What’s the most important part of a DM campaign? The Mailing List, period!
There are many parts that make up a successful direct mail campaign, but the most important has to be the mailing list. In fact, I know it is.
Why am I so sure about this? Well, you can have the most effective offer in the world, the best marketing plans, the finest printing, but none of this means anything if you don’t have someone to mail your offer to. You see, the mailing list is not just a list, it is your market.
One of the most common mistakes direct marketers are making today, I believe, is ignoring this fact. Remember, while a well written and designed mail piece may pull double the response than the average mail piece, a good or great list could pull 5-10 times more with that same average mail piece.
The best and most important mailing list is your House list. These are the customers who have purchased or responded to your mailings and they are the bread and butter of your campaigns. A house list typically provides double the response and revenue than an outside rental list, so treat it with care and attention and be strategic with your approach to these house customers.
When renting outside lists, you must be attentive to the list description, usage and recency of the data. Whoever you use as your list broker, may it be JR Direct or another agency, they can advise you on suitable mailing lists for your campaign based on your criteria. You should ask for a list recommendation. They may not always find you the best lists, but they should find you the right lists, among which there may be a few great ones. The list recommendation is a free service so take advantage of this, it’s all part and parcel of the service of finding you the right lists.
The mailing list is the lifeline that feeds your program, so you must treat it with the utmost importance in order to make your direct mail campaign a true success. For more information on mailing lists or for your free list recommendation, go to List Services.
