3 Tips for Picking a List Provider and/or Business Database Provider

Picking a list provider is not something you should do on the fly just because you need a business list. When you're picking out a list provider, there are some things to consider with their performance. After all, they are the ones generating leads for the lists you want to buy, meaning that the quality of the list falls primarily under them and their methods of getting the leads. So if you are looking for the best business lists your money can buy, then you should pick a good provider.

Here are some things you can work with in picking a list provider:

• Lead Generation? Cold-Calling, Please!
  • One of the best routes of doing lead generation is through cold-calling. This, by far, gets the best results when looking for leads, even for telemarketers. One thing to know about list vendors is that some of them are actually telemarketing companies that specialize in lead generation and instead of doing B2B calls and other sales calls, they generate leads and create marketing lists. So if you're looking for some good B2B leads from a list provider, then make sure they generate leads the right way, one way which is through cold-calling.

• Information? Want it Updated!
  • A list provider needs to always have the information they have up-to-date. That being said, know when your chosen list provider schedules their database updates, or ask them how often they update their database. If you want high-quality lists then you'll really want a provider that updates their information often and keeps the leads you want fresh. If the leads aren't fresh, then it could affect the results you get when using lists you bought from them. So when picking a business database/list provider, always make sure they update regularly and keep their leads fresh.

• Data Integrity Guarantee? Make Sure it's “Guaranteed”!
  • When a provider says they have a data integrity guarantee, it means that they assure you that the data they hold is accurate, current, valid, and most of all, complete. If the provider you're scoping out says they have this guarantee, then make sure to see if they guarantee it down to even the most minute of details. Every single bit of information counts, and having it complete, accurate, valid and current can mean all the difference when you use such a list for your marketing campaigns. So, is your provider telling you that they have a data integrity guarantee? Well then, make sure they guarantee it!

Picking the right list provider, however, will not always ensure the success of your campaign. Although, picking the right one can help your campaign get the best results possible. If their lists are of high-quality, then you'll be buying lists with updated lists, complete and accurate data based on current events, and last but not the least, can help you generate more sales. Hopefully, these three tips help you out with picking the right business database and/or list provider to work with.

Get the Best Bite for Your Buck when Buying Leads!

Small companies and new businesses do not always have the budget they need for large-scale marketing activities. In light of this, they limit their spending to only the most important activities, some of these being lead generation and improving their marketing efforts. When it comes to their marketing issues, sure enough they can handle it. As for lead generation, well, therein lies the problem. Not every company has the capacity to do effective lead generation, and thus is why they rely upon B2B leads providers or other such companies.

When you buy leads, you can get them in lists, entire databases, and even individually. As your business grows, you'll find yourself having an increasing need for more B2B leads. That being said, you'll want to get the best leads your money can buy. Let's now talk about how you can buy B2B leads of quality and get the best bite for your buck!

• Buy qualified leads – When you're buying leads, buy nothing but qualified leads. Based on your own qualification criteria, you can purchase business lists containing the contact information of prospects that have already been qualified by a leads database/leads list provider. So, what should you be looking for in a qualified lead? Well, aside from using your own criteria as a basis, look for B2B leads that have been qualified through BANT (budget, authority, need, timeline). Ask your provider how they qualify their leads and build their lists to see if they meet your parameters as well.

• The price is NOT always right – You'll find dozens of providers flocking towards you in order to sell you their leads. Also, they'll be pitching you different prices and all sorts of offers. However, in choosing a B2B leads provider, you must keep in mind that the price of each individual lead, or the price per list and database does not always denote the quality of the leads being sold. You could buy a business list for cheap and still get good results out of it, and in opposition to it buy a much more pricey one but not even get a single warm reply from your business contacts on that list! So to speak, you can't base everything on prices.

• Quality or quantity? – It is quite obvious that we want to get both quantity and quality when we buy leads. However, that is not a luxury we can always hope to have. Even if leads providers say that they can provide both quality and quantity, we must not forget that they too are businesses and can encounter problems with their production rates. So, that being said, would you rather go for quality or quantity? The answer to this question is quite subjective. If you have a solid marketing strategy in play, then you can live with buying more and more leads and turn them into warm sales-ready prospects. But if your own marketing scheme doesn't seem to be able to reel in the fishes, then quality may be what you need in order to start closing deals with your prospects.

Getting your money's worth means getting results; you'll need to see a positive ROI before you can say that buying B2B leads has proven effective to your campaign. All you need to do is pick a reputable leads provider, work with them and consult with them, then plan your marketing approach to be able to utilize the leads you bought to the best possibility.

