Direct Mail Marketing

If you have ever searched for a mailing list manager to help with your company’s direct mail marketing efforts, you know there are quite a lot available on the internet these days. In order to maximize the effectiveness of your email or postal ad efforts, you need to not only choose a mailing list manager with the best and most highly-targeted lists, but also one that offers additional assistance in your quest for success.

There is no reason to skimp on professionalism and quality when it comes to picking a list broker. Before you select a content data pack, place an order, and start your advertising campaign, there are three main questions you should ask the mailing list companies on your short list of possibilities.

What Makes You Better Than Other Mailing List Companies?

Every company is prepared to toot its own horn, but the qualities they list should sound more impressive than alternatives if you have done your homework. The decision about which mailing list manager to choose should not be taken lightly. They will get a considerable chunk of your marketing audience budget and a large part of your success depends on the product and service they provide.

Beware companies that use too many slick come-ons and offer too many discounts the minute you start asking questions. While the initial thought of great savings and promises of “Better! Faster! More!” may seem enticing, they should also feel a bit too good to be true. Just as you should design a B2B direct mail marketing piece that focuses on facts and verifiable benefits to the customer or client, list brokers should also focus on precise data that provides something you need.

Among the other characteristics mailing list companies may describe themselves as having, some important ones to look for include:

• Professional contacts in multiple industries
• Full compliance with all communications rules and regulations, both online and offline
• Years of experience successfully working with a variety of companies
• Quality sources for all contact information they sell or rent
• A precise system in place to check the currency and correctness of the data
• Customer service representatives of list managers ready to assist you
• Information or a knowledge base about direct marketing
• Solutions to offer if you receive excessive undeliverable mail errors

Everything a company says about itself should always be verified against other sources. When you find that a mailing list manager operates with honesty and transparency, you can feel confident that you made the right choice for sourcing B2B contact information.

How Do You Get the Name and Contact Information On Your Mailing Lists?

People who know little about the direct mail marketing industry may think you can simply search for the Yellow Pages or a business directory online and copy down all the addresses you find. While this is technically possible, the results you get from sending out a postcard or letter to these companies will probably be dismal. Also, you will have wasted a lot of time doing all this legwork for yourself.

A professional direct mailing list provider should tell you exactly how they compile the information in each list they sell. Do they work from professional organization membership databases? Perhaps they get business data from corporate reports, industry groups, or government records. These are all viable and deliver a much more highly-targeted list than simply perusing an outdated online directory.

Piggybacked on the questions of where they get the business information they offer is how they oversee it. In this modern world of startups that fizzle out before their first year is through, layoffs and downsizing, quick job changes, and industry upheaval, it has become increasingly difficult to find the name and specific address of the exact person who will influence buying decisions in a company or corporation.

Mailing list companies must stay on top of this information if they wish to be competitive and deliver the best possible service to the B2B marketers who buy or rent their lists. The data must be verified when it is added to each list. Then, it must be periodically rechecked for accuracy and deliverability. Any obsolete information should be removed and new details should replace it.

Ask the mailing list companies how they accomplish these necessary goals. Another excellent question that coincides with these topics is if the list broker guarantees a certain percentage of deliverability. While it is impossible to ensure 100% deliverable business postal or email addresses at all times, the number should be quite high.

Can You Offer Any Other Benefits for My B2B Company?

A business to business list brokerage is in business to sell or rent you contact information for your own marketing efforts. This is their specialty, and you cannot expect them to also offer direct mail or email design consultations or services, or marketing guidance.

The best mailing list companies, such as Bethesda List Center, offer more value and strive to provide additional options for businesses who need more than just a list of contact information. Having a convenient solution for all your direct mail marketing needs helps you save time.

Extras such as design assistance, email or newsletter templates, and even delivery might be available. Sending out 1000+ emails with your website server could cause problems with the provider or eat up bandwidth. Some list mailing list companies will send your marketing message to the list you rented from their own server to save you the hassle or any possible website glitches and downtime. This service usually comes complete with analysis and tracking of results.

Complete mailing list manager services for companies who have their own lists is just one of these features. Selling or renting out your list of contacts might be an excellent way to make more money as long as you get permission to do this from your customers and clients. Everything from sales or rentals to deliver and payment processing can be handled for you.

In conclusion…

For marketing leads, both postal direct mail and email marketing remain quite popular in the business to business marketing field. A multitude of factors goes into each campaign’s success. These include the product or service your company is offering, the graphic design quality of the mailer, and your advertising message and call to action. All of these things come directly from how you run your company and who you have designing your marketing materials.

One of the most important factors in the quest for a high return on your marketing investment is the quality of the contact information you send the mailer to. When you first begin searching through the many mailing list companies available, ask them the three questions outlined above. Positive, honest, and specific answers will help you find a direct mail marketing list manager who can help you achieve that success your company deserves.