1. Bring your offline customers online.
Many businesses make the mistake of considering their offline customers as direct mail only customers. Think broader! Solutions exist to convert your offline database into an online database. Bringing your offline database online will enable you to more cost-effectively engage those customers in relevant dialogue on a timely basis, thus increasing sales, profits, and lifetime customer value.

2. Don't give up on lost online customers.
Your customers may have multiple email accounts and may change email accounts frequently. This may present a challenge for the marketer wanting to stay connected with their customers as they move from one email address to the next. When an email bounces, that customer is not lost forever. Solutions are available to reconnect with your valued online customers who may still want to hear from you, but forgot to give you their new email address.

3. Choose acquisition tools that meet your particular needs.
Make sure that the company you choose to manage your acquisition strategy is a full-service solution provider that offers a broad range of services that will fit with your acquisition plans. Many "solution providers" only have one solution they try to adapt for every customer's needs. It is important to choose a solution provider that has several service offerings and isn't self-serving by over promoting a particular option. This way you will find the solution that is right for you, not one that profits the vendor you are working with.

4. Don't get fooled by bargain-basement lists.
When identifying lists, make sure you rent lists that are not fatigued. When selecting an opt-in list rental solution, it is important to realize that all lists are not created equal nor are all list providers. When looking for value in your list rental, the CPM list price is not the most important factor. Know which list provider uses best practices and which lists return the best responses so that you don't end up with a list that is over used and performs poorly. It is important to choose a service provider with adequate expertise to place your campaign with the right list.

5. Demand demographic information.
Similar to the offline world, online lists can drill-down on demographic and specific profile selects. When finding the list that is right for you, make sure your acquisition service provider can get a list that fits the exact profile you are looking for, so that you are not wasting time and money sending communications to consumers that are not interested in hearing from you.

6. Don't email to people who've unsubscribed.
You need to guarantee that people who have opted out of your company communications don't get mailed to via your rented list. Omitting your house list unsubscribes from your rented list is called "E-list suppression," and you have to be sure your list provider is willing and able to implement the suppression. Be sure to select a provider who can carry out this service so that you are adhering to industry best practices and not sending messages to prospects that have clearly stated they do not wish to hear about your services or offerings.

7. Demand quick reports and analysis.
Many solution providers don't offer acquisition campaign reporting. Or they might not provide important acquisition campaign reports until three weeks after the campaign is launched, which is obviously too long if you want to start follow up communications right away. Without immediate access to relevant data, marketing professionals cannot make informed decisions regarding the efficacy of their ongoing campaign strategy, nor are they able take advantage of opportunities when they arise. Make sure the acquisition service provider delivers timely, comprehensive analysis of your acquisition campaign.

8. Worry about email formats.
Many acquisition service providers send out HTML messages without first determining whether or not the recipient's email client will be able to handle HTML. In this scenario, the recipient will receive a message that is in HTML code and does not display graphics as intended. To avoid this, other acquisition service providers may send out text messages to all recipients. It is best to choose a service provider that can determine and send emails in the format the recipient can receive: HTML, text, or AOL.

9. Email name capture is just the beginning.
When defining your acquisition strategy be sure that it not only captures new customers, but also provides for rapid, personalized, interactive follow-up. Many solution providers only do one thing: acquire email addresses. A more successful acquisition strategy that optimizes your interactive marketing encompasses more than this first step. Work to combine your acquisition campaigns with your retention and loyalty campaigns by tailoring automated personalized responses to newly-acquired customers based on their initial level of interest.

Isn't it time to decide which acquisition services will help you build and manage your opt-in customer database?