Mail lists introduction
While traditional advertising like magazine ads or billboards can be helpful in introducing your company's offerings to a wide audience, tracking actual results can be difficult. Direct marketing is often an effective way to connect with potential new customers in a measurable way. Mailing list brokers serve as your guide to this world, providing relevant lists of prospects for your marketing efforts.
Mailing list brokers provide contact information for businesses and people at home and at work so you can market to them. For example, they can help you get a list of businesses or consumers who have purchased products or services similar to yours, or who fall into the demographic profile or income range you're trying to reach.
This guide will help you understand how mailing list brokers work, how pricing works, and how you can make sure you're getting a legitimate mailing list from a reputable broker.
Response lists vs. compiled lists
Most mailing list brokers actually get their lists through mailing list owners. Some owners simply manage huge databases of information for tens of millions of consumers and businesses. These ‘’’compiled list’’ databases are populated with information collected from various sources such as telephone directories, credit bureaus, and annual reports.
Other mailing list owners have more targeted databases containing detailed information from people who have either inquired about a particular product or service, or permitted companies to contact them. These ‘’response lists’’ can range from people who subscribe to a specific magazine to people who have completed and returned their product warranty card.
How fresh is the list?
While brokers can't guarantee how much business a mailing list will generate, the ‘’deliverability’’ - the percentage of names that actually reach their intended recipient - is crucial. List owners constantly add new data and prune outdated information to keep their lists accurate. The industry standard for deliverability is roughly 92 percent.
- Article by Wale Bello
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