Email marketing can be a very effective way of reaching new customers and communicating with existing customers. Developing an organic list of interested and loyal subscribers is optimal in theory. But how do you start building that list in the first place? Especially if you are a relatively new business or are branching into new product or service areas, you may benefit from purchasing an email list. Even if you have been in business for a long time, with a solid customer base, it’s always a good idea to pursue new clientele. But how do you find the best email marketing lists? How do you manage to avoid the inferior lists full of junk emails that bounce back, unopened, or generic email addresses that lie dormant in an overflowing inbox, never to be opened or read?
Is There Really Such a Thing as a Bad List?
When it comes to purchasing the best email marketing lists for your business, it’s important to purchase your list from a company with experience and history in providing reputable information. The last thing you want is to spend valuable working capital on an email marketing list only to find that a large percentage of the email addresses are junk or go to a general, non-responsive, inbox. Even worse, you don’t want to risk the chance that your email service provider may suspend your account or implement some other type of consequences, as a result of emailing people who were haphazardly thrown on a list they never should have been on in the first place.
So, how do you embrace the opportunities that email marketing presents while ensuring your money is well spent? Fortunately, there are some things you can do to ensure you’re purchasing the best email marketing lists for your business.
Tips for Purchasing a Quality Email List
-
Speak to a live person:
It’s important to make sure you have access to a live person at the company you are purchasing from. You will most likely have many questions about purchasing and using your list, ranging from how to properly target your demographic to how to open and use the file the company sends to you. The last thing you want is to have questions or issues, but only have an email address for your contact.
-
Insist on specific email addresses:
When searching for the company that will provide the best email lists, make sure to choose one that offers a high percentage of direct email addresses. Emails that are addressed to a generic account, such as info@yourbusiness.com are not as likely to be opened as an email to an actual name. Of course, you will probably get at least some generic email addresses with most lists. However, they should not constitute a high percentage of the list.
-
A high delivery rate percentage:
When comparing companies, look for the one that guarantees the highest delivery rate. This is extremely important. If your email blast has a high percentage of non-deliverable addresses, then there is a high likelihood that you will be recognized by email providers as a “spammer” and your good, deliverable, emails will also be sent to the recipients spam folder.
-
Look for a money back guarantee:
Choose a company that offers a guarantee to back up the quality of their email list. Don’t accept an offer of additional “free” email addresses if the initial batch doesn’t pan out. Chances are, you’ll be stuck with the same results. Instead, go with a company that backs their product with a money back guarantee. Chances are, if they’re willing to do that, then they’re probably putting in the hard work up front to make sure they are providing the best email marketing lists possible.
-
Your time is valuable:
There are a lot of cheap mailing lists available on the market. They might be a tempting purchase, especially if you get thousands of addresses for a relatively minuscule price. However, chances are you will be spending a lot of time “cleaning up” the list, culling bad addresses and possibly risking negative consequences from your email provider as a result. Don’t discount another company simply because their cost for the list might be a little higher. Investigate each option before making a decision. Determine why one company charges more or less than the other. Use use that information to decide which one best meets your needs.
-
Make sure to target effectively:
Spend some time up front on identifying your particular target market. The more specific you can get, the more likely you are to purchase a list that works for your needs. Find a company that is willing to work with you, using their experience and expertise to help you nail down the demographics and characteristics that will help them create the best email marketing lists for your business.
-
Request the full name and mailing address when possible:
Be sure to request the full name of the email recipients on your list whenever possible. This helps to ensure that you are not sending multiple emails to the same person with different addresses. It’s also important to obtain the physical mailing address if you can. If, for example, you send emails to households, rather than businesses, it might be helpful to know if your campaigns are sent to various members of the same household. For instance, you might be trying to target moms, but your emails are being sent to teenagers as well.
The Best Email Marketing Lists are Just a Phone Call Away
A good email marketing list can really help your business to thrive. If properly designed and implemented, it can help you reach new target customers. Those customers then have the potential to become loyal fans and purchasers of your product or service. If you’d like to work with a solid company that provides quality lists, please contact Datamasters today. We will deliver an actionable list that will make the best of your valuable time and resources.
