If you’re looking to grow your database, virtually overnight, purchasing email lists is your best option. But a purchased email list should add value, not subtract it. After all, you’re looking for ROI, not spam reports. So how do you know when you’ve got a dud?
The purchased email list is generally unclean.
Hey, nobody’s perfect, and even the best email list will contain a few inaccuracies – keyword being “few.” But if half your list is unusable after a few routine hygiene and anti-spam checks, you may as well be flushing your marketing dollars down the toilet.
Your emails aren’t being delivered.
When email deliverability rates take a dive and bounce rates go through the roof, you’re dealing with a bad email list. The data may appear clean, but hard bounces occur when accounts no longer exist, while soft bounces mean the account may or may not be deliverable at a later date. But who has time to wait?
Your emails aren’t being opened.
Reaching the inbox means you’ve got your foot in the door. Unfortunately, if you have a bad email list, you’re going to get the door slammed on your leg – repeatedly.
If you’re lucky, you’ll just get an unsubscribe request. At least you can remove the disinterested party before they damage your sender reputation.
But some recipients will simply delete your incoming emails. This sounds harmless, but over time it can cause ISPs to flag your messages as spam.
Of course, some recipients won’t bother with the niceties; they’ll just report your first message as spam. With a purchased email list, this may indicate that your vendor is selling older lists with exhausted contacts.
Your email list isn’t performing.
Consider your goals – web traffic, downloads, email opt-ins. If you’re not seeing conversions, you’re not seeing results. Talk to your vendor; a deliverable list is great, but if it’s not well-targeted, it’s not worth your money.
Your account has been suspended.
If your campaigns are generating high deletion rates, unsubscribe requests and spam reports, your sender reputation is going to suffer. Eventually, your ISP or ESP is going to take notice, and your account could be suspended or even closed, especially if you’ve violated the CAN-SPAM Act.
In fact, most ESPs will suspend your account just for using a purchased email list. Why? Because they aren’t capable of properly cleaning the data of inaccuracies and potential spam threats. And since they share servers across accounts, one bad email list can put their entire operation at risk. Rather than address the problem, they choose to avoid it.
Luckily, there is a way around this conundrum…
Our email lead generation software can clean your purchased data, help ensure CAN-SPAM compliance and turn your cold contacts into warm, permission-based leads before they ever reach your ESP. Just plug our software in at the beginning of your marketing chain and watch the magic happen!
To learn how it works…
