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Mailing Lists: Response and Compiled Mail Lists

There are two types of mailing lists, determined by their origin: compiled mailing lists and response mailing lists.

Compiled Mailing Lists

Compiled mailing lists are a common source of name and address records that have been gathered, collected, and entered into a database. The names may have been acquired through public records such as vehicle owner registrations, court transcripts, or private sources such as warranty cards or purchasers at a store.

The bulk of compiled mailing lists are generated from categories in phone books across the U.S.  Examples of a few of the compiled mailing lists available from phone books would be a list of all the photography studios, or a listing of all the luggage dealers in the United States. Or a mailing list of all the plumbing supply dealers, or Chevy or Ford agencies.

Most industries have trade directories that are usually compiled industry data from various sources; most are verified by phone and make pretty good direct mail lists.  A directory of pet product manufacturers, or of heating and cooling contractors would be good examples of a compiled industry direct mail lists.

Keep in mind that compiled information - like fish - gets old rather quickly and doesn't age particularly well.  Mailings lists fall into the top of that category - the fresher the names, the better.  The older the names, the less accurate - and the greater your returns.

Response Mailing lists

Response direct mail lists are usually mailing lists of consumers who have inquired or purchased from a direct response ad, direct mail catalog, from a direct mail offer, direct-selling TV ad, direct response newspaper ad, or other direct response offer.  The most common response direct mail lists are from catalog merchants.

Before you consider purchasing any mailing list, analyze the database of your own customers.  Ask yourself precisely what commonalities they have, then look for these characteristics in a new mailing list database. 

Start searching for a new mailing list based on your perfect target audience. Find a mailing list that closely matches the definable characteristics of your own customers.  If this exact mailing list isn’t available, see how close you can come to buying the most perfect mailing list - and test mail to it in smaller numbers.  Measure and track response.

Today’s direct mail can be very precisely targeted due to the precision of the mailing list data available.  If you can tightly specify a mailing list, you can probably find a list perfectly matched to your specifications. 

The more you qualify the names on your mailing list, the tighter you specify your perfect mailing list segments, the more response, and the less wasted advertising expense you’ll have in your direct mail campaign.  The higher your response, the better your chances of success and profit. 

Your mailing list has more to do with your success or failure than any other single element in your mailing. Before any mailing, calculate what percent response you need to have to break even, and see if it’s realistic.  If it’s over 2%, better rethink about mailing.

The precise targeting of mailing lists makes direct mail one of the most effective, cost efficient ways to market as long as you define your audience up front and match your list to your audience.

Delivery of your direct mail depends on the accuracy and recency of your mailing list.   Better quality, more recent mailing lists have much better delivery rates.

A poor list can mean up to 20% or 30% of your standard mail (bulk-rate) won’t be delivered. 10% more will be delivered, but you won’t know to whom.  Of that 20% to 30%, some of your direct mail pieces will be returned to you, beat up beyond recognition by the postal service and certainly of no further value. 

Some pieces get delivered, but to the wrong address.  Other pieces of your mail just get lost, and no one really knows where they went.  In contrast, when you purchase a recent, accurate mailing list, delivery can be as high as a whopping 95% - 97%!

Some of the best delivery percentages of direct mail mailing lists can be found in magazine publisher’s mailing lists of their magazine subscribers.

Magazine mailing lists have some of the highest delivery rates available.  For good reason: Subscriber lists are naturally very targeted to their annually-qualified magazine readers.  Publishers pay for returns: so their mailing lists have high deliverability rates as publishers are extremely prompt with their name and address corrections.  

Most magazine publishers will rent their mailing list for non-competing offers (such as anything other than similar magazines). If you see a magazine that looks like it will be a good target for your direct mail campaign, call the magazine publisher and ask if their subscriber mailing list is for rent. Most larger publications will offer their list through a mailing list broker, so you’ll be referred to that firm.

1. Magazine Publishers Mailing Lists

There are over 10,000 magazines published in the U.S.. Chances are good that you can get a magazine subscription mailing list that goes straight to your perfectly targeted buyers. If you're not sure what magazines would have best mailing list to reach your target market, there are some easy-to-use magazine directories found in the reference section of most libraries.  (They’re online, too - but they’re subscription-only and pretty expensive!)  You can read the magazine’s profile and see if their audience would make a good mailing list for you to mail offers for your products.

