Be encouraged! The mailing lists industry is not dying; it’s evolving – into a dynamic, data-based infrastructure of targeted direct marketing opportunities –and the World Wide Web is bringing it all together. You might be asking, “Shouldn’t this article be listed in the Search Marketing column?” Not really, this is a message for list managers, list owners, and database compilers who simply want to leverage their assets and increase revenue. This is not another promotional effort to redirect marketing dollars to paid search campaigns, and it is not another empty promise. Furthermore, I promise to keep it simple!
The birth of the World Wide Web, circa 1990 coincides with the learning age for the next generation of direct marketers. These search-minded entrepreneurs and business professionals are ‘googling’ their way to the top, and are less inclined to depend on traditional methods for learning about their respective markets. Furthermore, those who are looking for innovative customer acquisition strategies are turning to the Web. “OK, but how does this tie back to my efforts to generate list rental revenue for my list owner?”
The same basic search engine marketing principles apply. For starters, take a visit to Google and run a quick search on the mailing list you are trying to promote: i.e. "Advo mailing". You might be surprised by what you see. If you’re doing a good job with search engine optimization, then the mailing list promotional link could actually appear above the list owner’s corporate site – and all this happens without paying a cent for paid search.
For list managers and list brokers, you also want to keep an eye on your competitors’ rankings. Surprisingly, you may find out that you’re not too late in getting on top of the organic search listings. Take a look at the search results for “list manager” and “list broker”. What do you see? How far down the list did you need to scroll to find your company’s name? Are any of your key competitors on top? If you’re looking for the big names, then you may need to go deep; so seize the opportunity and embrace search engine marketing for your list business. It takes time for your web pages to get indexed, so the sooner you get started – the better.
Check out the direct marketing glossary to learn the lingo for search engine optimization and list marketing.