# I'm thinking of renting an email list



## loftgolf (Apr 17, 2008)

Hi everyone . I will be picking up most of my shirts/hats, etc. this week (finally) and am considering doing direct email marketing but it's expensive. I can reach 200,000 avid golfers, with 5 different mailings, but it's expensive (approx. $6500). Has anyone done this? I am certainly open to any other suggestions to kick-start my site and improve my SE rankings. I thank you all in advance for any help you could give.


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I think that sounds like a bi gamble. I would go to the local pro shops and try to get them to sell your stuff on consignment. I would also check out ads in golf magizines. I'm not a fan of unsolicited emails myself. ..... JB


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

loftgolf said:


> Hi everyone . I will be picking up most of my shirts/hats, etc. this week (finally) and am considering doing direct email marketing but it's expensive. I can reach 200,000 avid golfers, with 5 different mailings, but it's expensive (approx. $6500).


The bulk of those will definitely go unopened, and if opened, sent to the trash bin as soon as it's opened.

People just don't like getting unsolicited emails (spam).

If you're trying to reach "avid" golfers, then you're targeting people with above-average amounts of disposable income. They get LOTS of things thrown their way. You MUST look at it from their perspective. They've never heard of you, and didn't ask to receive your email. 

Why would they buy your stuff just because you sent them an email?

The chances that the ones who do actually take the time to read your email AND like your stuff enough to buy it, is slim to none.

For $6500, you need a better chance than that.




loftgolf said:


> Has anyone done this? I am certainly open to any other suggestions to kick-start my site and improve my SE rankings. I thank you all in advance for any help you could give.


My suggestion is that if you've got $6500 available to spend, spend it on things that will give your products higher perceived value. That's higher perceived value to the end customer AND to various pro shops.

Look at some of the shirts/hats that are carried in different pro shops. Examine their neck labels, their hang tags and make yours better.

Investigate how the pro shops order their stock, and get in their face once you know how it works. Get "pro shop ready"!

$6500 will go along way in helping you do that. In the mean time, find some creative ways to market to your customers. Maybe give away rounds of golf on your local sports station. $6500 will go along way in that as well.

Guys listen to sports talk shows, and if your clothing company was giving away rounds of golf at a local course, you'd definitely get their attention!

My point is that there are much more effective ways to market than spending $6500 on an email list that most certainly won't lead to $6500 in sales.

I recently read a book called "Your Marketing Sucks", by Mark Stevens. It's a great book for anyone that wants to do any type of marketing. His basic point was that marketing's purpose is to generate profits, and every dollar spent on marketing should generate at the very least, a little more than a dollar in profits.

And if it doesn't...then "Your Marketing Sucks".


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## loftgolf (Apr 17, 2008)

I agree with you JB, however this is a double opt-in list so it's not entirely un-solicited. This is my first attempt ever with an on-line business as I have always owned brick and mortar businesses and I believe that I can reach a lot more people via the net than through pro shops. Unfortunately, I have the patience of a very hungry infant and want success, umm scratch that, I want HUGE success by the end of the week ! (Before everyone posts about the improbability of this, I am just joking) Thanks again for your input JB!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

loftgolf said:


> Hi everyone . I will be picking up most of my shirts/hats, etc. this week (finally) and am considering doing direct email marketing but it's expensive. I can reach 200,000 avid golfers, with 5 different mailings, but it's expensive (approx. $6500). Has anyone done this? I am certainly open to any other suggestions to kick-start my site and improve my SE rankings. I thank you all in advance for any help you could give.


A mailing list won't help your search engine rankings. You want help with search engine rankings, you should search the forum for SEO.

Also search the forum for email marketing and newsletters, you'll find lots of topics on how to do it right.

It is very risky to rent an "email list" when you don't know exactly how those emails were collected. 

If they weren't corrected using standard email etiquette, you could be starting your new business off with a bad name by being associated with spam mailings.

We have a whole marketing section of the forum with tips on how to best market your site and business: T-Shirt Marketing - T-Shirt Forums



> Unfortunately, I have the patience of a very hungry infant


If that's the case, then there's not much we can say that can change your mind from you doing what you feel you need to do to move forward 

At least that's the case with my hungry 5 month old infant. 

I try to tell her that we could just play instead of eat and every time she does not agree with my assessment of the options


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## badalou (Mar 19, 2006)

Spend about 10% of that money contacting pro shops and distributors to Pro Shops are become one yourself.. Lou


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I like Greg's idae of offering free rounds of golf at a local course. I also think you should get involved with some benefit golf outings and donate some items for prizes. I have made shirts for a fundraiser golf outing and pick up 2 pro shops that I do all their custom work. I donated my time and equipment to make the shirts and it returned 10 x that in new sales and gave me a nice write off for charitable donations. ...Good luck. ... JB


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## tjacks7 (Jun 4, 2008)

IMO, you could use $6500 much more successfully. Is it better to e-mail 200,00 people who will probably trash the e-mail, if they even read it, or 2,000 people who are interested in your product? If it were me, I'd market locally, thats enough to get going to a kiosk or someplace similar. Once your products are on the street, your business will grow.

Or invest some of that money trying to get your products into other golf shops in the area.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

I agree with the others, email lists are a waste of time and money. And how do you _know_ that it's really double opt-in unless you collected them yourself? Spam filters are getting incredibly efficient nowdays. I use gmail and I rarely get any spam at all (maybe once a month).

For $6500 you could have a spectacular, super SEO-friendly website made. You could put a full-page ad in a popular golfing magazine. You could even do half a vinyl wrap for your car. You could make thousands of flyers, brochures, catalogs, pens, hats, etc. Just to give you some ideas.. there are a lot better ways to spend that money.


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## loftgolf (Apr 17, 2008)

I thank you all for the valuable information. I respect this post so much now that I rarely make a decision without consulting all of you . I respect your input and will not be going with the email lists as there are too many great points brought up from all of you. Thank you again for caring


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