In the world of direct mail marketing, messaging, graphics and tactile elements are important… we think of them as the Queen of the campaign. But a good, high quality list is – and always will be – King.
A good list is critical for direct mail success
Why is the mailing list so important?
Your campaign may include the most compelling offer, or incorporate unbelievably cool creative, but if it goes to the wrong group of people, or it’s deemed undeliverable by the USPS, it’s a total waste of valuable marketing resources.
Do your direct mail marketing efforts a service and treat your list like royalty. It will return the favor by increasing your organization’s direct marketing efforts effectiveness for years to come. Here are a few tips:
- Check for incorrect information. Mis-spelled names and incorrect personal titles (Mr. vs. Mrs.) are a common issue with lists. Have you ever received a nice personalized direct mail piece that “talked” to you on a first name basis and made you feel special? Personalized mail is proven to be more effective than non-personalized, but if you’ve got a mis-spelled name or incorrect personal title, it’s worse than receiving non-personalized mail… hands down!
- Keep your database information consistent. Always, ALWAYS put the information in the proper columns of your spreadsheet. “First name” in the first name column, “Last name” in the last name column, etc. ALWAYS (sorry, but this bears repeating!) Mail merges and personalization of content will only work if this is correct. Placing your data consistently in the correct columns is also a simple way to identify and remove duplicate names on your list, or to see what information you might be missing. If you are gathering more data about your customers like birthdays, preferences, buying habits, etc., just create additional columns. Whether you use it or not it will give you the ability to harness this info and provide truly customized marketing campaigns both in print and email.
- Check for moves. Businesses, families, and plenty of individuals move all the time. Running your list against the USPS National Move database to ensure higher mailing deliverability. It won’t eliminate all undeliverable mail, but odds are good if 5% get rejected after a good cleaning, you would have likely seen 10% rejection without it. Work with a direct mail professional to get this service done.
- Purchase lists wisely. If you don’t have a list or want to grow your existing list quickly, purchasing names is the way to go. But here’s where quality is critical, so work with a professional marketing service provider like RAD Graphics to ensure you’re getting good high quality information. Demographics can be provided to generate a list, or predictive modeling can be used on an existing list to find prospects just like the qualified names that already exist on your list. Have names but no emails? Phone numbers and emails can be added to any existing list for integrated marketing efforts.