Myths abound everywhere when it comes to the subject of email list rentals. Sadly enough, the sexiness of email marketing has given rise to a slew of disreputable companies that do a good job of looking reliable until the results come in. This has caused great confusion about who you can trust, as well as spawned innumerable questions about the overall legitimacy of email list rentals. In this article I hope to set the record straight and help you separate email facts from email fiction.
One of the most common misconceptions we hear in the data industry is that purchasing an email list and renting one are the same thing. They are not! Email list rental is a legitimate and effective marketing practice; however, if a company is offering to sell you an email list outright, you would be wise to stay far, far away. A company that owns a true, opted-in, and responsive list does not willingly sell it outright. Their business depends on the accuracy and viability of these lists. They have made a significant investment in its collection, hygiene, and responsiveness, and the people on their list have opted in to them specifically, not some unknown third party. This is your first red flag! If you can purchase an email list outright, this is probably an indication that the list is of poor quality, out-of-date, and not opted-in. This also means that they are renouncing any responsibility, either for the quality of the list or for any negative consequences of your business using that list incorrectly. Legitimate list companies simply do not engage in this practice.
When it comes to email list rental, the single most important thing you can do is make sure you are working with a legitimate list company. Obviously, if a company offers to sell you their list, run away as fast as you can. However, some other questions you should ask are: What is the source of the email list? How do they ensure CAN-SPAM compliancy? How long have they been in business? Look for testimonials to ensure that other clients have had success with their services. Check their Better Business Bureau rating.
It is also worth noting that you should be wary of any email list whose price seems too good to be true. Compiling quality opted-in email addresses takes time and resources, and if the price doesn’t reflect that fact, then you will feel its effects in the poor quality of the list.
How does email list rental work at US Data Corporation? We usually send out the broadcast on your behalf. This both allows us to suppress unsubscribers from the list, and enables us to ensure that every email marketing campaign sent with our services is 100% CAN-SPAM compliant. This also protects your business from the possibility of having your ISP blacklist you and your website. It also gives you a better chance of getting through spam filters, since you will be using our whitelisted ISP. Once we broadcast to your email list, you will have the additional option of purchasing the email addresses that click through to your offer, which you can then use for your own remarketing purposes.
Email list rental truly does have a legitimate place in the marketing world, and anyone who unequivocally warns against them probably just fell into the hands of a disreputable company. As long as you are careful about who you rent your email lists from, you have nothing to worry about and only new customers to gain. Feel free to call US Data Corporation at (888) 578-3282 to discuss email list solutions for your business.