If you insist on buying a list...
The onset of the internet age has heightened the importance of email marketing. Email contact lists have become the lifeblood of many marketers in creating and managing their email marketing campaigns. In order to organize complicated scheduling of emails, bulk email automation tools and autoresponder services are now in widespread use. But how easy is it to obtain a large list of email contacts for your marketing business?
There are essentially two methods in which you can do this. The best, and safest, way is to build your own opt-in list. The strategies you employ to do this are limited only by your imagination. For example, you may wish to use paid advertising, such as pay-per-click (PPC), and displaying banners and text ads showcasing your products and services on niche-related sites. You may decide that writing articles or maintaining multiple blogs is your thing. Whichever tried and trusted method you use, and there are too many to list in detail here, each person that opts in to your list has done so because they have actively displayed an interest in your offers, products or services. You have attracted them to you.
To that end, you are essentially free to send whatever you wish to your ethically obtained list of contacts, whether it's a regular newsletter or a completely new sales pitch for a fresh product, without risk of it being classified as spam (and particularly if you always include the option for your subscribers to opt out at any time).
Now let's explore the other method: that of purchasing your email list. There are many companies out there that offer such lists ... but be warned, for their quality varies as much as the price. You may frequently see advertised a huge number of email addresses, say, a million, for what may seem a bargain price. But more often than not, a large percentage of that million turn out to be inactive or dead email addresses.
Another, very important, point: just how have these lists been compiled? Many of these list-providing companies use a form of automated software to collect email addresses, often without the knowledge of the owner. Imagine if you were then to send your own marketing material to these people - they would not know who you are or why you are contacting them. You could even be sending your offer to a private email address. All of a sudden, your carefully constructed marketing email has been classified as spam which could get you into all kinds of trouble and seriously harm your online business.
If you really insist on buying a list, and the recommendation is that you do not, you'll need to shot-blast it for quality. Try, for instance, on sending a one-time only email, offering a free ebook or ecourse in exchange for actually opting in to your list. Make it clear this will be the last they hear from you if they choose not to respond. That way, only those that actively join your list will continue to receive emails from yourself. Delete the rest!
However if you want to be safe, with no risk to your reputation or that of your online business, avoid buying lists at all. The better investment is that of time and effort if you truly want an effective list of hungry prospects. Compile your own list and build trust and relationships over time.