B-to-B email lists cost 20 to 30 cents per name.

A report at BtoB Online states that the cost of Business to Business permission email lists is the highest of all list types. The average price is US$275 (AU$315) per thousand names. This price is down US$2 versus the previous quarter average.

The average cost of newsletter lists is US$178 (AU$204) per thousand. That is, US$0.178 (AU$0.204) per name.

This information is sourced from list management company Worldata, and shows that the average cost per lead for b-to-b programs is US$4.55 (AU$5.22).

Ray Tesi, Senior VP at Worldata says "Most in b-to-b are anywhere between US$3 (AU$3.44) and US$10 (AU$11.46) per lead".

From their previous study Worldata reports business-to-consumer permission-based email lists cost on average US$170 (AU$195) per thousand.

Viral Email. Should you bother trying?

The other day in Sydney I was discussing the use of 'viral' email marketing messages with one of the delegates at my sales training course. If you don't know, a viral email is one that is sent from person to person (like a virus) because the recipient thinks it is cute, funny, helpful, goofy, or just worth passing on.

From my perspective, the problem is that research shows only 15% of these viral email campaigns are successful in getting people to forward the emails on. And that is for emails that have been specifically designed to be interesting enough to catch on as a 'virus'.

The research also highlights that only 3% of 18-24 year olds pass on messages. Whereas 10% of the 45-54 year age group have forwarded a viral message.

So my advice for most businesses is to focus on communicating information your clients and prospects will find helpful. The objective is to attract them to your business - not to be entertaining.

We all remember some TV ad's, radio ad's or quirky video's that caught our attention. But how many of us can remember the product, service, or purpose of those same messages? Not many I would bet.

Some people in the creative/agency world might think my comments are too rational and 'left brain' thinking. They might argue that prospects respond to the creativeness of viral emails.

Yes... I agree that being 'creative' can attract attention. But the real business challenge is to convert that attention into revenue.

Using Email Marketing to Boost Your Business

Ever wondered how to use email to really get better results for your business?

In Brisbane on Wednesday September 26 I will be presenting a half-day workshop called Using Email to Boost Your Business. This workshop is part of the educational program offered by my new venture Solutions Found.

At the workshop I'll be presenting the facts about how to use email as an effective part of your marketing strategy.

I'm tired of seeing the hyped-up promotional seminars where unsuspecting business people sign up for services they don't understand... and often don't need.

If you're in Brisbane and need better results from your email activities why not check it out.

Improving your email open rate

Getting your clients and prospects to read your emails isn't the first thing you should be worrying about. How good is your deliverability and open rate? In this article by Karen Gedney she profiles a business that dumped their internal system and implemented an out-sourced email service.

The results were fantastic - and immediate...

The e-mail list for Miller's Professional Imaging, a B2B segment of professional photographers, benefited from automated list cleaning. Deliverability for that list jumped from 86 to 98 percent. Its average open rate is now 50 percent, and its click-through rate is 20 percent. The Mpix contact list, which is more of a business-to-consumer (B2C) segment geared toward advanced amateurs, now also has a deliverability rate of 98 percent and an average open rate of 34percent.

These days it is critical to use a professional email service provider (ESP) that can do the following for you:

• - manage your database, new subscribers, and unsubscribes automatically.
• - deal with bounced messages, without any action from you.
• - report on open rates and click-through rates.
• - maintain good relations with the major ISP's (so your messages get through).
• - can provide templates and advice on creating your email messages/campaigns.

Read more on this topic, plus see a list of leading email service providers in Tip #10 on the Biz Tips page at my website.