The success of any direct mail marketing campaign begins with purchasing the right mailing list. Period.
You can have the best product or service in the world, stunning design, the perfectly crafted message, and an irresistible offer, but if you don’t get your mailing in front of the people who are most likely to buy what you’re selling, your campaign will fall short of expectations.
As an organization, you should have a house list comprised of people who have already purchased from you. These people are more likely to buy from you again, try a new product or service, and participate in surveys and other market research. House lists should be cleaned and updated at least twice a year.
The vast majority of direct mail campaigns also use purchased lists to find new customers. There is no magic formula for the perfect mailing list. It depends on your business or organization, target audience, and marketing objectives. Do you want to mail to businesses, individuals, or both? What demographic data and other information about your audience are relevant? What geographic area do you want to target?
Once you’ve answered these and other questions, you can determine which type of list you should purchase. You can then make selections that allow you to apply filters and segment your list to focus on a more precise audience.
A solid list will have a description that provides a profile of the buyers on the list, as well as details about the list’s source and history, so you can see if the list aligns with your target market. Purchasing a clean mailing list is critical. Outdated, inaccurate, and/or incomplete information translates to wasted money and lower ROI, so find out when a list was last cleaned and updated before purchasing.
There are three general types of mailing lists.
1) Business List
A business list is comprised of employees at specific businesses as identified by each company’s Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. In addition to the name of the company, contact name, title, and phone number, selections include a wide range of filters, from business type and location to office size, sales volume, and number of PCs. Business lists can be purchased for one-time use or one-year use.
2) Consumer List
A consumer list is based on the residential addresses of individuals. In addition to an individual’s name, contact information, and standard demographic data, selections include, but are not limited to, building type, wealth rating, net worth, hobbies and lifestyle data, and the presence of children and/or young and elderly adults. Consumer lists can be purchased for one-time use or one-year use.
3) Occupant List
An occupant list contains both residential and business addresses within a zip code. Because you can only segment lists by geography, dwelling type, and business vs. residential, occupant lists are not as precisely targeted. However, they do allow you to blanket a certain geographic area. Occupant lists can only be purchased for single use since they are updated so frequently.
The right direct mail marketing solutions provider will help you choose and take full advantage of the right mailing list to maximize ROI from your direct mail campaigns. Contact us to unleash the power of Digital Dog Direct.
Comments