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Market Your Small
Business With E-Mail
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Article 7: Lists: Permission-Based E-Mail
Addresses
One
thing every e-mail requires is an address. If
you don’t have anyone’s e-mail address, you
can’t send any e-mails.
It can take a while to build up a list of people
who have given you permission to send them
e-mail. So how can you use e-mail to promote
your business until then?
In the same way direct marketing companies rent
conventional mailing lists, there are online
companies that provide e-mail lists for a fee.
Find reputable permission-only list brokers by
contacting the Direct Marketing Association or
by searching the Web with the keywords: “opt-in
e-mail” and “list broker.” Look for those that
guarantee their lists are compiled from
recipients that have consented to receive e-mail
solicitations on particular subjects.
Generally, rented lists may be used once. But if
recipients e-mail you back with permission to
continue contacting them, then it should be OK
to add them to your in-house list.
Be cautious. Many sellers, re-sellers and
renters of lists have collected e-mail addresses
without obtaining permission. They use
Web-searching robots that scour the Internet and
copy e-mail addresses off Web sites, from
discussion groups and anywhere they can find
them. Don’t pay for lists acquired that way.
Even if it weren’t wrong, it’s probably not
wise. Most, if not all, of the e-mail addresses
compiled without permission won’t have any
interest in receiving your e-mail. They are
likely to consider it spam.
Marketing common sense tell us that people who
don’t want to hear from you aren’t a good
investment of your time or money. Don’t buy
lists compiled without permission.
Another caution: If you send spam e-mail through
your Internet Service Provider (ISP), you run
the risk of violating your contractual
agreement. Most responsible ISPs discourage or
outlaw spam. Such a violation could result in
your ISP terminating your account.
Play it properly and safe. Make sure e-mail
addresses were acquired legitimately, which is
to say with the owners’ permission or at the
owners’ request.
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