What to Know Before You Buy an Email List

Don’t buy an email list.

That’s what many decide to do.

But a lot of the business owners we talk to are frustrated because they’ve done everything right. They’ve built a well-targeted website and filled in all of their social profiles. Their content is value-heavy and SEO optimized. But they’re still not achieving increased lead growth.

Why? Because their marketing strategy relies too heavily on inbound, organic leads.

Our solution? Buy an email list.

Why You Should Buy an Email List

Purchasing a professionally vetted email list opens the doors of opportunity. Your message reaches new people, your brand gains exposure, and — if you do it right — you generate warm leads.

But before you buy an email list, there are certain things you need to know if you want to successfully generate new leads.

If you’re used to the kind of open rates you’re used to with a permission-based list, you’ll need to adjust your expectations. Typical open rate benchmarks for a cold email list are usually below 5%.

Consider Your Audience

Before you contact a vendor, make sure you know who you’re targeting. Create a buyer persona to guide the process. Ask yourself the following questions:

Who is the recipient?
What’s her industry?
How big is her company?
What’s her job title?
Where is she located?
What is her budget?

These are just a few suggestions, but you get the idea. The more you understand your audience, the easier it will be to discuss your needs with a vendor and find a list that will respond to your content.

Make Sure You Have the Right Vendor

Take the time to get to know your options and negotiate the best possible deal. When considering vendors, ask yourself the following questions:

Do they have a strong reputation?
Is someone available when you have questions?
Do their lists contain real contacts or are they relying on web crawlers?
Do they have full names and phone numbers, as well as email and physical addresses?
Are they confident about their deliverability rates?

Focus on list quality. The more information they can feed you at the beginning, the more targeted and personalized your initial campaigns can be. This can help you increase open and click-through rates and generate leads faster.

Make Sure Your Data Is Clean

Not even the most reputable vendor bats a thousand when it comes to clean data. That’s because email lists are always in a state of natural decay. People leave jobs, close or abandon accounts, etc. So it’s imperative that you clean your list before sending a single email.

But here’s the problem you’re going to run into — your traditional ESP and marketing automation platforms aren’t equipped to clean cold and purchased contacts. In fact, your ESP may threaten to suspend your account if you even import the list into their system!

Luckily, there is a way to get around this little roadblock.