Direct mail marketing has been around for over a century. However, for many new entrants in the business world, this mode of promotion is relatively unfamiliar particularly in comparison to online means of marketing. How does mailing list work? What is the role of mailing list broker? Many people still don’t know the answer to such basic questions.
For that matter, in this power post, we will try to focus our discussion on how to deal with mailing list broker to execute a successful direct mail marketing campaign. Before we move to anything else, it will be necessary to shed some light on the position of mailing list broker.
Mailing List Broker: A Link to a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Campaign
Gone are the days when a direct mail marketing campaign could be executed through mailing lists comprised of a general list of addresses. With specialization becoming a norm in everyday life, direct mail marketing has also adapted with time.
Now, you would need targeted mailing lists to carry out direct mail marketing regardless of the type of business you operate. These targeted mailing lists are compiled after extensive groundwork. Several databases are assessed and utilized to distill a targeted mailing list serving a particular niche. You can only get your hands on these specialty mailing lists with the assistance of mailing list broker. In simple words, the role of mailing lists brokers is crucial for direct mail marketing campaigns because:
- They can recommend you the categories of targeted mailing lists that can provide maximum ROI of your direct mail marketing campaigns.
- They can provide you with unique data sets in the form of different mailing lists that you can’t get your hands on otherwise.
Online World has Made the Dealings With Mailing List Brokers Convenient
It is important to understand that direct mail marketing is very receptive to technological progression that is happening around. We have repeatedly discussed how digital and online features can be integrated into a direct mail to make it more valuable. In the same way, dealings with mailing list brokers have also become very convenient, thanks to the internet.
There are many seasoned mailing lists brokers who have shifted their operations to the digital medium. This means you can get in touch with them without going anywhere. With online dealings, half of your direct mail marketing work can be completed from the comfort of your home or office. Let’s find out how online dealings offered by mailing list brokers have made many chores of direct mail marketing really convenient.
Flexibility of Time
With online communications and access to mailing list brokers and their services, you are not bound by time restrictions. You can access and assess the type of targeted mailing list you want in any time slot that is feasible for you in any given day of the week and at any given time of the day. For people who are busy with their day jobs or business-related chores and couldn’t find any time during designated operating hours, this online feature suits them best.
No Need to Go Back and Forth With Salesperson
People hate to interact with business salesperson even if it is important. In dealing with a mailing list broker online, it is not necessary for you to talk to a representative to get access to the databases you want to look into. It will certainly save you a considerable amount of time. However, for people who don’t know much about how all of it works, they can get the assistance of designated representatives of mailing list brokers.
Quick Delivery of Mailing Lists
Since purchasing mailing lists online is intended to provide clients the utmost ease of use, therefore one can also receive the ordered mailings lists within a couple of hours via email. As you can see, how mailing list brokers have made the most of technology to streamline the operations of direct mail marketing.
Online Count System: A Game Changer for Direct Mail Marketing
There are some qualified mailing list brokers out there who have made direct mail marketing a whole lot easier by devising a digital platform called online count system, particularly for all those tech-savvy individuals who want quick results.
It is a web-based platform where one can find all types of specialty databases that constitute different targeted mailing lists. On online count system, one can iterate as many searches as they want to get the list required for their targeted direct mail marketing campaign.
Not only that, you can instantly download the chosen data. Moreover, you can pay for the purchases you make on online count system with the help of secure e-commerce channels. With this online facility, one can practically get their hands on targeted mailing lists within minutes.
Some Fundamentals to Remember While Dealing With Mailing List Brokers
While acquiring targeted mailing lists from a mailing list broker, keep in mind some basics to avoid any hiccups during or after conducting a direct mail marketing campaign.
The Format of Targeted Mailing Lists
You can purchase or rent mailing lists in several different formats. Ask for the format that suits you best. Some of the common mailing list formats that you can order from a mailing list broker are:
Comma-Delimited Text Files
You can get your preferred targeted mailing lists in the form of comma-delimited text files. If you want to devise a customized mailing list on your own, then you can book your order of mailing lists in this format.
Spreadsheets
If you don’t have enough time to sort all of the mail entries, then you can also get the mailing lists compiled on MS Excel spreadsheets. You can instantly use them to print labels.
Readymade Labels
If you don’t want to format mail labels on your own, then you have the choice to go with readymade options. Mailing list brokers also offer mailing lists that are already formatted on MS word on the template of mailing labels. With this formatting, you can directly print the mailing lists and append them on your direct mail. You can also order these mailing lists format in printed form for more convenience. Moreover, you can discuss a customized mailing list format as well with your mailing list broker.
