Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Best Way To Build My Email List

Posted by wendy on 8/3/2009 at 12:15 PM ET 125 Points
I have been using a list of about 5,000 to emarket my business. I'd like to increase my list to 10-15k. Are there services to buy lists from? What is the best way to build a good, qualified list?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 8/3/2009 at 12:20 PM Member
    If you buy a list, you normally would only get use of that list once. You could perhaps do this an send something and ask for people to then subscribe to your list, but likely won't be that effective. Plus, buying qualified lists is difficult.

    Best is to use internal methods. Provide something of value (white papers, articles, etc.) that people can get, and capture emails as part of them getting the doc.

    Make sure you allow for opt outs and follow any local regulations regarding e-marketing.
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 8/3/2009 at 12:28 PM Member
    Regrettably, Peter, you *can* buy lists and then own them for repeat use.

    I call that regrettable because these lists are of poor quality. They certainly are not permission based, and the data is often out of date. You're going to get a lot of complaints, bounces, and removes when you use such a list.

    You have to figure, if the list had any real value, it would be rented not sold. If it's being sold once, it's being sold a hundred times, which means it's getting a ton of junk each day.

  • Posted on 8/3/2009 at 12:29 PM Member
    You can rent a list, but keep in mind that good email lists are expensive. You're better off building the list yourself.

    Here are seven strategies you can use to build your email list.

    1) Encourage people already on the list to pass on your information to friends and colleagues. Depending on what you're selling, this might be friend bring a friend discount offer, or extra bonuses for multiple sign-ups.

    2) Participate (in a nice, non spammy way) on blogs in your industry. Offer helpful advice and answer questions. If allowed, ad a link to your site (and your signup page).

    3) Offer an ethical bribe on your site in return for sign up. The ethical bribe is a free white paper, report, worksheets, calculators, something of value that people will want.

    4) Postcard marketing to generate leads (and send people to that bribe in item #3).

    5) Affiliate deals with other marketers

    6) Loss leaders to get names (write a report, offer a large commission to someone with a big list to promote it for you).

    7) Guest post on other blogs (include a link to your site at the end of the post).

    Jodi


  • Posted on 8/3/2009 at 1:00 PM Member
    The only way to get a decent list is to develop it yourself.

    Twitter can be a great way to do this, you set up an account, search and make friends with as many people as possible that my have an intrest in your services.

    Over time, or with the help of a friend or two, you can generate thousands of followers,its really quite simple.

    You can PM the followers, or tweet them from time to time, offer something really juicy if they enter their email address in your website or blog, and bingo, you have a permission based email list.
  • Posted on 8/3/2009 at 1:10 PM Member
    These responses chime with an issue we have - which is that some managers in the company think that data is no good unless we own it. So my strategy of mailing via opt in newsletters in industries we sell to has been rejected in favour of a 'buy data' strategy. This then puts the onus on us to maintain and excite that audience on our own instead of sharing that load - and the content creation task it brings with it - with others in relevant industries. As a very small co this will be a big overhead for us. I'll certainly be sharing these responses to persaude them!
  • Posted by michael on 8/3/2009 at 1:57 PM Member
    Wendy,

    Depending on how good your current list is, you can do a "refer a friend" campaign. Those tend to work well....and you can have them opt in when they respond.

    Michael
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/3/2009 at 6:18 PM Member
    While you may want another 5-10k names in your list, what you really want are names of people who are likely to want, need, and trust your solution to their problems. The best lists are those that are up-to-date and contain people who have purchased similar products to yours recently.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 8/3/2009 at 8:13 PM Accepted
    Dear Wendy,

    Your list of about 5,000 people? Where did it come from? You're using it to do e-mail marketing for your business? What business?

    You want to add between 5,000 and 10,000 new names? Hmm.

    What you DO NOT DO is buy a list. That is, not unless it's a list that's a list of people who are pre-qualified, people who already want what it is you're selling.

    Buying any old list and firing off e-mails hither and yon is the shotgun approach to marketing. It happens every day and in every niche and it's THIS reason more than any other why so many business owners bitch, moan, and whine that direct mail doesn't work.

    What you need is the sniper approach. A bought list isn't really going to give you the rifled precision you need. So, what's the
    best way to build a good, qualified list?

    You exchange money for one (targeted, pre-sold, eager to buy your thingy, widget, or dodad). Or you trade; you joint venture with someone by forming a relationship with them. You don't just ask someone out o the blue to fire your offer out to their list, you create rapport, offer value, or create an equal trade. OR, you offer a commission, a split of the profits. Offer 100 percent if you have to, but make the joint venture worth the while of the person you are working with.

    What's that you say? Where's the sense in offering 100 percent of the revenue to send YOUR e-mail out to someone else's list?

    Here:

    The up front money isn't the point; that's your thank you to the holder of the quality list for having been given access to his or her list. It's a necessary cost of doing business.

    But the true value for you will be not in your initial loss (although yes, it might be hard to accept such a hit but the TRUE mindset is about seeing this not as a cost, but as an INVESTMENT).

    This investment is the creation of a lasting relationship with the people on the list.

    Good lord! Did a light bulb just come on?

    After the initial investment, you recoup loss (such as it might be) through up sells, and other offers you'll market to the people that have response to your offer, even though the original message went out to someone else's list.

    When those people on that list respond to YOUR offer, THAT'S where your profit lies. Offer 100 percent and YOU profit from the back end side things. Or you do if you do it properly.

    The other way is to build your own list by offering great things that people want. The more the value inherent in the thing you offer, the more inclined people will be to sign up with you.

    You must DELIGHT, THRILL, INSPIRE, AND ENTHUSE people. Your offer must be GOLD, SILVER, DIAMONDS, and all that glisters. Your offer must be a tall drink of ice cold lemonade in the shade on a baking hot day.

    Make your offer shine. Make people WANT it, make them BELIEVE they cannot live without it, and your list will grow.

    I hope this helps.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
  • Posted on 8/4/2009 at 1:33 AM Member
    You can also try to do online survey to collect names and emails. It is also a good way to know your potential clients' thought.
    Anyway, the fastest way is to buy lists.
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