When founder and CEO of emailbroadcast.com, Ken Mahar, was asked this question – he responded in a YouTube video with a snippet of the famous reaction of Steve Carrell as Michael Scott in which, upon Toby’s return to The Office, was “Nooooooooooooooo!” In it, he outlines reasons why buying e-mail lists – to boost one’s e-mail and digital marketing efforts – can have negative results.
According to Mahar, it’s important to weigh up the ‘upsides’ and ‘downsides’ of this decision. He says that even if there is even the slightest potential of converting audience into customers through this practice there are some cons that does not make it worthwhile.
Buying E-mail marketing lists considerations
Cultural considerations in e-mail marketing
Experts have it on good authority that it’s illegal in certain countries to spread e-mails that are unsolicited and contain content that could be seen as spam. Also, if people on your list mark your weekly newsletter and the likes as ‘spam’, it can have harmful consequences for your business e-mail account as it may mark all outgoing mail as spam – even the ones you send to customers. In many cases buying e-mail lists can cause more harm to an entrepreneur’s brand than good.
However, there are ways to build your digital marketing and social media in a way that nurtures your brand. Pat Flynn from smartpassiveincome.com posted a video in which he shows you exactly what needs to be done to start building a targeted e-mail list from the ground-up. He:
- Explores the biggest mistakes people make when starting e-mail lists,
- Mentions eight types of incentives you can explore to get people to sign up for your list, and
- Lists 10 specific places on your website where an opt-in form could be placed.