| Solving the Do-Not-Mail Bills with Common Business | | | | Mailing lists, correctly targeted, can make the |
| Sense | | | | difference in a mediocre promotional campaign to a |
| The right direct mailing list targets people who want | | | | wildly successful promotional campaign. It really just |
| your product or service. | | | | depends on what you are willing to have - success or |
| The wrong list fails to target people who would want | | | | mediocrity. So which is it? |
| to buy from you - and it is costly. In fact, this is what | | | | Direct Mail and Do-Not-Mail Bills |
| people refer to as 'junk mail'. It is junk because it is mail | | | | As I have just said, the road to success with direct |
| that is not relevant to the people it is mailed to and | | | | mail is careful selection of one's mailing list. With that in |
| does not take into account their buying habits. | | | | mind 'junk mail' would virtually fall by the way side. The |
| The direct mail mailing list is a key factor in a | | | | recent Do-Not-Mail bills attempting to thwart |
| successful direct mail marketing campaign and a major | | | | businesses and direct mailers from reaching out to |
| point to consider in small business marketing strategies | | | | potential customers is the main reason why targeted |
| where marketing ROI (Return On Investment) is a key | | | | lists are so vital in the fight to cut out junk mail. |
| concern. | | | | Ten states have recently introduced Do-Not-Mail bills in |
| What really makes your direct mail marketing and | | | | their state legislatures indicating that consumers are |
| advertising campaign successful? | | | | fed up with junk mail. If these bills are passed, a |
| The biggest single factor in the success of your direct | | | | company wanting to send un-requested mail to |
| mail marketing strategy is who you send your mailings | | | | consumers would need to buy an updated copy of the |
| to. | | | | state's Do-Not-Mail list and check it against their own |
| You need a list. | | | | mailing lists - adding unwanted workload to businesses |
| This can be: a list of existing customers or prospects | | | | that will curtail productivity in response to government |
| who have inquired as a result of any of your | | | | red tape. |
| marketing efforts or a list which you purchase or in | | | | This in turn will have a severe negative impact on a |
| some cases obtain for free. | | | | state's economic development as it will be a nightmare |
| The mailing list must contain the names of people who | | | | to the small business owner, who already is fighting |
| are likely to be interested in the benefits of your | | | | government red tape, payroll taxes and the like - not |
| products or services. | | | | to mention trying to run a company in the black while |
| Don't try and sell beer to the Temperance Society or | | | | keeping his staff productive and customers happy. |
| real estate to people who cannot afford it. You have | | | | Junk mail is mail that is not directed to a specifically |
| to target your direct mail marketing efforts. | | | | targeted mailing list. Consumers do not mind receiving |
| What kinds of lists are available? | | | | mail promoting products and services they need - that |
| The four basic kinds of lists that you can use are (you | | | | is 'direct mail'...there is a difference. |
| can use all four): | | | | When unsolicited direct mail (junk mail) overpowers |
| 1. Your own list of prospects and customers. This is a | | | | targeted direct mail consumers begin to complain. |
| list that you collected with your own personal | | | | Which brings me to the fourth kind of list... |
| marketing efforts. This is known as a house list. These | | | | 4. A highly exacting segmented list based on hi-tech |
| people are most likely to respond to your offers, | | | | systems analysis that can define key prospects for a |
| because they have responded in the past. | | | | business for purposes of hitting the mark in marketing. |
| 2. A response list is a list of people that have actually | | | | This precise technology, which in the past was saved |
| done something. They have either purchased | | | | only for large corporations but is now available to the |
| something from the people who put together the list or | | | | small business owner, finally gives businesses and |
| inquired in response to some offer or asked to be on | | | | entrepreneurs the ability to micro-target their market |
| the list. They have some level of interest in the topic or | | | | for extreme results. |
| purpose of the list. | | | | One can access very specific information about any |
| These people have not previously responded to you, | | | | company's consumer client base with information that |
| but they have responded to someone in a related | | | | goes way beyond the standard criteria of age, income |
| area (if you have purchased a correctly targeted list) | | | | and gender used in list purchasing. |
| so you know they are at least warm. | | | | Imagine if a customer base can be broken down into |
| This is a direct mail mailing list you can purchase from | | | | 70 different segments and upon doing so, one learns |
| the owner of the list (such as a magazine or | | | | that 30% fall into one segment, 20% into another and |
| company) or a list broker. | | | | the other 50% is spread across the remaining 68 |
| 3. A compiled list is a list of people who were selected | | | | segments. Why mail to the micro percentages that fall |
| to be on the list because they possess the | | | | into the other 68 when one can hit the 50% most likely |
| characteristics that you asked the list broker to screen | | | | to purchase? |
| for. | | | | One can learn the spending and saving habits of one's |
| Examples of characteristics used to target correctly | | | | customers along with details like what they enjoy |
| may include age, sex, geographic location, income level, | | | | reading and where they like to travel. Then an analysis |
| etc. These are more fixed characteristics than | | | | is done with all that info and the geo-demographics of |
| response list characteristics, which are behavioral | | | | that client base so that one can really find his/her |
| characteristics. | | | | exact market and promote only to them. |
| Case study: California based Sun Pacific Mortgage's | | | | Using technology like this increases response and ROI |
| Forest Tardibuono found a great way to get the right | | | | [Return On Investment]. |
| direct mail mailing list for his company which has a | | | | Targeted mail lists are key in handling problems such |
| very successful direct mail marketing strategy based | | | | as Do-Not-Mail bills. Bills such as these are only |
| on postcards and direct mail mailing lists. | | | | arbitrary solutions which will only become a bigger |
| "The title companies give us the mailing labels free. I'll | | | | problem down the road. |
| tell them we want all the homeowners in 95401 which | | | | Studies show that 70 percent of the US population |
| is a zip we get most of our business from. So they'll | | | | prefers direct mail to email or phone calls. However, in |
| give us the mailing labels of anyone who is a | | | | order for it to be 'direct mail' it must 'direct' its message |
| homeowner from that lists. It saves money on labels | | | | to people whom it is relevant and their purchasing |
| and mailing lists. They'll even limit searches to specific | | | | habits. |
| categories such as all homeowners from that zip that | | | | The moral of the story is: Don't stop marketing |
| got a loan from certain companies and they'll do the | | | | because the government threatens to cut your life line |
| search according to that so I can really target the | | | | (communication to your potential prospects). Market! |
| public so that the mailing will be more effective." | | | | But get a list - a targeted list. And have success. |