Wizemail offers advice on gathering e-mails online

Wizemail has considered the online methods that companies can use to build an in-house e-mail marketing list.

In any campaign to acquire e-mail addresses for direct e-mail marketing, all resources should be integrated.

There are a number of ways in which e-mails themselves can be part of the campaign.

One way is via working with another company.

A recipient who has opted in to receive e-mails from one company may well have been asked if they would be willing to receive e-mails from third parties.

The originating company might limit those they allow access to their e-mail list.

Indeed, anything less might seem a risk too far with such a valuable asset.

For instance, a company selling high-powered computers could feel that to be joined by providers of gaming software on their direct e-mail marketing campaign would benefit their brand and so receive an approach warmly.

While such e-mails can be considered a form of cold-calling, all research suggests it has a much higher response rate than using bought-in e-mail lists.

A typical ploy is a competition to encourage the recipient to click through to the company website, where the intent will be to get them to opt in to the e-mail list.

In a similar way, one can piggyback onto another company's newsletter.

The vehicle needs choosing with care, but the biggest asset is the fact that it is targeted.

The recipients will be in the mindset to read the content and your advert, or if you go down the sponsorship route, your message will have a more receptive audience.

Remember, you are not restricted to traditional banner ads, or those in a column at the side of the e-mail.

A text advert in the style of the newsletter is more likely to be read.

Furthermore, there is the 'advertorial' - an article written by the editorial staff of the newsletter about your company and its products.

There will probably be certain editorial restrictions that will limit your freedom of action and design but, if it is created with care, such an insert can benefit all parties.

Another online method companies can use to gather e-mail addresses is viral marketing via e-mail.

While this form of marketing is in dire need of a new title, its strength is that it harnesses the power of the internet.

Virals require care - they can have a life of their own and should not be used as the mainstay of an e-mail campaign.

It is impossible to define the life of a typical viral e-mail campaign.

While the norm is that it will peak very early, some go on for years and it is difficult to predict the timing of responses.

If you remove the landing page or the offer, the viral might build resentment rather than an increase in e-mail addresses.

If your e-mail campaign goes live at a time when those in the industry it is targeting are in a slack period, your recipients will have little else to do other than idle their time away.

Your clever and expensive viral video creation might well hit all possible targets at the same time and stretch your resources, requiring unplanned expense.

The obvious must be remembered - the viral is not an end in itself, no matter how clever.

It should be designed to capture e-mail addresses.

This can be done passively, by way of banner ads or product placement, or more aggressively, by incentivising the supply of another person's e-mail address.

A prize draw is a common form of viral support for an e-mail acquisition campaign.

A participant will get an additional chance for every other e-mail address he supplies.

The one requirement is for the reader to land on the microsite, where there will be a persuasive argument for them to opt into direct e-mail marketing.

The essence of a viral e-mail is making the sender look good or feel good.

It could be by way of the funny video, the hilarious joke, the stunning prize or the bargain offer.

Creating such e-mail virals requires good taste as well as good sense.

What might be thought of by your company as a risque but right-side-of-the-border joke might well be seen as an embarrassment when it drifts outside the confines of business-to-business (B2B).

Becoming upset at some imagined slight is becoming something of a lifestyle choice by many, as can be the pursuit of compensation for hurt feelings.

A video has a great deal of potential for offence and picking between the bland and the actionable needs care.

The potential for catastrophe for budget limits on rewards-based incentive virals is immense.

When planning a campaign with one included, the prize must be limited.

Rather then rewarding the person for every e-mail address they generate, a better option might be seen to run with a prize for the most successful.] With the bargain offer, it should be remembered that a store running a loss-leader will have limited stock.

If you suddenly run out of goods because it was costing too much, then you are more likely to generate resentment than opt-ins.

However, there is mileage to be gained with the 'this is what I want for Christmas' e-mail that can be forwarded by a hopeful recipient to those with the money.

Due to its waywardness, the viral sector of an e-mail campaign to acquire e-mail addresses needs careful consideration and one should not be overwhelmed by its benefits of cost and coverage.

The lack of control should not blind one to the fact that it can be an automated procedure so investment, once the procedure is established, is low.

When a website visitor indicates interest in a particular aspect of the product list by asking for further information, or a quote, or asks for notification of an event, then this can trigger a follow-up e-mail seeking registration on a direct e-mail marketing list.

The rented e-mail list has been left to last as it can generate strong reactions, both from the user and the recipient.

The message is sent to people on an e-mail list from an e-mail list provider.

The worry of many is that although they will have been told that those on the list have opted in, this may not be the case.

If they haven't, then a direct marketing e-mail sent to them will be spam.

It should be remembered that the sender is liable, regardless of assurances.

Furthermore, the actual date they opted in might have been some time previously, so the perception - if not the fact - in the mind of the recipient is that it is spam.

A further complication is that the source - you - will be different from the one they signed up with.

It is up to you to establish the value of the list.

You will want to know: how many times the list has been accessed by other customers; how long the e-mails have been on the list; the location of the addresses; the source of the list; and what targeting options are available.

The answers you will hope for are: rarely; a short time; in your target area; something in some way associated with your product; and you would expect age, gender and postcode, but would hope for more.

Remember that with rented lists you normally only get the one shot at the addresses.

However, you should not be expected to pay for those that bounce.

Individual benefits, however, will vary with the suppliers.

Due to the fact that you will be a stranger to them, at least as the source of e-mails, it is best to explain how you came by their address.

Do not tell them of any sordid rental business but introduce your company and say that they have received the e-mail because of the information they supplied to the list owner.

You can reassure them by introducing one new name - yours - and mentioning a familiar one in the same sentence.

The benefits of a rented list include the fact that it is all but instant and you can control the numbers precisely.

There is little or no preparatory work involved, and the spread is probably greater than you will be able to source.

The downsides include a lack of control as to the source of the addresses, the high costs - typically more than a direct e-mail campaign might be - and the low responsiveness.

It is for you to decide whether the cost, which will be higher if all your boxes are ticked, is worth the expected return.

This list of online methods of acquiring a house direct e-mail marketing list is obviously not exclusive.

You should think about which one to choose to support your campaign, rather than work out which ones would give sufficient return on investment.

Another aspect to consider is the perception of your campaign in the eyes of your potential recruits.

A cold approach may well cause resentment rather than enthusiasm.

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