As a leading provider of email marketing solutions, AmeriList believes that it is crucial to educate our clients. We realize that not everyone has access to honest and accurate information when it comes to email marketing
Quick and convenient, it's true that thousands of email contacts are just a credit card swipe away. However, when you are purchasing an email list, it is crucial that you go into the process as an informed marketer to avoid misconceptions or misleading information that is circulated by less reputable providers.
By purchasing emails, you can reach a large audience to promote your business, but it is important to understand what comes along with it. Purchasing an email list means buying email addresses that have been compiled through a variety of public and private sources by a list compiler or aggregator, such as AmeriList, Inc. Since these names have not signed up to receive information from a list buyer (in this case, your company), they have not given their permission to receive emails from you or a third party.
Yes, purchasing email lists will give you a range of marketing opportunities, and it can be extremely positive to your lead generation pipeline and your company's bottom line. However, if you are considering purchasing a cold prospect list of email addresses (of companies or individuals) that you want to manage and deploy on your own, you should know the difference between a Permission-Based Opted-In Email List and a Purchased Non-Opted-In Email list, found on the following page!
There are many list providers who misrepresent these as one and the same, and trust us, they are not. If you are told you can buy and take ownership of an opted-in list, then you are being misled.
The fact is, a purchased email list can benefit your business in many ways... IF YOU GO INTO THE PROCESS INFORMED! A significant obstacle that arises with purchased email lists stems from how list buyers handle the process, more so than sending out prospecting/unsolicited emails itself.
ESP (Email Service Provider): With a purchased email list, the platform you use is essential. Sending unsolicited emails must be handled differently than sending opted in emails. Does the ESP you plan on using to deploy your emails allow "purchased or rented email lists"? Most won't, since sending bulk unsolicited emails is considered SPAM. This is a significant obstacle. So, do your research and verify that your account will not be affected if you import purchased data. It is well-known that popular ESPs such as Constant Contact, MailChimp, MyEmma, etc. will not allow you to upload a rented third-party list. Make sure to read the terms & conditions of their user agreements before you attempt to send out non-opted-in emails.
It is not advised that you copy/paste the entire rented list into the to, cc, or bcc field of your email client such as Outlook, Gmail, etc. especially if you host your own company email server! This practice can cause your email account or entire domain to get blacklisted. However, even if you are able to send these emails, it's still considered unsolicited... and may end up in the recipient's Junk Folder.
Strategy is key. If you do not follow the right protocol and you do garner the attention of ESPs and Spam Haus by broadcasting using not recommended practices i.e. bcc field, sending blasts too frequently, and/or blasting repeatedly to outdated emails, they may block your domain, which will make it nearly impossible to email to the list and will cause difficulty reaching anyone from your email domain, including your own existing customers.
This violates the CAN-SPAM act, which stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing. This regulates the emails that come into your inbox every day, to ensure you are not being flooded with unwanted emails that you did not submit your information to receive. AmeriList follows this law to ensure your digital safety!
When you purchase an email list that is compiled, it is yours and you may deploy as many email blasts as you wish, but we suggest you consider best email marketing practices to avoid getting flagged as spam or blacklisted.
Depending on the type of email list purchased, "business or consumer" and/or "validated vs. unvalidated", you can expect deliverability rates from anywhere between the 50% to 90% range. You can refer to our email deliverability guarantee in the terms and conditions of our Insertion Order form. Our objective is to always provide the best quality data, however with emails, there are many factors that affect deliverability that are beyond our control, including corporate filters, ESP filters, content, etc. There are no refunds issued for undeliverable addresses.
Since the records are not being updated during your use, after file delivery, you should expect to have a lower deliverable rate as the data ages. We advise that prior to each email campaign, you should remove any emails that bounce back and encourage you to scrub your list using Email Change of Address or other validation solutions to help with errors from the prior blast to avoid getting flagged by ESPs.
A few general guidelines to keep in mind when creating your email creative: Do not send only images; be sure that you have a mix of images and text. There must be a clear call-to-action – it should be very obvious where the recipient should click to get to your website for more information, and that landing page should be specific to your offer. Be aware of holidays and other times {i.e., Friday at 5pm) that are not ideal for sending a commercial email.