Sharing your Subscriber List

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Permalink Reply by Brandelyn Ahlgren on April 4, 2009 at 2:45pm

Are you a b2b or consumer publication? If consumer, I think you're in even more of a pickle. I've been considering asking the reader permission first then sharing their information as direct leads to advertisers. I.e., a box to check on the subscription form asking "Would you like to receive information from our advertising partners?" Their contact information would be kept in a database and sold to advertisers/sponsors as direct leads. However, that doesn't really help you now. Could you negotiate the leads from the event itself instead of your subscriber list? I.e., give them all of the registrants' contact information instead of subscribers'? Could you not give them your list outright, but mail something on their behalf or include it as an insert in your next issue? The last thing you want to do is anger your subscribers by giving their information away so they can be solicited by a telemarketer. I would explain that you've made a promise to your subscribers not to share their information, but here is what you CAN do...then make them a sweet offer such as more sponsorship benefits, a free banner ad on your website for the year, permission based leads for the year, an insert in your next mailing, free ad in your next e-newsletter...these are just ideas, but there should be ways you can sweeten the deal without selling your soul (aka subscriber list). Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Bob Arnold on April 6, 2009 at 12:42pm

Thanks for your input. We are a B2B pub with roughly 60k print subscribers and 102k online users. We do not even allow direct email solicitation to our readers, everything goes through us. I was just wondering if anyone has used a telemarketing firm to reach out to the readers for a particular advertisers/sponsor?
I am very afraid of just opening this door as I am worried of the 20+ year reputation of our pub with our readers. But again, we seriously need this sponsor and they know it!

This vendor already sponsors (at a lower level) advertises in print, online, email with us so I don't have many bargaining chips left.

Thanks again for your feedback!

Bob

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Permalink Reply by Bill Walker on April 14, 2009 at 10:58am

It's been along time since I was at Poppe Tyson and developing tradeshow promotion for Pfizer, ITT and Osram Sylvania but in those days we would purchase list or get them as part of the negotiation as "value add" at almost everyshow these clients attended. Whether or not they were magazine or association shows.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Viravec on April 14, 2009 at 12:30pm

One possible way to get around this conumdrum is to perhaps "package" the telemarketing with the subscriber list for the sponsorship. This way you get to control what and how it is sent to your subscribers. Also, this flushes out any possible hidden agendas with the potential sponsor. I would maintain control is very important in this transaction.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Reinebach on April 14, 2009 at 1:13pm

Obviously once you give them the list they will have less reason to advertise with you in the future, now that they have all that information. As an alternative, however, you might want to throw in a web seminar as a lead-in to the event, which would give them highly qualified leads and help promote their presence at your conference. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Akins on April 14, 2009 at 5:13pm

Bob, I'm a former list manager, and you can't give in on the list. Why not offer to do an eblast to your subscribers with a survey, including the questions they want to ask (survey monkey?). That way they can get the responses they want and start to build their own database with folks who choose to give their contact information (prompted) during the survey (usually at the end...ask if they'd like to hear from the survey "sponsor"). And, to agree with the idea below, you could package this as part of the overall sponsorship cost.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Arnold on April 15, 2009 at 2:31pm

It would be handled through a 3rd party firm with a NDA. We are still in negotiations but they literally want nothing other than the telemarketing effort (again handled through a 3rd party).

Thanks again for everyone's feedback. Great stuff!

Bob

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Permalink Reply by Paul Black on April 16, 2009 at 12:53pm

Bob,

We share our list all the time with large advertisers and it has not hurt us one bit.

If your subscribers have not allowed 3rd party contact then there could be legal issues in sharing their information with vendors. We have a disclaimer on our own sub forms stating that by signing the form they consent to receive our magazine as well as information from our partners (advertisers). They have an opt - out box if they do not want to be part of that.

Since all your client wants is to telemarket (and I will assume there are no legal issues) then I would go ahead and give them the list or complete this through a 3rd party on their behalf (with them picking up the tab hopefully?).

If you give them your list, I would urge you to stipulate the exact purpose they will be allowed to use it for, and how many times they may use it and through what date. Then seed the list with several names that you can track to ensure they do not try to reuse the list later or worse - resell it. If you are hesitant then you need to get legal involved and write a contract of the list use that puts the advertiser on the hook if they abuse/resell your list.

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