Conventional marketing wisdom says that buying a list of e-mail addresses is always a bad idea. But “always” is a bit broad. If you sell primarily to other businesses, and if you have relevant information and ideas that you can send out to prospects over a period of time, buying a targeted e-mail list can be an effective tactic. Be sure to work with a reputable company, to narrow your list criteria as much as possible, and to be careful to send only helpful messages rather than selling hard right out of the gate. The advantages, if done well? Higher credibility. More prospects in the pipeline. A single click from your message to your website or landing page. And all at a very manageable cost.