The best directories of magazines are Bacon’s Directory of Magazines, and Oxbridge Communications Standard Periodical Directory. If you can't find the exact targeted magazine filled with the eager-to-buy-your-product subscribers you are looking for in either of these directories, the publication doesn't exist. You can find any industry and every single magazine that is sent to that industry - in under 10 minutes in these powerful directories.  As a practicing marketer, I pretty much live in these directories.

2. Catalog Merchants Direct Marketing Mailing Lists

Catalog houses earn a good portion of their revenue from the sale of their mailing lists. Call the catalog house phone number and ask for their corporate business office, then ask who handles their mailing list sales. Almost all catalog houses sell their mailing lists. Catalogs can be found in  The Directory of Mail Order Catalogs from Grey House Publishing (www.greyhouse.com) 

This directory is an awesome publication and the best resource in the catalog industry.  In each catalog description and write up, it gives the number of catalogs mailed, and name of the broker who handles the mailing list sales.

This is the first of two articles on mailing lists. In the second part of this article, we’ll discuss the next 9 places to buy a mailing list.

About the Author

Bio, Jeffrey Dobkin
If you're struggling with poor response — get help by reading practical marketing tips. Receive articles you can trust by Jeffrey Dobkin. Dobkin has written 4 books on direct marketing. He can be reached at 610-642-1000. Read more of his articles at http://www.danielleadams.com

Grow Your Business Through Catalog Mailing Services

Direct mail advertising has been proven to be a very effective marketing tool for businesses in Miami FL. Catalog mailing is one very important aspect of direct mail advertising that you need to look into and maximize in order to grow your Miami FL business.

There are many proven advantages to catalog mailing. In fact, it is considered to be one of the best ways to sell products and services. Some 167 million consumers per year make purchases from mailed catalogs. Each buyer on the average places some 11 orders a year. That’s 1.8 billion sales transactions per year. The combined purchases of individual consumers and businesses from catalog mailings per year come to about $150 billion. Wouldn’t you want a slice of that huge pie?

According to statistics, roughly half of existing consumers shop online based on print catalogs they have received by mail. Once a consumer has received a mailed catalog, he or she is more than twice as likely to buy something online from it. Online sellers generate the most number of online sales through customers who order from print catalog mailing. These customers spend 16% more on the average as compared to customers who did not receive mailed catalogs. Catalog customers are also more likely to become frequent repeat buyers online, with repeat transactions adding an average of 15% more sales. Indeed, having a print catalog on hand is a very convenient reference material for consumers while deciding on purchases to be made online.

Having the print catalog in your target market’s homes or offices also serves as a constant reminder to them of your products and services even while they are offline. It has been observed that 59% of recipients of catalog mailings keep the catalogs for a minimum of three months or until a new catalog arrives in the mail. Imagine the exposure your business gets and the marketing potential in that period.

The distinct advantage of catalog mailings is that they allow your consumers to place their orders online or by phone or mail, if they please. If your brick and mortar store happens to be in the same locality, the catalog mailing will also send you walk in shoppers who would want to see your merchandise first hand.

Of course, you have to make sure that your catalog displays your products and services at their best. Choose a size and design that is most appropriate for your business and that will stand out in the midst of competition. Remember that your target market receives numerous catalogs by mail. Billions of catalogs are actually sent throughout the United States every year.

Avoid having a catalog that looks unprofessional or shoddy. That will reflect very badly on your business image. And will backfire on your goals. Do not cram too much information or images on each page. Make sure that your colors are attractively pleasing to the eye. Check your copy for errors, inaccuracies and vagueness. If possible, hire a professional catalog designer who will know how to lay out your pages for optimum effect, as well as a professional copy writer who can use words to your best advantage. Also ensure that your catalog is printed at the highest quality, looking crisp and inviting. It would be best if you could test a prototype before finally having your catalog printed out in bulk.

Find a reputable mail house that offers catalog mailing services along with business mailings and other fulfillment services, such as presort services, which you will need in your bulk mail advertising campaign. Postal services alone will not be enough for your needs unless you are willing to do much of the work yourself in-house.

About the Author

Rapid Mail & Computer Services Inc
John Borrero
830 W 19 St
Miami, FL 33010
Phone: (305) 882-0482
Fax: (305) 882-9051
Email: john@rapidmail.us
Website: www.rapidmail.us