SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Opt In Email
Where Do I Get Great Opt-in Email Leads?
As you start your email marketing campaign
have you considered purchasing leads from a third party?
Have you taken the time to weigh the pros and cons of doing
so? Is it better to create your own leads over time as opposed
to purchasing 500,000 or more at one time? How can you be
sure that leads you purchase were not acquired unethically?
Are there are other methods of acquiring opt-in leads that
solely from third parties?
You
can find hundreds of services that offer thousands of
leads. It is your obligation to decide if the leads, you
buy, are of actual addresses of consumers who have a history
of purchasing on the Internet. There are software programs
that will furnish you with thousands of email addresses of
individuals who have never took part in Internet shopping
and companies find their addresses by means less than ethical.
It is crucial to know where your leads come from.
Many
companies use opt-in techniques to guarantee the names
you are receiving want to hear from you about your product
and/or services. Keep in mind that you are ultimately responsible
for your leads whether you accumulate them by your own means
or purchase leads through another source. If that source
turns out to be unethical and you contact individuals who
never gave their permission, liability for violating Spam
regulations falls upon you. An additional possibility with
lists gathered unethically is that those who receive your
emails may already have filters in place that repeatedly
bounce email or delete it on sight. That is bad enough but
if they start complaining to your Internet Service Provider
(ISP), it is possible that your email account is down and
your domain name removed from the Internet.
An additional consideration when determining to purchase
opt-in leads from an outside provider is the cost. You can
pay a low cost for thousands of leads or pay per email address
and receive a highly targeted list. It is important in deciding
the best route to take. The thought of spending a small amount
of money for thousands of leads may sound attractive but
do remember you get what you pay for. So, if the company
is providing this service do not be surprised if many of
your leads never gave their permission to receive your information
(or anyone else for that matter). If you determine to pay
per email, that could be pricey if you are looking to build
a large email marketing list.
There are numerous ways to multiply your opt-in lists and
you do not have to spend many resources upfront. These methods
will also yield leads quickly. You want to begin by classify
all facets of exposure for your product and/or information.
Then decide which area of exposure will be most effective
in helping to obtain the information that will bring about
a gratifying dialogue. You want to search websites, which
can be a significant Internet marketing tool for gathering
data and providing needed information. Look into print ads,
radio, and other forms of non-web based media to gather the
information you are seeking. Take into account a point-of-sale
approach. You can set up a signup form at places of business
where the cash transactions take place, or any other high
traffic area. Another great place to gather prospective lead
information is at trade shows and/or conferences where you
can place a signup sheet or even a laptop (stay around if
you use this method) so that people can register. This gives
you an opportunity to talk with them and find out what their
interests are.
Publicizing
with email newsletters or E-zine is a powerful
Internet marketing tool that reaches a large audience for
a low cost and can increase your opt-in leads. To achieve
the maximum amount of people on your list you want to create
your E-zine in “text-only” format. This will make certain
that your audience will read the information you have sent
to them in the format you started with. Do not be concerned
about all the bells and whistles that you could add, you
want maximum exposure for little cost and this is the way
to accomplish that.
There are many different avenues available to gather opt-in
leads so try different methods until you find one that works
for you.
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