Question

Topic: Strategy

Has Anyone Used Dunhill For Lists Before???

Posted by Anonymous on 3/9/2010 at 9:25 PM ET 50 Points
Quick question guys...and gals :)

Wasn't sure what category to post this under & didn't want to post in "other", so, apologies if this is under the wrong place.

I normally use InfoUSA for my telemarketing lists. They are pretty good, but, nothing to rave about. I came across Dunhill's website & have heard of them a lot over the years. Has anyone rented/purchased lists from this outfit before? This would be for telephone leads.

Follow-up question: I was considering getting an email list as well for direct mail purposes (this company handles email lists too), but, have read many posts that say DO NOT purchase email lists. However, since I am a start-up with no list currently in place, what are my other options? As you can tell, I am a total noob when it comes to email marketing. But I am learning. S-L-O-W-L-Y but surely :)

Would I actually lose money on a cold direct "mail" campaign using a rented email list?? Are rented email lists that bad?!?! Thanks for explaining!!!
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  • Posted on 3/9/2010 at 10:48 PM Member
    If you're referring to https://www.dunhills.com then I can say I've known them for many years and have a good reputation in my circles.

    Email lists are rented just like mailing lists. They send out the messages for you to the list. If someone offers you a list where you buy it and take possession of it. That is a big red flag. Stay away from it.

    Here is a good site that is just about using lists that is put out by the NMOA, https://www.listsformarketing.com It's just an industry reference site, you can not get lists from it.

    In most cases you would lose money on outside lists. That's a common part of the business, you buy customers. These customers then buy again.

    You need to guess what the average long term value of a new customer would be over the years. Then you can guess how much it's worth to acquire a news customer using direct mail.

    Contact me through my profile if you need additional help.
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 3/10/2010 at 8:02 AM Accepted
    Phil, assuming that you mean the United States when you say "federal," there's no law against sending unsolicited email, existing relationship or not.

    I remember when CAN-SPAM was first being discussed, the big joke was that it's called "CAN-SPAM" because you "CAN spam."

    Having said that, there are some minor compliance requirements (sender's address, opt-out mechanism, no misleading subject lines, etc.).

    Now, that's not to say that it's usually the best course of action (although I have seen it work really well in the B2B world), for it's not.

    Like all forms of marketing, you have to have some idea as to what your target acquisition cost is, then determine if the proposed marketing channel can actually hit that number.

    More often than not, in the rented email list world, it's difficult to make that happen. Cheap lists sound so promising because they're, well...cheap. But the response is terrible. And expensive lists are often so expensive that it's impossible to hit your target acquisition cost, especially when you consider that you're probably only going to reach that person one time.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 3/10/2010 at 8:04 AM Member
    There is nothing wrong with a rented email list from a legal standpoint. These people just don't send random email addys. To get on their list, you opt in. We do it all the time, we sign for one thing, and there is a 2nd block, saying is it ok to send you info from our partners and some wording on related services? If you check yes, you have opted in to recieve related information. Those are the email addy's they sell. Your email should contain an opt out message. And you may still end in the spam folder. And some services like Constant Contact do not allow you to send with a rented list. So not only do you need a list, but you need to know how to send the info.
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 3/10/2010 at 8:10 AM Member
    I think just to clarify what CB just said...

    If you "rent" a list, you don't do the sending. The company that owns the list will take your creative files and send the message for you. Many times they will ask you for your own suppression/remove list.

    If you "buy" a list, someone hands you a data file, and you do with it whatever you wish. Most email service providers (like Constant Contact) do not permit you to use their system with purchased lists for the very reason that these lists are likely going to generate a lot of bounces, removes, and complaints.

    Some people still sneak these lists into the system, though.

    Oh how I love it when a new client hands me their "customer" file that is chock full of sales@, info@, webmaster@, and nospam@ addressess...the tell-tale sign of a harvested email list.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 3/10/2010 at 9:53 AM Member
    This free webinar just came thru, you may find ihttps://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/webinars/live/details/Building-Better-Lists.jspt useful
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