All About Mailing Lists

OK. The title of this article may be a bit misleading. You should have titled “Some things about the mailing list”. In fact, I don't intend to cover everything about the mailing list.

Too much to cover. Today we will cover the basics.

Therefore, if you are not familiar with direct mail, understand that this article is simple.

Are you ready?

What is a mailing list?

fair enough. Most simply, these are names that represent the target market. In other words, it is the person you send your sales pitch or offer.

type: Believe it or not, you can choose different types of mailing lists. And you must be very careful. In fact, one of the most reliable places to start a list search is the SRDS direct mail list source book.

Pros of this business don't want to admit it, but it's better to have a good list and a poor product with "OK" writing skills, with a hot product sent to the wrong list Better than being a copywriter.

As you can see, this is very important.

Let's look at the most common types.

Edited . These lists of names are usually collected from various resources such as phone books, public records, directories, court records, and investigations. These lists are usually the least productive.

Subscriber . As the name suggests, these lists are exactly what they say ... subscribers like magazines and newsletters. These lists are not as powerful as the actual "buyers" list, but are great for sending offers.

buyer . These consist of real people who purchased from the company. For example, the purchaser of Gurney's Seed & Nursey Catalog is a list of all people who have purchased from the catalog. As you can see, these are some of the best names you can email. But there is another type that can be emailed to the absolutely most useful list if processed correctly and this list is called ...

House . This is a buyer list. And definitely the most profitable asset you can have. If you don't have a list of houses, you need to create a list of houses from today!

the term

Describes mailing list terminology. This is useful when searching for mailing lists to rent.

First of all, when you get a mailing list, you rent it, not buy it. Usually rented for one-time use. In some cases, create other terms such as unlimited use.

List broker Compare with real estate agents. He buyer . on the other hand, List manager [I think I'm a real estate agent again], except that he represents seller .

Most good mail-order companies are able to rent names. It is a great source of extra income and they do nothing to turn a fresh name into a list manager every month.

So now you are coming together, borrowing a mailing list and trying to sell your stuff to customers or subscribers.

Data card A list of lists. That is, it summarizes details about the mailing list. There are many details on data cards, but here are a few highlights. By the way, list brokers should be able to provide all the information you need. Just listen.

Last update . This is the date that the list added a new name to the file. You should make sure that the list is updated frequently and that the latest names are available.

List cost . This is a list rental fee. Costs are in the thousands and range from $ 100 per $ 1,000 to over $ 200 per $ 1000. Keep in mind that the more targeted the list, the higher the cost.

Sales unit The average amount of individuals spent on the mailing list. We recommend that you get a list of sales units that are comparable to yours.

List source . This tells you the origin of the name. For example, the name can be generated from:

the Internet

Direct mail or direct mail sales

Wireless

TV set

Print [space advertisement, magazine, newspaper, classified advertisement, etc.]

Compiled [from public records, warranty card, etc.]

Participant [from meeting or meeting]

Segment / Select . This gives you the option to choose a name based on region, gender, or other demographics.

List description A personal summary on the list.

Continue / Use List . This provides invaluable details that can help you decide whether to rent a list. This tells you which other mailers used the list. In many cases, you can separate the person who tested the list from the person who continued the list.

So if you have a mailer who has continued to test the list under consideration and that suggestion is yours, it is quite possible that the list will work.

Now that we ’ve covered some aspects of the mailing list, let ’s take a look at the surface. Call a list broker and ask a question. Request a data card and investigate. I will also help.

Until next time.

Yours for greater profits.