Renting an email list is a widely-utilized marketing practice that can result in a great ROI if you know what you are doing and what you are looking for. You can gain access to thousands of new businesses and customers by promoting your business using email marketing. Your business probably has its own customer email list already, but if you are looking to expand your audience and reach new prospects, email lists are a great next step. In today’s blog post, we are going to go over the basics you should know about when renting an email list.
Email list rental is often viewed suspiciously in the marketing community, largely due to the practices of illegitimate list providers. It is true that there are some scam list providers out there, and we don’t like them any more than you do – after all, they give our industry a bad name! However, contrary to popular belief, it is also true that you can find responsive, clean, and opted-in email lists that will benefit your business. Having a good email list is one of the most important parts of a successful email marketing campaign. If you are getting stuck in spam filters or are simply not reaching the right people, you are not going to succeed. A good list company will provide you with email list recommendations that match your specific needs, audience, and goals. When renting an email list, make sure to ask:
What are the sources for the list?
How often is the list cleaned?
How can they ensure the emails are CAN-SPAM compliant?
Who else has rented email lists from them with results?
How long has the list company been around?
Never rent a list from a website or an unknown third party. These lists are usually out-of-date, not opted-in or CAN-SPAM compliant, and bad quality in general. Not only will these lists not give you the results you are looking for, they may hurt your business by giving you a bad reputation as a spammer. Look for list companies with good reviews and testimonials. Check them out on the Better Business Bureau website. If the list deal seems too good to be true, it most likely is. A good email list takes time and effort to compile, so expect to pay a little bit more for a quality, opted-in list. The great response rates you see after the campaign will more than make up for the difference.
Renting an email list generally enables you to broadcast a single email marketing campaign. If you are renting an email list and using the email broadcasting provider to blast email campaigns for you, you never have to worry about your email list being out of date, as the provider should put a new list together right before each campaign deploys. If you are only renting an email list without extra email campaign services, the list will usually only be licensed for one-time use. These email lists are “seeded”, which allows the list company to ensure that the renter does not use the email list more than once. Email lists, (and marketing lists in general), grow out-of-date very quickly, which means that using the same email list multiple times is usually a bad idea anyway. This way, you can be sure that you are renting an email list that is fresh.
In terms of the success of your email campaign, list selection is tremendously important. Be as specific as possible about the list you want. A good email list company should have the ability to create targeted email lists based on the specific market and audience you want to target. You will probably provide them with the details necessary to make this happen, but email list experts should be able to help you brainstorm, and maybe even identify some opportunities that you hadn’t thought of before.
Marketers and email list renters should be careful and look for reputable companies that specialize in opt-in email lists compiled from respectable and identifiable sources. Renting a legitimate email list can provide a great opportunity to expand your business and spread brand awareness. If you are thinking about renting an email list, feel free to call US Data Corporation at 888-578-3282 for your email list solutions!