Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Shawn Finder Shawn Finder is the Co-Founder and CEO of ExchangeLeads. Founded in 2014, ExchangeLeads is an automated software that helps small businesses identify new prospects to fill their sales funnel. Shawn is the author of 23 Mistakes That List Buyers Often Make. For more information, visit: www.exchangeleads.io.

SmallBizLady: HOW DO I TARGET THE LIST I AM BUILDING?

Shawn Finder: It is very important that when you are building a list you identify your target market prior to building it. Are you looking to sell to c-level, director level or manager level? Also, do you know if the decision maker is the same person who is the end user? Therefore, always make sure you know who your prospects are while growing your list. 

SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I NEVER PURCHASE DUPLICATE CONTACTS?

Shawn Finder: When purchasing a list, it is very important that you make sure that you provide the list company contacts you already have in your database. This does not mean send them your database. This can be done by encrypting your emails through an MD5, so that they can provide you unique contacts while maintaining the integrity of your asset…. the list.

SmallBizLady: HOW CAN I PREVENT HAVING MULTIPLE CONTACTS FROM THE SAME COMPANY?

Shawn Finder: Talk to the company you are using and let them know how many contacts you would like per company. Any company that has been in the business will know that to provide you the maximum chance at an ROI, a max of 3-4 contacts per company would be ideal.

SmallBizLady: DO YOU HAVE AN OLD CONTACT LIST?

Shawn Finder: If you are using a list from 2012 or 2013 your list might be more than 50% obsolete. People change jobs daily and your data may be going stale.  I would always make sure your provider cleans the list prior to sending it to you. Also, I would have it cleansed every quarter as numbers show approximately 1.5% of data becomes stale every month.

SmallBizLady: ARE YOU USING THE SAME MESSAGE OR SPLIT TESTING?

Shawn Finder: One of the biggest mistakes people can make is use one email, one subject line, and one call to action. It is almost a necessity to always test different emails and subject lines to see what will provide you the best results.

SmallBizLady: DO YOU USE DOUBLE, SINGLE OPT-IN?

Shawn Finder: This is a battle that has been going on for a while. Double opt-in has been shown to get double the clicks and double the opens of single opt-in lists. However, single opt-in lists show a better conversion rate as every extra step in a process slows down the user.

SmallBizLady: HOW MANY TRAFFIC SOURCES ARE YOU SENDING TO?

Shawn Finder: Are you using that list only for email? Have you tried doing a cold calling campaign, or direct mailing campaign?  Also, you can use a list to add to your LinkedIn network, twitter followers etc.

SmallBizLady: DO YOU HAVE A FOLLOW-UP CAMPAIGN?

Shawn Finder: A follow-up campaign is the most important part of email marketing. Don’t send one email and expect results. You have to have a follow-up campaign and also different paths for each user that reads the email to go through.

SmallBizLady: DO YOU HAVE A LANDING PAGE/CONVERSION PAGE/CALL TO ACTION?

Shawn Finder: Statistics show that people want to fill out as little information as possible Therefore, a new strategy I have put together is to just ask for first name and email on a landing page. This way even if they don’t sign up for my platform I have their contact information for future marketing.

SmallBizLady: ARE YOU ASKING FOR SOMETHING WITHOUT A CALL TO ACTION?

Shawn Finder: At some point in your campaign you need to have a call to action. This might be for someone to provide you contact information and/or offering them a free trial. Make sure this is present and visual in your campaign.

SmallBizLady: DO YOU TREAT YOUR EMAIL LIST AS AN ASSET?

Shawn Finder: Every contact you have is an asset, a potential buyer, a potential opportunity. It is very important that you always maintain a clean asset so you can get the most out of it. I suggest, cleaning your email list every quarter.

SmallBizLady: HOW MUCH INFORMATION ARE YOU ASKING FOR?

Shawn Finder: People want to give out as little information as possible. Therefore, make sure you are asking for only the minimal information that you need. Once you build a rapport with your client, you will be able to get more information.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET; follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

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