Three Tips for Email Marketing Campaigns – Improve your Click-Through Rates

One of the key metrics of email marketing is the click-through rate. Of course, if you have a high-click through rate, then it means that your prospects are actually taking time to read your emails. And the more prospects read your emails, then the more chances of you generating B2B leads from your email marketing efforts. So, if you're using a list of emails, or have a mailing list provider, here are some ways for you to spice up your tactics and achieve better click-through rates.

Quality of content – We can say that click-through rates and the quality of your marketing emails are directly proportional. Of course, your prospects will know how to tell whether the email you sent is something you've kept in stock, or if it is something genuine and appeals to their best interests. However, you can't spend too many of your business hours just formulating new emails to each and every single prospect on your email list, rather, you should focus on generating content that is relevant and captures the interests of your prospects in your target industry. If you're targeting IT companies, then tweak your content to attract them to your company. When your targeting specific industries, then make sure the quality of your content is relevant to your prospect and appeals to their interests. This will surely increase the click-through rate of your emails.

Link placements – When putting links in your marketing emails, then don't just place them all around the place. Keep in mind the top-middle-bottom principle when adding links to your emails. Also, you shouldn't clutter your email with too many links and place them in parts of your message where visibility is low. That is why as a rule of thumb, keep in mind the top-middle-bottom principle to ensure that your email looks professional and that the quality of your content is not compromised by excessive links and such. If your content is of good quality, then your click-through rates should go up and the likelihood of your prospects clicking on your placed links should increase as well.

HTML coding compatibility – When making marketing emails, always check your HTML coding. Some email platforms do not read and render HTML codes as well as others so your prospects will see a jumbled up email instead of what you intended to send them. If this happens, they would most probably skip your email and not even consider getting back to it at a later time. So when sending out marketing emails, check the compatibility of your HTML codes with what email platforms are available. You can consult your mailing list provider about these concerns.

Aside from these tips, also make sure to have a reliable list provider on your side. After all, the mailing lists you use are only as good as the people who generate them are. So if you want better results from your email marketing campaign, then make use of these tips. Also, don't forget to have a good mailing list in your hands.

Buying Lists from a List Provider – What you could be Getting Into

Maybe you've already considered using telemarketing as part of your marketing strategy in order to make more sales. You've maybe even already considered using direct mail and email marketing to produce even more results. To tell you the truth, these approaches do indeed get you the desired results. However, they can only ever be as effective when you use good leads and lists, or have an extensive business database filled with high-quality business contacts. That is why when wanting to launch a telemarketing campaign, or a mailing campaign, procuring a telemarketing list and mailing list is something that should be on the top of your to do list. That being said, you may need the help of a list provider.

So, just what are the benefits to working with a list provider? Well, for one, you can get customized lists which can help your cause and fuel your campaign. Here is what you could be getting:

• When buying telemarketing lists – Buying a telemarketing list is something you may want to consider as part of your preparations for launching a telemarketing campaign. Some people believe in generating their own leads through the implementation of their telemarketing campaign, but some of these people are sorely mistaken if they think that that alone will be enough to help them with closing sales and give them a steady incoming flow of leads. When you buy a telemarketing list from a list provider, you can expect these lists to be of good quality. Also, these lists were created with privacy-compliance in mind, meaning that you don't have to worry when using them as the list has already been “cleansed” and you won't be making contact with anybody who doesn't want to be contacted by a telemarketer, or any prospect that could be on the DNC list.

• When buying mailing lists – Buying a mailing list is good for any direct mail and email marketing campaign. By buying one, you can get a list of email addresses of even c-level executives! Also, these lists are created and done all the while adhering to privacy-compliance, something that makes sure that you only have access to business contacts that have already opted-in as part of the mailing list. Business contacts that opt-in are usually good to have especially since they most probably opted-in because they are looking for a better provider, or are in the market and looking for one. So if you're planning a mailing campaign, consider buying a mailing list to get the best results with your campaign.

• When buying from a list provider – Nothing is entirely wrong with buying business lists, telemarketing lists and mailing lists from a list provider. However, when working with one, you should always work with one that knows how to do effective lead generation. After all, lead generation through cold-calling is the best way to produce optimal results, something which applies even to the creation of these lists. So when picking a provider, it s best to work with one that specializes in and employs expert lead generators to create their lists for them.

If you're still planning to go through with a telemarketing campaign or even a direct mail and/or email campaign, then buying lists are sure to help a lot for your company.