Email marketing is a key element of a comprehensive marketing plan. It offers a simple, affordable way to reach your customers directly. When they open your email, you have a brief moment of their full attention away from other distractions. Many marketers try to grow their email audience by buying email lists, thinking it will enhance their marketing strategy. However, this tactic should be avoided because it can cause more problems than it solves. Here’s why businesses should steer clear of purchasing email lists.
- They aren’t your customers. Your emails probably won’t reach real leads and they’ll just end up in spam.
- You can’t trust that these lists were legally obtained. You could be opening yourself up to legal action – a costly premise, as you could be subject to a five-figure fine for every email you send.
- You can’t trust that the email list information is accurate. A reputable company does not sell their contact lists, so you shouldn’t expect to be able to purchase them.
- Contacting these emails violates GDPR and express consent compliance laws. According to the GDPR, email recipients must give their express consent to receive emails from you and must be able to opt-out of emails.
- Cold contacting email addresses can put your business reputation at risk. There are organizations all over the world that are dedicated to flushing out spam, and if you are identified as such, your IP address and domain will be flagged as fraudulent.
- You may get shut down by your email service provider as a spammer. Email service providers and services don’t allow illegal activity, so if you are flagged as a spammer, they won’t hesitate to shut you down, often permanently.
- You’re wasting your time and money on it. You’re going to wind up back at square one. In the financial industry, the average open rate is just over 21 percent. With an unqualified, purchased email list, you’ll be lucky if you get any opens or clicks at all.
If you would like to learn more about how we can support you in creating a quality email list, reach out today. We’d love to show you how we can help.
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