The Real Cost of Email Addresses

Its that old saying “It’s not the cost, it’s the value.”

Buying an email address lead from a reputable marketing company or your vendor or your organization may seem like a lot until you realize that the marketing company has made the investment to find your target audience and match their needs to what you offer. How much would it cost you to do that on your own?

Yet on the other hand, if you buy a mega-amount of email addresses, what percentage are really good email addresses. Its definitely an important question to find the answer to when working with a marketing company selling addresses. They will give you a percentage anywhere from 6% to 9%. It goes without saying to ask them for some kind of Spam Law verification too, especially written proof that shows how the email addresses are obtained.   

Large lists, though looking like a great unit price, cost upwards and beyond a couple of hundred dollars to email per month. Expect to pay around $200 a month just to make two blasts for a list of 150,000 to 200,000 email addresses easily!  

Joining organizations has benefits too. A group of people with similar interests become formidable when they join together. Networking is the biggest reason to join and with that networking ask the organization if members may communicate with one another via email. Don’t let the organization send your message within their template. That takes aways your individuality and unique way of delivering your message. Are we all wearing the same uniform, doing the same thing?  No, of course not. Solve the issue by asking your organization to allow member the option to receive emails from other members or not. The simplest way for a member not to receive emails is to just not list their email address. And why should the organization bear the burden of creating unique marketing pieces for all their members? Yet, why would an organization be afraid to let their members communicate with one another in a personable way as can be done in a custom designed email blast flyer?

Direct email blast flyers are the most logical path to take for advertising.

Web Sites are a great way to gather email addresses. One important reason your web site is there is to explain what you do. You are making your sales pitch to the world and you know there are people out there that want to hear what you have to say about what you do. What other perfect reason would there be to have a subscription sign up on your website? You offer information, new products, sales, events — all through a tasteful and powerfully written email blast flyer.

Giving your web site visitors the option to receive more information from you only makes sense. Why not offer it? There is no law that says you must send an email every week, two week, month. Send an email to your list when you have something to say. It might be announcing a new product, a storewide sale, an event, or even a warning about a product. 

Another great way is meeting people. Business card exchange, handshakes, guestbooks in your store, log books for charter boats, buses, tours, etc. “Name and email — And we’ll send you a flyer for our next trip, discount offer, etc.” If someone is already using your services, it’s pretty likely they will use you again, especially if you send out an occasional reminder. Why not offer them the choice of hearing from you again?

The real cost of an email addresss is how effective it is for you. We keep our lists at 6,000 because they are affordable to send and effective. Our top selling flyer, “The Works” is only $55. It includes flyer design, the blast, email management with follow up marketing, and an accompanying Adobe Acrobat PDF flyer you can print from your computer. 

EmailBlastFlyer.com feels advertising is constant market research to find out information.  When you send us your email addresses we are not only trying to sell what you offer through the unique flyer design, but we are also seeing who receives your flyer, who opens your flyer — so no matter what, our clients walk away with more knowledge about their market place.  That’s reasonable cost plus real value.

What are your thoughts? We look forward to your comments!

Isabel
“Give Your Marketing A Boost”  with www.EmailBlastFlyer.com
a service of Isabel Smith Art and Design
www.isabelsmith.com

             

All-time #1 Question: How Do I Get Email Addresses?

One question we at www.EmailBlastFlyer.com get a lot is, “Where Do I Get My Email Addresses?” We want to share some answers to this question. Understanding the basics for the Spam Law is a must.

The Spam Law was created to protect us from all those unwanted emails that deprave the human condition, rather than build it up. We know what and who they are. So the Spam Law basically says if someone did not ask to receive your information, don’t send it. So what happens? All the emails we don’t want come into our browser under false subject lines and bogus email addresses and we have to install stiff Spam Filters (discussed in another category). In the meantime, companies with real integrity products and services to offer the general and/or specific public/target audience have to go through all kinds of hoops to advertise. Don’t panic yet. It’s nothing to really complain to the government about. We can work it out with a little thoughtful ingenuity.

Solution 1: Your website
On the web sites/presences we create we offer a subscription option. This wonderful option allows people to sign up for more information about your company. Their email address automatically goes onto your email list and is ready for when you want to email a custom flyer with your information.

Solution 2: A club or organization you belong to
Often in your field there are clubs or associations that everyone belongs to. For a handsome fee you can join this organization for the primary purpose of networking. Make sure the organization allows the opportunity to communicate with its other members via email.
           If your organization says it ‘frowns on such practices’ challenge their claim to your ability to network within the membership framework. Ask your organization to allow members at the time of sign up to make their own decision as to whether or not to receive emails from fellow members — don’t let the organization make the decision for you.
           You are paying a goodly fee for networking and emails need to be counted as an important part of it. Each member should make their own decision as to whether or not they receive the emails from other members. Most likely, the entire reason for membership in the organization is to have the ability to communicate with other members.
          Ask the organization to install safety features, which are readily available today through reputable bulk email management companies like Lyris and Bronto, for instance. Do not accept the organization’s reply that they will send your message for you. The message will not hold your branding and your personal, individual touch. It will be a template that advertises the organization with your message within it. What happens then? Recipients lose interest…. its just another message.
         Calmly explain that the reason your company stands apart is because of its unique customer service. How can you look unique if your email is within the organization template? Why would the organization want to advertise to people who are already members? Doesn’t the organization want to promote lively business between its members so the organization may increase it’s own membership as being an effect network marketing tool?

Solution 3: Your vendor
You may not have a website at all. You might be a reseller for a vendor and all you are doing is telling people about your product or service. Many times this vendor will ‘’sell you leads” — the going price seems to be $2.00 a lead for a start-off quantity.

Solution 4: Buy Them
With a relatively easy search you can find companies that sell email addresses. There are some really important questions you should get answers to before buying such a list:
How did your vendor get these leads? It’s not only the number one question to ask, but its also a question you should require written proof for. If you don’t ask it, the Spam Law people will. If you can’t supply the proof, they will supply you with a fine, and more. Don’t ask. That ought to be enough incentive to do it right.
       The thing is reputable marketing companies that sell the email addresses they collect are more than happy to supply this information. In fact, they won’t sell you the addresses without the information. These companies have gone through great lengths to pay for these email addresses through the Yellow Pages as well as research them through online polls that narrow down the poll-takers interests into important categories. These marketing companies also pay the affiliate fees to join organizations simply so they can direct even more like-minded people to your product.
             If the company selling you email addresses is afraid to talk about how they got their addresses or tries to make you feel sheepish for asking, hang up and go onto the next search. We look at it this way: Play the game by the rules. If you play by the rules, you have nothing to hide.
            Afterall, everyone hates spam. The last thing you want is to be taken as a spammer. You offer a great product and/or service. There is no reason not to advertise it and feel good about letting people know what you do, how you do it, and how it will benefit them.

We look forward to your comments. This is a hot topic. Direct email blast flyers are the most logical way to advertise in the future and now. www.EmailBlastFlyer.com is a bulk email management custom designed flyer company with an excellent rating with SpamAssassin — a leading authority in spam email. We stay up to date on the changing trends and new features email blasts allow — What sets our service apart is the custom designed flyer we design specifically for your company. This gives you the edge and the second look you need in our really fast world to catch your reader’s attention.

Isabel
www.emailblastflyer.com
a service of Isabel Smith Art and Design
www.isabelsmith.com