Buying an email list

A basic guide to email broadcasting

Maximise your potential to win new business from your email prospect list by following our direct marketing buying guide. Here are some essential questions you should be asking yourself before embarking on your next email broadcast:

How is the email list refreshed?

Make sure you know where the source of data is originally from and how it's updated - is this by telephone or online?

For business to business, you'll probably get the best results if the list has been refreshed on a regular rolling basis by telephone verification. Consumer emails are usually verified online, so you need to ensure your vendor is guaranteeing delivery rather than charging you only for the volume sent.

All of Marketing Guru's b2b email lists are tele-verified, unless otherwise stated. Click here to search our business lists.

Consumer email broadcasts utilise variety of sources and we always guarantee deliverability on order. Click here to search our consumer email lists.

What about bouncebacks for b2b marketing?

When purchasing your list what is the bounceback policy of your supplier? If you are broadcasting business data yourself, some suppliers will offer a rebate on "bounced" emails. As these are difficult to quantify sometimes and subject to various causal reasons rather than just the quality of data, you could get better value by purchasing lower cost lists and accepting an average rate of return for bouncebacks.

Marketing Guru do not guarantee b2b emails as there are a myriad of reasons for their performance out of our control, but we do offer a cost effective solution. Bouncebacks are on average 20 - 25%.

What about bouncebacks for consumer email marketing?

Bouncebacks are completely irrelevant for consumer email marketing as the list is being broadcasted by the list owner. You should ensure that you are only paying for delivered emails rather than sent emails.

Marketing Guru only charge for delivered consumer emails, rather than sent emails.

What about legislation governing email marketing?

Consumer email marketing is entirely different to b2b as different rules govern the use of consumer emails. Individuals need to have opted-in to being on the list, the list therefore needs to be sent by the list owners or managers to ensure the "opt-outs" are effectively managed. If the list has been released, how can you be sure that all opt-outs have been excluded?

B2b emails do not have to be opted in, but as with all email communications, you need to provide a no cost opt-out / unsubscribe option in every campaign. You also need to show your company name, registered office (if Ltd company), company registration number and telephone number.

Marketing Guru complies with UK/EU legislation governing unsolicited email marketing.

Have you selected the right target market?

Making sure you select the right target market is absolutely essential to getting the most out of your email lists. For business email lists - by targeting decision makers and companies with a potential need for your products and services, it's simple but often the selection criteria can be either overlooked or overplayed at the expense of volume.

Marketing Guru Standard & Premium business lists can be selected by postcodes, County / Region / Towns, job titles, job roles, business sectors (Thomson Classifications / SIC Codes), number of employees or Turnover.

For consumer email lists there are a plethora of targets available including interests, age, income, postcode etc. You can also target products purchased, or campaigns previously responded to.

Marketing Guru will advise you on the best targeting strategy for your email list selection. Click here for more advice on targeting prospects.