Another great post Barb. But...as you already know...

2009-05-22T10:36:12.288-04:00

Another great post Barb. But...as you already know, I think you left out some important information.

In Barb's defense, she was rather insistent that we exclude the amount of money we paid acquiring the list for November's list rental test, feeling that it would cheapen the value and integrity of her writing. After a few email volleys, I caved in but suggested I might still get my 2 cents worth in with my own reply to her post.

Here goes...

We spent $1,000 to have our test offer delivered to 10,000 "targeted" email addresses. If we weren't an ESP, this would have cost $1,600.

OK, I said it, and here's why.

First of all, 8 out of 10 inquiries we receive for email marketing services come from companies that don't have their own lists and want to buy/rent lists for prospecting purposes. The vast majority of these companies are looking for the "50,000 addresses for $97" solution. I'm doing my part to save them some money and recommend alternatives that have an actual chance of a positive return on their investment.

Secondly, this was the $1,000 list and not the $97 list and it's important to demonstrate that we made every effort to acquire the highest quality list available for the test.

Test Summary: We spent $1,000 plus creative time designing the two offers. Our sales were ....PRICELESS! ($0.00)

There, I've said it, I'm at peace. Hopefully Barb is still talking to me.

Peter

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Another great post Barb. But...as you already know...