The biggest problem for anyone who are just starting with email marketing is building their own in-house list.

Getting qualified traffic to your business site is a challenge. Having those who actually visit to opt-in is another issue.

Often, asking web site visitors to raise their hands results in a very stressing situation. The list usually grows at a very slow pace, which heavily depends on the amount of traffic and subscriber conversion rate.

One way to overcome this problem and get you started quickly and build your in-house list is by renting lists.

This is when marketers have to be very careful. A wrong decision could put your business and brand reputation at stake.

But first, let’s define what is Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE), Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE), and opt-in email marketing.

Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE) refers to email messages that are sent in bulk to thousands (or any big number) of recipients. If the UBE is commercial, it is also UCE.

Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) is an email message that you receive without asking for it, which contains advertising of a product or service.

Opt-in email marketing involves users explicitly request and confirm an individual email address before being added to a specific mailing list.

UBE and UCE are often referred to as spamming. It is even an illegal action is some countries.

If you rent email lists from disreputable list brokers, chances are you will be accused as a spammer. For this reason, renting list should be carried out very carefully.

Sending unsolicited mails are easy. Although the response rate is awfully low, many marketers think it is worth a try especially because bulk email is usually also very cheap. One response could possibly cover the cost of the entire campaign.

But, let’s recall the impacts of the practice to your business. Large ISPs will block your domain, IP and drop your reputation. Many service providers will even discontinue your service just because you are involved in spamming.

Although building an opt-in list may be slower, don’t forget the effect of sending to very targeted recipients. Best of all, doing it “the right way” will help the entire Internet to salvage what is left on the most effective marketing medium.