Mailing Lists Getting The Most Out Of Your Investment

first step to any marketing campaign is knowing who your target market is; in direct mail marketing, this is none other than your mailing list. A good marketing campaign customizes the message/offer to meet the needs of the selected target audience, so before anything else, you need to have your mailing list ready – or at least know that you can obtain a list that matches your target group.

If you want a decent response from your direct mail campaign, you should have a decent mailing list as well. There are many list brokers online, and based on prices, you can see that some are relatively much cheaper. Choosing where to get your mailing list is a crucial step – getting a ton of information cheap may sound like a good deal, but getting outdated and inaccurate information will only burn a hole in your pocket. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you already have a reliable list broker that carries the list/s you need, then comes the next hard decision. Is it better to rent or to purchase? Essentially, it depends on how you intend to use the list. Normally, renting a list means that you can only use it once, so in direct mail, this means sending one letter/mailer. Now, since direct mail campaigns usually follow a sequence, this means that your succeeding mailers can only be sent to those who responded to your first letter. If you intend to keep sending mailers at your discretion, you would be better of with purchasing or leasing a list. This means spending more money on the mailing list, but down the line, the data can be used for developing your CRM database.

If you already have a list of your own or if you decide to purchase one, it is best to make sure that these lists are maintained – the data you captured or purchased last year could easily be outdated by now, and your mailing list will continue to be effective only for as long as the information is accurate. People move all the time, and if this is not updated, you will be wasting resources sending mailers to the wrong addresses, not to mention robbing your customer of the chance to remain informed about your business.

There are several ways to ensure that your mailing lists remain useful. First of all, your database should be regularly updated at least once a year. Check you information against the NCOA database and validate addresses. Eliminate any duplicate contacts, check that names are spelled correctly, and make sure that addresses follow the right format.

Keeping your mailing lists up-to-date on your own can be a monumental task. With direct mail campaigns, there are so many steps involved that it would be hard to keep track without help from the professionals. Simplify the process with Adpost. At Adpost, we can take care of your direct mail needs from start to finish, including Return Mail services. Return mail service will not only help you update your database, but we can also look into the recipients’ current address.

Get the most out of your mailing list. Contact Adpost and your investment will hit its target.