Advice from the experts: Direct Mail Lists

As any small business owner knows, having a successful direct mail marketing strategy is incredibly important. With a robust direct mail marketing strategy, you can generate leads, revenue, and repeat customers that will keep your business growing.

One of the most difficult aspects of a direct mail marketing campaign is finding a mailing list that will reach your target audience. You want your direct mail postcards to reach consumers who will say, “That’s exactly what I need,” when they get your business’ special offer.

What if you don’t even know your target audience for a direct mail marketing campaign?
What if you can’t figure out which segment you should be targeting?
What if you waste valuable resources targeting the wrong people and communities?

This is why having a direct mail list that is built on data, whether it be firmographic (based on businesses), psychographic (based on consumer hobbies and interests), or demographic (based on general consumer traits) is the key to success.

At Stitch To My Lue Promotions, we have years of experience running direct mail marketing campaigns in the Tampa and Florida Gulf Coast regions. We understand that building a direct mail marketing campaign can be difficult, which is why we are here to help. If you want to learn more, visit our website to contact Stitch To My Lue Promotions or to receive our direct mail information kit.

1. Who is Your Target Audience?

Before you visit a mail list broker, or you start a saturation mailing campaign, you should understand who your target audience is. By understanding what kind of customers you want, you can find them with greater ease and have a more successful direct mail marketing campaign.

Chances are, if you are selling a B2B product or service, you may not want to send your direct mail postcards to residential areas. Alternatively, if you are selling a B2C product or service, you don’t want to target commercial or industrial areas.

In these two examples, notice how we are segmenting based on geographic locations? This is just one way to determine who your target audience is.

Let’s go back to our B2B product or service. Let’s say your product is designed for athletes. You might consider doing some psychographic or firmographic segmenting to determine which businesses cater to specific hobbies and activities. Once you figure this out, you can start compiling a list of businesses that are more likely to convert from your direct mail marketing than a geographically targeted business.

2. Using a House List for Direct Mail Marketing

Many businesses collect information on their customers, so they can keep track of orders, or correctly identify them for returns or recalls. Developing a house list is a completely separate topic, but using your house list is a great place to start for your direct mail marketing campaign.

Why?

Your house list represents people who purchased your goods or services before, are still purchasing your goods or services, or have inquired about your goods or services. While each segment is at a different stage in the conversion funnel, they all have one unifying factor: they know of your business.

When someone on your house list receives a direct mail postcard that includes a special offer, they are more likely to convert on that offer because they have familiarity with the business. Comparatively, if you start your direct mail marketing campaign on a geographic segment who has little familiarity with your business, it will be significantly harder to convert these customers to your business.

3. Buying a Mail List and Free Mail Lists

Some businesses have the capital to purchase or rent a mail list to start off their direct mail marketing campaign. Alternatively, some businesses may not have a house list or they need a specialized list to generate fresh and new leads.

Buying a list can be incredibly expensive, and it is usually recommended that businesses rent a mailing list, especially if this the first direct mail marketing campaign. When renting a direct mail list, there are two types to consider: compiled direct mail lists and response direct mail lists.

A compiled direct mail list is the cheaper option of the two. This is because these lists use information like magazine subscriptions, phone records, government databases, and other larger data points to compile possible consumers. These lists often create fewer conversions and lower returns.

A response list is a more targeted, nuanced list that is more expensive to rent than a compiled direct mail list. The response list is made up of customers who have inquired, purchased, or subscribed to services and goods similar to your business’s. While more expensive, response lists are made of consumers who have responded, converted, or inquired about businesses similar to yours.

Stitch To My Lue Promotion’s Direct Mail Information Kit

If you want to learn more about direct mail marketing or you are interested in creating your own direct mail marketing campaign, be sure to contact us today and sign up for Stitch To My Lue Promotion’s direct mail information kit. When you sign up, you’ll be able to get advice from an industry expert who can guide your strategy and game planning. Contact us now for more information!