Large email providers (such as Gmail, Yahoo, and more) have some specific rules around how "marketing messages" are handled. Notably, recipients must be given the option to opt out of receiving them.

In order to comply with these rules and protect your ability to keep sending marketing messages, Cliniko has specific settings that will allow your patients to consent to messages (or opt out, if they don't want to receive the emails).

When it comes to Cliniko, the bulk email feature is an example of a marketing message. You might use that feature to send an email to a group of patients, and the email might be a clinic newsletter, offering a discount, sharing a specific update, or something else.

To ensure that everything is up to standard with all the rules set by the email providers, Cliniko has included the following features in your account:

We'll go through each of these below.

If you're sending a bulk email to your patients, you'll notice that you can select whether or not it's a marketing message. There will be a checkbox that says This is a marketing message, and if selected, the email will not go to patients who have opted out of email marketing. Here's what that looks like when you're creating a bulk email:

When previewing the message, you'll notice an unsubscribe link at the bottom:

If a patient opts to unsubscribe from this email, it means they will not get marketing emails in the future, and the preferences in their profile will have "None" next to "Marketing messages":

When making an online booking, any patient can choose whether or not to opt into marketing messages. When adding their contact details and finalising their booking, they'll see a check box that lets them consent to receiving these types of emails:

If the patient checks the box, their individual preferences will indicate email as their choice of marketing message:

If they don't tick the box, then it would just say "None", and they will not receive marketing emails.

A patient may want to opt out of marketing messages, and if they don't do it by selecting the unsubscribe link in an email they receive, it's possible that they might ask you to change it for them. You can do this by editing their patient details and unticking boxes under Marketing messages:

Conversely, if a patient has unsubscribed by accident and wants to be added to the list again, you can tick the appropriate box and they will then get future marketing messages.

As a reminder, marketing messages are not the same as appointment confirmation emails or reminders! If you have any questions on any of this, our support team can definitely help out!