Smaller E-mail Marketing Lists Are Better

Contrary to popular opinion, large e-mail databases are typically not better. Often large databases will include “dead” e-mail addresses which exaggerate the “monetary value” of the list.

It makes good business sense to cull your list regularly. This  includes a prompt management of “opt-out requests” which are people who  are not receiving value from the relationship with you. Move fast on  these requests or the recipients will report you as spam. Additionally, a  periodic revisit to all opt-in recipients with the request to opt-in  again can significantly improve your list quality. Of course, it can  make your list smaller.

Here are some additional reasons why it makes sense to cull your list:

• A better list provides better statistics about your list since the  dead or unresponsive e-mails are removed. For example, your open rates  will be higher. In truth the number of total opened e-mails does not  change, but now the open rate statistic is more in tune with reality.
• It makes economic sense that fewer e-mails sent costs less money.
• Your spam complaints will go down since you are not sending e-mails to uninterested readers.
• Improved deliverability should keep you off blacklists.
• Your reputation score should improve.

Thus, smaller lists make good business sense.

John Bradley Jackson

Top Dog

The BirdDog Group