Obtaining Legitimate Mailing Lists

Having a direct mailing list is a great way to connect with potential clients and to offer your assistance. Healthy leads can be cultivated by initiating an exchange simply through email. Obtaining legitimate mailing lists can be done over time through several avenues. Your list will become a living document, changing all the time, and added to as you continue to connect with other entrepreneurs. Here are a few tips as to how you can "beef up" your mailing list:

• Grab business cards whenever you come across a stack. Places like your local visitors center, coffee shops, airports, or even dealerships. There are all kinds of places where entrepreneurs leave their cards to market themselves. Keep your eyes open.
• Check out your local Chamber of Commerce; they may offer opportunities to network with business owner and entrepreneurs in your area.
• Hire My Mom is another great place to find new additions to your mailing list. With Hire My Mom you pay quarterly for access to their job postings. These are legitimate contacts and you are completely in the right to contact them via email.
• The ReferenceUSA database allows you to search for certain types of businesses by filtering your search by business type, geography, size, or home-based. Best of all it's free! It's a wonderful resource, just visit http://www.referenceusa.com/Static/Home.

These are just a few ideas to help you on your way. Remember, this is a marketing strategy that must be handled with the utmost professionalism. Of course, for the contacts that are expecting your correspondence, there is no issue. But for those who are not, you may want to be sensitive with your communication and understand that your email may not always be welcomed.   

 

Although frowned upon, it is not illegal to send unsolicited email to prospective clients. What is required is to give the name and address of the sender and a way to opt-out of the email list; otherwise this unsolicited email is considered SPAM. Make sure that the opt-out button or link is easy to find. I would also recommend making mention of how you are connected with them or where you may have gotten their information; whether you picked up their business card at a local visitors station or you connected with them through LinkedIn, just let them know. For more information about the SPAM law visit http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business.

 

With all this being said, the number one way to gain a great mailing list is to NETWORK! Connect with people through online forums, social media, local organizations, friends, or family. There really is no substitution for the old fashioned "How do you do?".