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02 December 2012

Purchase Mailing Lists From Many Unexpected Sources

By Brandie Montgomery


Direct mailing is still a very good approach for a vast array of products and services. Do not let anyone tell you differently. A nice piece, designed to offer something of value to the recipient, delivered to an interested party in pristine condition is the ultimate in direct response gathering. The most important part of that equation of course is where and how you purchase mailing lists.

There are a fairly large number of places to get these lists, however, a few minutes devoted to planning what it is you need would be appropriate before you pick up the phone. The first issue is knowing what your current buying customers are interested in. You need to examine why they are buying from you. You want to know why they buy the particular product or service you offer and at what particular times during the many different seasons of the year.

Different types of listings exist. The first one will be composed of those people or business buyers who have already responded to direct mailing pieces. These are important ones to look at. They will have been entered onto a database, listed by many different criteria. The one you want to look at are those products or services similar to yours.

The other type of list is the one created out of the directories of certain sub groups of people or businesses. These would include a listing of all of the Toyota dealerships or the fast food restaurants broken down by area or type of menu. These will be helpful if you are promoting items that are specifically used by these particular groups of businesses.

Identifying what it is your are selling and to whom it will better benefit, approach the list owners with care and a lot of questions. Know that the newer the information, the better the quality of the leads. Getting the potential recipients interest as close to your actual offering is the best course of action as well. The large the list is, the better it will be for you when you start the mailing campaign. The testing you need to do is still to come, however, the list you find should be close to where you need to be.

The over 10,000 magazines, published in the United States, alone, can help you get a very wide distribution of your best mailing piece. These magazines, some of which are for a tight interest group, will rent or sell their subscription lists for the right deal. Present their readers with a good product that helps them enjoy the magazine better and the price will be right.

Catalogs, especially the specialty ones will often rent their customers name and mailing addresses. This might only be for a one time use, however, with an appropriate appeal to their interests, as expressed in the nature of their previous purchases, it might be all you need. A tightly worded offer, with a seasonally adjusted message, might help you surpass the normal expected response rate of two percent.

Homework, as far as the planning and designing of the best message, will help you know who you need to get in front of. The right source will help you get these direct mail pieces to those you have identified. The way to purchase mailing lists is to avail yourself of a lot of information, first, and then test each list before you make a large investment of money or time.




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