Why Purchasing Email Lists is a Good Idea

Recently, I read a blog that suggested purchasing an email list was “always a bad idea”. Admittedly, it originated in America and some of the “facts” they presented may well be more accurate on that side of the pond. However, they did not accurately reflect the UK Data Industry.

The suggestion that anyone who buys an email list is acting out of desperation and, in the words of that blog, are “jerks” is hugely inaccurate. It defames many legitimate businesses that both provide and purchase email data. At Data HQ we work with a number of the country’s largest and most recognisable brands and supply them email data as well as providing other services.

Careful supplier selection

It is certainly true that purchasing email lists can cause difficulty if you aren’t careful about the companies with whom you choose to work. However, there are a number of longstanding, reputable businesses that you can work with, including some of the largest companies in the UK.

When considering purchasing an email list it is important to make sure you choose a reputable data supplier. There are many of us out there, and I have previously written a blog on how to choose the right supplier.

By working with a reliable and reputable supplier you can ensure that the data you buy is both accurate and responsive. One of the arguments in that American blog I read was that purchased lists will not be accepted by reputable email vendors. Again, this is simply not true; many entirely reputable vendors accept third party opt-in email data.

Allow effective prospecting and lead generation

Email lists represent an important channel to help companies generate business and increase brand awareness. By optimising the target audience, keeping the content relevant and through careful management of the communication frequency, email lists can be very effective indeed.

Over 50% of start-up businesses fail in their first 5 years and many more lack the marketing budget to run large off-line product launches, or to employ a large sales force. For companies like these and many more, email marketing provides an extremely useful way to reach larger audiences than would otherwise be possible.

Whilst in an ideal world all businesses could survive and grow by purely communicating with their existing customers, the reality is that this is not the case. For businesses that want to grow or start-up, it is essential to reach as many prospects as possible – targeted prospects who would find their message relevant.

At Data HQ we have supplied email data for a number of years and we have an 80% retention rate with our customers. If email lists were not effective (as suggested in that US blog), we certainly would not be continuing to see retention rates at anything approaching that level.