It’s a pretty well-known fact that email marketing offers one of the best returns on investment marketers can get. Before you create a campaign, however, you need a database of email addresses. Gathering those from scratch is a time-consuming and lengthy process, which is why so many people are tempted to simply purchase an existing email list instead.
We find this is especially true in the case of multilingual email marketing campaigns, where international brands are trying to get results fast in an unfamiliar territory or language. As we’re about to see though, sending mailers to a database you’ve purchased is a really, really bad idea. Not only is it morally iffy, in many cases, it’s downright illegal.
No-one likes unsolicited emails
Do you enjoy getting spam emails? Didn’t think so. If you purchase an existing list of addresses for your multilingual email marketing campaign, bear this in mind:
- Many of those email addresses have, in all likelihood, been completely abandoned
- Most of the emails that do get through will go straight to the junk, trash or spam folder, and get deleted without ever being seen by a human being
- Those that don’t get marked as spam will probably never be opened
- For every person who does open your email, they’re either going to delete it straight away, hit the unsubscribe button, or worse – report the email as unsolicited spam in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act
Apart from anything else, when you send an unsolicited email to a random person, you’re shooting in the dark. You have no idea what that person’s interests are, where they’re located, what language they speak, or how old they are. Expecting any kind of positive result at all is illogical. And it only takes a few angry tweets, online complaints or negative reviews from people who’ve had enough to do real damage to your brand’s reputation.
How to do multilingual email marketing the right way
One of the reasons email marketing (to a genuine opt-in list you’ve gathered yourself) works so well is because it’s targeted at people who are actually interested in what you have to say. If someone has engaged with your content enough to offer their email address, they’re already highly likely to convert.
It might take more time and effort, but impressive results are virtually guaranteed. If you’re ready to grow your brand internationally and expand into new regions, then our multilingual email marketing team is ready to help you succeed!