A Good Mailing List can MAKE or BREAK your Direct Mail Campaign- DON’T USE RECYCLED LISTS!
Everybody knows that Santa is a big believer in having a good list. But he’s not the only one! For years, experts have agreed that your mailing list for direct mail (the people to whom you mail) accounts for 40 percent of your mailing’s success. While the means you use to reach potential customers may now include email and social media, the basic premise still holds true: Who you communicate with plays a huge role in the success of your marketing efforts.
For example, let’s say you sell pool supplies and you’re looking for customers. You want to reach people who have pools! People who don’t own a pool are simply not going to buy anything from you—regardless of how great your product is, how wonderful your offer is, or how beautiful your marketing presentation is.
Identifying the right audience is not always as simple as determining who has a pool and who doesn’t. The more specific you can be about defining your audience, the better chance you’ll have of making them an offer that appeals to them—and the more likely they are to respond.
Once you’ve identified the characteristics of your audience, you can enlist the service mail list provider to get the names and addresses of people who are likely to respond. With a good provider you will have access to an incredible wealth of demographic information available that can help you reach the people who are most likely to respond.
Be aware that the more specific your list is (that is, the more defining characteristics you use) the higher the cost of the list. But the more qualified the list, the higher the probability of response will be. And the goal is not simply getting your message out—it’s getting a positive response to your message.
Let’s look at an example of how the quality of a list can impact the results of a mailing.
Let’s assume our mailer is selling pool supplies. The offer and the creative package are identical. One mailing uses a general (unqualified) mailing list that focuses on a ZIP code with a high average household income (people who might have pools). The other mailing uses a very specific mailing list that includes only people known to own pools.
Even though the cost of the qualified/targeted list was $1,000 more than the generic list, the net result was an increase of $14,000 in net profit-a pretty good return on the investment! While no one will guarantee that your response rates will go from 0.5% to 2% it is indisputable that-all other things being equal-a targeted list will out-pull a generic list every time.
Regardless of whether your marketing efforts include direct mail, email, or social media, a huge factor in your success hinges on talking to the right audience.
For a reputable mailing list for direct mail company contact becky@snappackmail.com