Is it ok to Buy Some Love- Why you Should Never Buy Email Lists or Fans Online?

You can’t buy me love!

It’s tempting. Lots of people do it… but don’t fall for the hype. Buying email lists isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There are listservs selling all types of information about potential “customers” but before you buy, ask yourself, “What do I do with unsolicited emails?” Did you answer delete, filter, flag as spam? I bet you did. No one likes to be “purchased.”

The most valuable, and effective lists are those you’ve created organically. Your clients, customers, prospects have opted in, they drank your kool-aid and WANT to hear from you. Companies farming out email addresses tend to “stretch the truth” when it comes to those contacts opting in. Often these contacts unknowingly subscribed to receive promo emails from ANY customer service provider. Is that the type of customer you want? You may be blasting messages to people who aren’t even the right fit for your business. Trying to start a business relationship by spamming a potential client, might not get you started off on the right foot.

Another danger that comes with buying lists is inappropriate or inaccurate personalization. Most email marketing tools enable you to pop in a custom field. How many times have you seen an email like this… “Hi JESSIKA, I appreciate AWESOME COMPANY’S continued support.” You can pretty much guarantee, any email like this has been mass produced. How many times have you seen an email like this and you have NEVER heard of the sender?? Funny how they know you on a personal basis and are comfortable calling you by your first name!! I know I am instantly put off when I see this type of message. Tailored one-on-one marketing really is a great way to do business, but make sure you aren’t jumping the gun, and you are starting the conversation the right way… by earning trust. Wouldn’t it be weird if a stranger in an elevator called you by your first name? Little off-putting isn’t it. Ditto for email!

Email is often the primary means of communication for a lot of businesses. If you are sending mass emails, sometimes that unintentionally places you on a “blacklist.” Emails are either funneled successfully into an inbox, flagged and filtered into a junk or spam folder or completely blocked by an email provider and not even forwarded to the contact's address. If you are sending a bunch of multiple address emails, that can affect those one-on-one emails you are also sending. A client might miss an invoice, meeting reminder or product or service launch… all because you are now spam. Unspamming your reputation isn’t easy, so make sure you are using mass email marketing sparingly and again, to those who have opted into receiving your messages. The more you bounce the higher your spam rate goes! The more tailored and personalized your email lists are, the less you bounce!

Okay. We know. Building a strong email database of your own takes time and buying lists takes no time at all. Your time certainly is valuable, but so is that of your potential clients and if you are wasting theirs by sending messages they don’t want, or TOO many messages, you will lose them. Here are a couple tips to building a strong list of your own…

• After you’ve made a contact and you’ve built a relationship, add that person to your list.
• Add a “Forward to a Friend” option on your email so your contact can share your message with others THEY feel would benefit from what you are sharing.
• Build opt-in buttons on your social pages and on your website so you can build your lists organically, with people asking specifically to hear from you.
• Add regular clients, customers, co-workers and employees. They find value in your products and services and they’ll find value in your messaging.

One final thought. The email inbox is sacred ground. To ensure your message isn’t being spammed, be thoughtful in your content, be thoughtful in who you are sending messaging to, and keep it lite. Too many emails, emails that are too long or wordy, and messages that are too “sales pitchy” are a sure fire way to get yourself on the blacklist. If you have questions about building your email marketing lists, which email marketing tools to use or making sure your content is valuable and will be read, give us a call. We can sit down with you, work on a game plan and get your emails in front of your target market or ideal buyer persona.

For more information or to schedule a one on one with a NOW team member, click here or call us at 877-380-6698.

References:

https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/8-dangers-of-buying-an-email-list