Email List Purchasing
Talk about your high risk ventures! Make a mistake on this one and you can land in jail.
They make it sound so easy - Purchase a list of email addresses to marketing to. Only most lists of this type are frankly illegal, and others are totally ineffective.
The problem is, you have no idea where they got those email addresses from. The only time it is legal to send email is if someone requested it. They cannot have requested it from YOU, because they don't have a clue who you are. Some companies send the email for you, to their opt-in lists, but even then, you cannot be sure of the value.
If they email the list for you, then you still run the risk of paying a lot for no returns. Because you cannot be sure that the people whom the email is going to are actually interested in what you have to sell. So you are taking a very high risk that you'll not make anything from the campaign.
There are companies that claim to be reputable, but the fact is that nearly every reputable business knows the risks associated with email campaigns, and nobody is really making money selling such items except the scammers. As a legitimate market, it practically does not exist, because there is no way to tell a liar from an honest person, so the risk is not worth it to any reputable business person.
It is a much better option to simply pay to advertise in an established eZine or Newsletter. The risks are lower, and the potential returns are higher. You also have the ability to precisely target the interests of the readers.
So at best, purchased email lists are a tremendous gamble with a near certainty of wasting your time and your money. At worst, they are illegal and can potentially land you in serious trouble with the law. Neither one is a smart way to build a business!
Contributors: Laura Wheeler
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