The Secrets of Successful Email Marketing With List Purchasing

by Gregg Crystal Aug 13, 2014

Working Hard-8Building a list of attentive, loyal followers is one way to access a goldmine of sales prospects.

But what if you don't have a list? What if you don't have the time to build one before you need to make sales? 

A simple solution to your problem might be purchasing a list.

While this may be frowned upon for some reasons, it is a common practice in marketing that has led businesses to sales for decades, and is still highly effective today. 

The secret to buying a list is to get it from a reputable source. This of course will come at a cost, and there are guidelines you should keep in mind, so let's take a look at some of these. 

Here are the steps to follow to make email marketing to a purchased list successful:

  • Target who you want to talk to - company size, job titles, what software programs do they use?
  • Know their pain - this is not as simple as knowing a business to business company needs to make more sales- that is far too generic and untargeted to get results. Instead focus on industry specific needs such as: 
    • Manufacturers - who have sales professionals spending too much time prospecting and not selling
    • Software Company - who have a hard time explaing the benefits of their software to people unfamilliar with the technology 
    • Web marketers - trying to help companies understand the benefits of digital marketing and how they can use it in their business
  • Put together an offer - What do you have to give the people on your purchased list? Put together a giveaway, video or e-course that targets the pain points they need resolved. The email you send should take readers to a landing page.
  • Construct a moving subject - The subject line to your email is very important in how many people from your list will open it. Take the time to offer a benefit and call to action in the subject that is enticing for the industry you've chosen to email. 
  • Try again with a different subject - After your first email, try to send the email again with another subject line, a week or two later. This should entice a different set of readers to open the mail. 
  • Track everything - Most email marketing software, like Marketo and Hubspot will allow you to track every email to see who opens, who clicks and whether or not the visitor fills out the landing page. This could give you the information you need to give someone a call after they've read your giveaway. 
  • Build a list from these emails - The goal with this purchased list should be to get people to opt in to future emails from you, so that you can build a relationship with them and nurture them into sales down the road.
  • Follow up - While it may seem like a silly suggestion, many companies need the reminder to follow up with everyone who does respond to your cold emails. A simple way to do this is to start an automated series of emails, but you can also make a call if they've given their phone numbers. 

Other Points to Remember With List Purchasing:

List purchasing needs to be done with caution and realistic expectations. Here are some other points we'd like you to consider before making a purchase. 

Choose The Company Your Purchase From Carefully- They should be able to offer highly related lists, that are regularly updated and coincide with any SPAM or CASL laws. Getting a referral from another list buyer is suggested. 

Realistic Results- The truth is, your campaigns won't convert on the same level as the email lists you've built. They may provide leads and sales but the percentage of open rates, click through rates and conversions will be very low. 

Email Marketing Software- Many popular email marketing softwares won't allow you to upload a purchased list as there are more complaints of spam on their server. You need to check with the list provider to see if they recommend a software, or start checking with the software you already use to see if it is compatible. 

Summary

List building is a definite time investment every business should make but, when you need sales right away list purchasing could be a quicker solution. If you decide to buy a list, take the time to follow these steps and tips carefully, they all contribute to successful campaigns and a chance at more sales for your company. 

Need Help?

We've helped multiple companies put together successful email marketing campaigns with purchased lists, if you've got a question- list it below or give us a call today to see how we can help. 

What's Next?

Read our post on how to import a list to Marketo!

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