Using Rented Mailing lists
There is another important thing that everyone should know while conducting direct mail marketing and dealing with mailing list brokers i.e. one can either rent or purchase mailing lists.
With purchased targeted mailing lists, you can iterate as many direct mail marketing campaigns as you want. However, when you are renting the lists, you are not allowed to use the given entries more than once. All those businesses that don’t use rented mailing lists according to the rules can meet these consequences.
- They will receive a penalty of extra payment for overusing a rented list.
- Mailing list brokers can rescind their contract resulting in a bad business reputation in the industry.
To ensure rented mailing lists are not used more than once, mailing list brokers plant some seeding recipients in the lists.
Dealing With Mailing List Brokers for Improved List Hygiene
For people who already own a mailing list but not sure about how useful it is for marketing purposes, they can get the services of mailing list brokers to find this out. With their resources, mailing list brokers can find out how ‘hygienic’ a mailing list is. To sum up, any mailing list with least amount of inactive addresses is considered of good hygiene.
By employing multiple techniques, mailing list brokers can actually refurbish the old mailing lists to improve their hygiene. Let’s have a look on some of the most commonly used methods.
Processing the Mailing List Through NCOA
Most of the mailing lists brokers use National Change of Address (NCOA) database to improve the hygiene of any given mailing list. This database is comprised of the record of the change of address (commercial and residential both) reported in last four years. By processing the given mailing list through NCOA database, a mailing list can witness an improvement of 5 percent on average.
Conducting Merging/Purging
Mailing list brokers can cross-check the given mailing lists with their own sets of databases to ‘purge’ the lists of dormant entries and ‘merge’ the ones that are not there before. This practice significantly improves the hygiene of any mailing list.
It is imperative to use mailing lists that have undergone the process of hygiene maintenance for two major reasons.
- To limit the cost of your campaign by not sending out the mail to inactive recipients
- To score better lead generation rate from your direct mail marketing campaign
Role of Mailing List Brokers in ROI Optimization of Marketing Campaign
The success of every promotional campaign regardless of its nature is gauged through its return on investment (ROI) and direct mail marketing is no different. Therefore, it is the job of every business to consciously and proactively take care of the ROI of direct mail marketing campaign while conducting it.
For all those ventures that are new to the game, mailing list brokers play an integral role for better ROIs of direct mail campaigns. Helping clients in optimizing their marketing campaigns is the value addition offered by professional mailing list brokers. There are several ways in which mailing lists brokers help businesses in optimizing their marketing ROIs without charging a buck.
Educational Webinars
To educate their clients for best practices of direct mail marketing (how to use targeted mailing lists, how to devise a cost-effective mailing list etc.), mailing list brokers arrange webinars.
Blogs and Articles
Some seasoned mailing lists have created an entire dedicated blog section to spread awareness regarding direct mail marketing. You can find a sizable amount of valuable information there that can help you with ROI optimization of your marketing campaigns.
ROI Calculator
To be more precise with ROIs, mailing lists brokers also offer free services of ROI calculations to their clients. ROI calculations can help businesses to improve the results of direct marketing with each passing campaign.
Targeted Mailing Lists: The Real Strength of Mailing List Brokers
A wide range of updated targeted mailing list is what differentiates a good broker from others. These specialized mailing lists are useful for the direct mail promotion of every type of venture no matter how small and large it is. Let’s try to understand this characteristic of targeted mailing lists with an example.
Ailment mailing lists contain the records of self-reported patients. Mailing list brokers further categorize this data as per different medical conditions. The finalized form of these ailment mailing lists can help drug distribution centers in devising their B2B communications. On the other hand, the same set of data can be used by local pharmacies to devise their advertising campaigns. In addition, ailment mailing lists also contain the information that can be used by businesses that deal in medical equipment.
You can see how a single targeted mailing list can be utilized by dissimilar business structures for their direct marketing campaigns. Like this, there are more than a dozen targeted mailing lists along with their different sub-categories that can be used to promote almost all business niches.
Concluding Remarks
All the above discussion proves that one can’t do successful direct mail marketing without the help of a good mailing list broker. Partnering with a mailing list broker is essential for the marketing process that is centered on direct mail.
Furthermore, one can also see how digital domain has helped businesses effectively and conveniently deal with a mailing list broker. One can actually carry half of the chores of a marketing campaign by dealings with mailing list brokers online.
If you are planning on boosting your sales through direct mail promotion, then get in touch with a professional mailing list broker first thing. With their products in the form of targeted mailing lists and their services in the shape of professional guidance and advice, you can devise a successful direct mail marketing campaign.
