What To Look For When Buying Email Leads

What To Look For When Buying Email Leads
by: Alex Edevane

If you are still trying to build up your own opt-in list but need to start marketing your products then you may look at buying leads. Buying leads however can become very costly and in some cases may not be worth the return on investment so what do you look for when buying leads?

1. How Were Your Leads Collected?

The first thing you should know when you look at buying leads is how these leads were collected. The best way is if leads were collected by means of a double opt-in system. Do not buy leads that were simply drawn from the internet without the lead’s consent as you will probably be accused of spamming if you use these leads.

2. How Fresh Are the Leads?

Another consideration to look at when buying leads is how fresh they are – how recently were they collected and how many times have they been sold? Leads that are old or that have been sold to many other buyers will probably not be worth the investment you spend in buying them.

3. Are These Leads Targeted?

Targeting is important for the success of your internet marketing business so before buying leads consider how targeted these leads are. If you find leads that are targeted to the group of people you are trying to reach you will have a lot greater success than simply buying leads that are not targeted.

4. How Often Do They Clean These Lists?

You do not want to buy leads that no longer work and so it is important to know how often the leads you are buying get cleaned up and how gaps in the lead list are filled.

5. Do They Have Testimonials and What Are These Like?

Does the company you are looking at buying leads from have testimonials on their web page? What do these testimonials have to say about the company and the results they are getting from the leads they bought? If a lead company does not have testimonials then be very cautious about doing business with it.

6. Seek Referrals First

If you know of other website owners who are also buying leads and have had some success with their leads then ask them to suggest a lead company to you. If you know and trust someone then they will be more likely to be honest with you about what works and what doesn’t.

7. Find out What Advertising Methods They Use to Get Leads

This may be similar to the first point but before buying leads find out what advertising methods the lead company used to get their leads. If they are using advertising methods that appeal to your target market then you will be more likely to have success with the leads that they provide. Also consider how effective their advertising methods are – if the people they are advertising to are just interested in getting something for free then you will probably not make any money from them. If they are using spam methods to get leads then you could find yourself in serious trouble.

In conclusion, when buying leads there are a number of important factors that you should consider – how were the leads collected and how did the company advertise to get these leads? How fresh are the leads? Is the list you buying clean and how were the gaps filled? Is the list targeted? Can you get referrals and testimonials for the lead company? Although it is always best to create your own double opt-in lists, if you are just starting out then you may find success with buying leads if you find a good lead company to buy from.

Strategies to Get Your Membership Site Noticed Fast

Strategies to Get Your Membership Site Noticed Fast
by: Jeremy Gislason

If you want to make money with your membership site, you have to get it noticed. The faster the word gets out, the faster you’ll begin making money. Here are five strategies to get you noticed faster than a streaker at a soccer game.

Provide Free Information. This is a superior strategy to get folks to your web site, however you have a fine line to walk. Too much free info and there’s no benefit to joining your site. Not enough and you don’t give potential members enough of a complimentary preview.

Of course, if you don’t offer quality information then you’ll lose potential members anyway. So make sure that the information you offer is fantastic. You want your free information to be so good that visitors pass it along to others.

Give folks a peek inside with a free trial membership. Trial memberships hook readers! Not only do they instill confidence, once customers get an inside look at all that you have to offer they will want to sign up immediately. Consider also, making certain items on your website available only to ‘permanent subscribers.’ This type of feature works as a tease. Of course, don’t overdo it. You want trial members to be able to access a lot of your site.

Viral Marketing Miracles. Give free reports and even ebooks to affiliates to give away. This report will include the affiliate’s unique ID and any sales made through that report will be credited to the affiliate. It’s a great way to get people to spread the word about your membership site.

Remember that if you want to drive traffic to your site, the ebooks and reports that you give away MUST be excellent.

Article Marketing Mania. Article directories are a wonderful way to drive traffic to your membership site. They help to establish your credibility and they give potential subscribers a peek inside the offerings at your site. Also use article marketing to help build a top notch opt-in list. Always include a link back to your website or sales page.

Fabulous Forums, blogs, and chat rooms. Forums, chat rooms, and blog posts are a good way to get the word out quickly about your membership site. Most forums, chat rooms, and even blogs will allow you to place a link back to your website in your signature link. Consider that many of the people you speak to in these venues may not be ready to purchase but they will be a good resource in the future – if you collect their information.

BIG IMPACT - It Is All In The Paper

Big Impact? It Is All In The Paper
by: Lynne Saarte

Before you start your design for your catalogs, one of the most important decisions you have to make is the paper stock you’re going to use. With any luck, you’ll be able to select the best kind that would really make a big impact to your target clients.

On the other hand, if you’re not sure what to use for your catalog printing, then this article can help you to find the most appropriate paper for your catalogs.

Regardless of the size, color, or even the finishing of your print materials, the kind of paper you’re going to choose should depend on the kind of catalog printing piece you’re making.

However, for the sake of understanding the different paper stocks that can be utilized for your catalogs, let’s see and compare what other kind of paper can be used for other marketing collaterals.

Book Paper –

Except for newsprint and Bristol, book paper is also very suitable for catalog printing, or any other printing job in general. Especially for offset printing, book paper can be applied with different finishes, including coated or uncoated.

This type of paper is almost ideal for most printing jobs not only because it is more opaque than the bond paper, but also that book paper can be printed on both sides. It can also manage any folds you apply to it, which makes it more durable than any other kind.

Usually with 25 x 38 inches and basis weights ranging from 22 to 150 lbs, book paper is preferred for offset printing precisely because it’s very resistant when it comes to water and picking.

Cover Paper –

This is usually the heavy, stiff paper that is used on book covers, file and presentation folders, greeting cards, business cards, or any other kind of cards. Hence, it’s also called card stock.

With a basic size of 20 x 26 inches, some of the cover paper may have matching book paper that can have the same color and finishing.

Bristol Paper –

Similar to cover paper, Bristol paper is also a heavyweight. It’s made thick by putting one layer over another, until you achieve the thickness you need. You can also laminate papers together to create your desired width.

Bristol paper is commonly used for catalog covers, file folders, tags, tickets, and paperback books. Sometimes, wedding invitations can also be made from Bristol paper.

Newsprint –

This is the most inexpensive paper with a basic 24 x 26 inches of size. What makes it cheap is that newsprint are generally created ground wood pulp. This is much cheaper than using chemical pulp.

What’s more, newsprint has shorter yeas to live and is cheap to produce in bulk. Nevertheless, it can withstand the printing process.

To make sure that you’re getting the most appropriate paper choice for your catalogs, discuss with your catalog printer your paper needs. Your printer can even suggest a few suppliers who not only can provide you the kind of paper that you need, but most importantly, the saving you’ll have on your overall costs.