When you're looking to create direct mailing lists, the key is to really dig in and do your research. You may never achieve a 100% response rate, but you can get closer if you understand the people you're communicating with. If you want to run a solid direct mail campaign, we'll give you a few tips on how to get started.
Marketing today is all about personalization. Customers don't necessarily want to be told about every sale or promotion, they want to be told about the specials that they actually care about. This is a major shift in marketing, one that not all businesses have been able to keep pace with.
When a company takes the time to understand the individual, they stand a better chance of connecting with them. Your mailing lists may need to be segmented to different audiences far more than you realize if you're looking to increase your response rate.
There are a few reasons why having the wrong people on your list is problematic for a company:
There are two ways to label your list, depending on what you do and who you serve.
The first thing you need to do is identify your key buyer personas — most companies will have several based on their sales. If your primary persona is women over 50 who have high-flying careers, your secondary persona might be women under 50 who aspire to appear ultra-successful. Start defining the criteria you want to use to sort out your customers:
Once you have all this information and you've triple-checked it's accuracy, you can really start to see how each customer will want to be spoken to (and what they ultimately want to hear).
The most common way to personalize a message is to include the person's name somewhere other than the address line. However, you can take this concept further than that. Consider specifying the recipient's gender or family status. For example, you might start your direct mailer with "As a working mom...". You can also send out reminders to people, letting them know that they're due for another appointment or to replace a specific product.
Personalizing a message on direct mailing lists may have been cost-prohibitive in the past, but this has changed in the recent past. Between the popularity of this request and the technology available, you can tweak your messages to have maximum impact without canceling out your revenue with the cost of the personalization features.
The best way to improve your buyer persona is to sift through the data to learn as much as possible about them. The best mailing lists — whether in-house or outside — are those that find a way to merge a variety of data into the most comprehensive profile. You already know something about the people who want to purchase from you. What you may not know is that there are plenty of look-alikes out there who are just as interested — they just don't know about you yet! Once you have the persona down, those audiences will be far easier to find.
Yes. In 2016, the retail brand Target made headlines for being able to detect when a customer was pregnant — sometimes before the woman's family even knew about it! This can sometimes be perceived as a little overbearing, as though a major corporation is watching your every move. However, as a general rule, people appreciate information they can use rather than useless ads that only add to the recycling bins of the world.
There are two key types of direct mailing lists:
The range of purchased lists can be pretty spread out. A saturated mailing list that contains little more than information you can find in a phone book may only cost a penny a name. A carefully compiled list that lists only those who have purchased related products or services in the past can cost up to $2.50 (or more) a name. Experts recommend shopping around and choosing your list based on the quality of the information — not the quantity or cost.
Lists typically fall into two standard categories:
You'll really only know the list is viable once you actually run your campaign and see the results for yourself. However, there are a few questions you can ask to find the best direct mailing list services Charlotte, NC:
Ideally, you're looking for a company that updates their lists at least once a month, and who uses every avenue available to cross-check their data. You should also ask what kind of discounts the company offers based on how many names you use or how many times you use a list.
Some companies will allow you to test the list with a handful of people before you actually buy the full list. However, this will typically mean paying a premium.
It truly depends on the business. Some businesses primarily want to maintain their business rather than grow it. The house list is free and can encourage stronger bonds between you and your customers. However, most businesses are using direct mail as a way to generate new business. The right outside list can give you access to customers that you may never even considered before. It can turn your business onto a new demographic who will ultimately double your revenue.
The best way to grow your house list is to either step up your referral game in a big way or to use outside lists to augment your house list. If you want to improve the information you have on your existing customers, consider sending short surveys to them about their buying habits and needs. This is a great way to both serve your customers and identify upselling opportunities at the same time.
You also need to commit to updating your list fairly often. People can move, change phone numbers, or retire in the blink of an eye. If you're not keeping track of these events, you'll end up wasting your time and money while annoying the very customers you wanted to reconnect with.
Experts recommend doing whatever you need to do to stand out. This doesn't mean flashy gimmicks or repetitive offers though. Customers like it when they're given a simple message and a clear action. If your first piece of mail did little more than introduce the main highlight of your company (e.g., we're more environmentally friendly than competitors, etc.), you might be surprised at just how effective this tiny piece of information can be.
If it's still unclear exactly how to first dive into your mailing list, marketing experts recommend starting with your number one product or service. Consider why this product or service is so popular, and what your customers really respond to it. Your customers are looking for direct solutions to problems they're experiencing today, or they're looking for a little intrigue on a product or service they didn't even realize they wanted.
Yes. Running several campaigns with different mailers across different segments of your list is the best (some would say only) way to understand how you can use your lists correctly. Again, testing starts with having the right data and not making assumptions about your customers. Just because a person is a millionaire doesn't mean that that want to show off their wealth, so it may not be practical to start off with that message.
Boingo Graphics understands what it takes to master direct mail lists. If you're looking for the best direct mail list providers, contact us today to learn more about our services. From start to finish, we give you all the input you need to start making a splash with your marketing efforts. No matter how saturated or niche your industry is, there are ways to inspire loyalty in people you've never made contact with before. Let us show you how!