"I have a large mailing list for my travel agency. I would like to
do some e-mail marketing because of the volatile travel industry. Asking
for email addresses has been unsuccessful. Are there companies that can
take a snail mail list of addresses and find their email addresses without
charging a fortune?" -- Doug Huneywell, Cruises
& Travel of Spokane
Vendors for this kind of service can be found by searching Google for
"email appending". Costs range from 25¢ to 75¢ per successful appended
address, depending upon the size of your list. Vendors typically match
your address with lists of individuals who have opted to receive solicitations
from e-mail marketing networks. You receive your list back with e-mail
addresses appended to some of the names. Contrast this to one-time renting
of an opt-in list for 10¢ to 30¢ a name, where you never see the
e-mail address.
The ethical issue is permission. Did the recipient give permission with
the intention of having her e-mail addresses matched and sold in this
fashion? Probably not. Do you have a prior business relationship with
the individuals on your list? In that case, perhaps you could send out
an e-mailing or two on the basis of the "implied permission" that such
a relationship might give. Just be careful not to send unsolicited bulk
e-mails to those who have no real relationship with you and have given
no real permission.
