How to collect potential customer database

[creative2004]

Hi:

Though I used before many form of promotion but never tried my luck in email marketing. Recently I started building interst when i started receiving bulk mails from companies with lucrative offres.

Difficult to take decision but before that I need to learn few basic facts and figures of email marketing myself and the way it works.

1. Why should not we use Outlook for email marketing rather then purchasing services from third party software? What are the benefits.

2. Does all this paid service comes with Customer Database (email address) ? The reason may be that, we do not have any potential customer database and do not want any spam mails to be forwarded to anyone whom we didnt know at all. Collecting potential customers email IDs is also time consuming.

3. Please suggest few established sites from where i get a database of customers for the services we are offering, say 'web design' and also use their service for sending / receiving mails.

4. Last question, in yahoo and hotmail my SPAM Filter is on, so many mail goes directly to Junk Folder (specially marekting mails). So does this 3rd party email providers gurantee that mail will be forwarded directly to inbox of my customer email IDs rather then Junk folder.

Looking forward for a suggestion.

Thanks in advance.

[bfleming98]

Hopfully I can answer some of your questions:

1. Why should not we use Outlook for email marketing rather then purchasing services from third party software? What are the benefits.

ANSWER:

Services can be better for things like auto-responders that answer emails automatically (usually in 5 seconds or less) when your computer is turned off.

With broadband that's changing things.

The downside to services is you're going to be paying a monthly fee every month. As your list grows so will their fees.

Yes, you could use Outlook when you're getting started. But as your list grows to over several hundred you'll need software that will get you going for email marketing. Also a lot of ISPs will limit how many emails you can send per day to something like 50.



2. Does all this paid service comes with Customer Database (email address) ? The reason may be that, we do not have any potential customer database and do not want any spam mails to be forwarded to anyone whom we didnt know at all. Collecting potential customers email IDs is also time consuming.


ANSWER:

If they do then you're basically paying to send an ad to their list. Everyone is different-- there are good lists and bad lists out there.

If a service says they come with a list and you can just email away to it... I'd stay away. Mostly likely you'll spend a few hundred bucks and not see one sale.


3. Please suggest few established sites from where i get a database of customers for the services we are offering, say 'web design' and also use their service for sending / receiving mails.


ANSWER:


Start by getting traffic to your site and getting your visitors to give you their email. That's the best way to do it. Also you can email everyone in your personal address book to do a site announcement -- since you already know them, ask if they will forward your message to friends who might be interested.


4. Last question, in yahoo and hotmail my SPAM Filter is on, so many mail goes directly to Junk Folder (specially marekting mails). So does this 3rd party email providers gurantee that mail will be forwarded directly to inbox of my customer email IDs rather then Junk folder.

ANSWER:


Spam filters are a big deal. Again here you have a problem with services. What if someone else spams 1/2 the internet and the service gets blocked. Your legitimate message will go into junk email folder of your customers. Be careful!

Hope this helps...

[cooler1]

you may want to try http://www.1-BULK-EMAIL-MAILING-ADDRESS-LIST.COM

it offer 900 Million emaill address list for internet marketing

[Noga]

I really wouldn't recommend renting such lists, you will get too many SPAM complaints. They may say they don't do SPAM... don't fall for it - too risky, very low response - and overall, just doesn't worth it.

Goog luck,
Noga.