Using Email Lists

I have been contemplating lately on using an email list each week to touch base with others who have linked up with my blog before. I usually receive a few emails each week reminding me of link ups for posts like Wordless Wednesday link ups or even the recipe link ups I so love to browse. I was wondering though how many of my fellow bloggers/business contacts use these lists? Have you ever paid for a list of email contacts for your business promotions? Do you like the results you receive?

I can see great benefits for large companies, or even small ones, who want to get their companies products and services out there to a large crowd. These lists will help them reach others that maybe they would not have reached otherwise. For companies who purchase email lists the hard work is already done for you. For example, the physician database that can be used will help medical suppliers reach a large amount of doctors in one mass email campaign. These email lists are geared towards a particular industry and thus reduces the amount of time spent going around searching for emails and contact information. This seems like a great option for businesses starting out as well. You can email your specialty to a consumer list that would be interested in what you have to offer. For this reason, I think these email lists are a great way to build your database contacts and business growth.

If you have used emails to reach potential customers or those who are linking to your blog network how is it working for you? Do you tend to see more results from sending them out or do you see about the same?

Please share your results with me as I would love to hear how it works for those already utilizing these systems.