Despite claims of email being a dead channel, email marketing is still a hugely effective way of winning new customers and maintaining those relationships with existing ones. This is why you need a well planned email marketing strategy. But one of the problems for growing businesses is that they don’t have a database of email contacts…
One solution to this problem is to buy a mailing list. These are usually created by data companies, who buy these databases from other businesses. If you’ve ever bought a product online, it’s likely that you’ve had to check on un-check a tickbox indicating whether or not you want to sign up to communications from the business you’re purchasing from, as well as allowing your contact information to be used by third-party affiliated businesses. This is how data companies source your details. But there are a number of problems with buying mailing lists of this sort.
People haven’t opted in
Spam is defined as unsolicited mass email. People, understandably, don’t want their inboxes filled with emails that they haven’t signed up to. Emailing people who haven’t opted in is also extremely ineffective; it’s likely your email will simply go unopened and be deleted.
The list might not be clean
There’s never a guarantee that the list you buy contains active email addresses. People open and close email accounts and move from companies, leaving their inboxes unchecked and dormant. Databases might also contain numerous generic “sales@domain” and info@domain”. These types of addresses may not be checked on a regular basis, and emails to them may not reach the decision makers you’re attempting to target.
The list might not be relevant
As well as containing dormant or generic addresses, a bought list may not be relevant. Do you know who the people actually are in the database you’re buying? They may only be interested in specific products and services, they may not fit your demographic, or they may not be based near your business. Emailing 100 potential customers who have already indicated a preference for your services I far better than mass emailing 1000 contacts who may not be part of your target audience.
Email marketing software might reject it
Based on some of the above reasons, most email marketing platforms – like Mailchimp or Constant Contact – don’t allow you to upload bought lists. Even if they are initially verified, if your emails have very low open rates or a large quantity bounce, you’ll find that the platform will put restrictions on your account. Ultimately, this could lead to your account bring closed.
These are just some of the reasons we advise against purchasing mailing lists. We can help you to grow your list organically instead. Find out more about our cost-effective email marketing services.
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