If you need any help setting up your account or have any questions about using Digital Direct, our account representatives are ready to help you. Support is free, so don’t be shy – give us a call at: 888-416-2443.

Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

Results vary based on factors ranging from product, campaign, frequency, email subject and others. Non-readers typically open communications in a range of 1-3%. Those that have previously opened your communications open subsequent emails 20-50% of the time.

It's fair to expect a blended response of 3-5% once your reader file gets built up. Also, keep in mind that we send you all the good opt-in names and take them out of our list. We get a high % of conversion which is why your campaign's focus needs to be on sign-ups, not on opens, because of the fact we're regularly taking out the good names and bringing in brand new prospects.

The data we can obtain on prospects via social media is based on 3 factors: 1) what the social media service allows us access to; 2) what data the user has input into their account; and 3) the users privacy settings.

At minimum we will have their email address. At maximum we will have email, first name and last name. You can always capture additional data via the opt-in form when prospects engage with your emails.

Digital Direct has a "throttling" process on emails being sent that is engineered for creating maximum deliverability. When you begin, your account has zero email reputation. Our job is to, as quickly as possible, create a positive reputation so you have a direct communications channel to get your emails to your prospects. That's what the throttling drip process is designed to accomplish. Here's how it works:

Whenever you send to a "new" email, that hasn't been sent before, we spread out those emails over a 7 day period.

Then, after the first email is sent, those recipients get sorted into two "buckets": 1) Readers; 2) Non-Readers.

When your subsequent emails get sent out, the "Non-Reader" file gets throttled over a 24 hour period. The "Reader" file gets sent immediately.

The good news about this approach is it works.

The downside is you don't have exact precision as to when emails are sent, except for the reader file, which doesn't have any throttles placed on it.