Having been in the data game for 2 decades I often hear, “the list you supplied is mostly generic, I want named contacts”.
It is possible to obtain named contacts lists from a List Broker like Accountable Lists or Impact Lists.
There are several downsides to this, the cost is astronomic, the list size is much smaller and you are exposed to spam compliance difficulties as these emails are not broadly published or in the public domain.
Also named Email lists age quickly as jobs and people change constantly.
You can build a great named Email list by doing Trade shows, Old school Telemarketing, Competitions, Referral and Associate marketing and capturing every sale and enquiry you get.
This is a gold list and is to be cared for and used well but it is not a broad mass marketing list.
Your gold list should produce 50% of your income and is a vital tool but how do you win new clients and expand your network?
The only way is through mass outflow into targeted areas large or small. These campaigns need to be done constantly varying the content, subject line, call to action and various offers and incentives.
They should be informative and offer insights into how the recipient can be more successful
It should be noted that the generic Email is the one the company has listed and is the one that they monitor constantly, it does reach a person 90% of the time.
The person it reaches is the gatekeeper, it might be reception or a secretary but a huge percentage of them are received and read by the owner of the company.
You can improve your chances by addressing the Email to the HR Manger or Music Teacher etc.
The person initially receiving the Email has the role to route communications and they often will.
Salesforce note on their website that “Email marketing’s power lies in its ability to provide businesses of all sizes an attractive return on investment. In fact, according to an eMarketer study, the median email marketing ROI is 122%. That’s four times higher than any other digital marketing channel.
Not only that but you can control the time of delivery, the design and impact of the piece and you can see who opened it and who clicked through to your website.
I know that Mail chip and others won’t let you send generics but with the right platform you can send them all. Also you get full reports on failed, bounced and unsubs to clean your list clean.
You don’t have to limit yourself to plain vanilla text you can send an EDM (Electronic Delivery of Mail) Meaning you can use pictures, logos, web links, impactful graphics and copy just like a full colour flier.
We have done hundreds of campaigns for Product Launches, Seasonal messages (Christmas, Easter, Grand Final etc), Sales, Special Offers, moving location and much more.
Your income depends only on the number of mailings you do and the impact of your message.
Nearly always the person will respond the second or fifth or even after 50 sends. People only buy when they have a need, you never look at the Harvey Norman catalogue till your fridge goes on the frizz, but they send a catalogue every month to every house in Australia as do Coles and Woolies.
Marketing is a process involving constant outflow and continual improvement of the message.