Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Hey there,

A couple of things to look for are:

How often is their data cleaned/updated?
How is their data compiled?
What is their deliverability rate?
Are they compliant with the CANSPAM/do not call list?

Congrats by the way, on being smart enough to know that a combination campaign is much more effective.

Let me know if you need any additional details.

Hope this helps!

Kris

In addition to what Kris said:

1) What other kinds of companies have used this list, and what have they used it for?

2) How frequently does the list owner rent/sell the list? (a way of telling whether the list is being over-used).

Also, good email lists tend to be very expensive (especially b to b lists, which can be upwards of $300 per thousand names), so choose carefully.

Hello,

There are over 73,000 mailing list on the market today. Thanks to the internet it makes it very hard for end users like your self navigate thru all the choices.

First you must have a Crystal clear picture of what your ideal client looks like. It starts by examining your existing customer base for the answers. This applies for both consumer and B2B offers. What is their income, age, sex, industry, geography, etc. Develop a profile of what they look like.

Questions to ask:

Ask for a data card which is a description of the file and describes the source of the data, how often it is update, selections, pricing etc. Ask for usage on the file. What you want to do here is look at what companies are coming back to use the file. They should list it as test and continuation usage. Look for companies that are selling a similar product to yours. If there is no continuation usage or they will not provide it, don't use the list. ideally you want to select a list that the source of the names are derived by direct response. What this means is that that they have purchased of responded to an offer. If you are doing direct mail you want them to be direct mail responsive and the same for email or telemarketing.

(Consumer telemarketing) You must register for the do not call list. If you are not register the list owner should not provide you with phone numbers. If they will, look for another list.

Direct response lists are a lot smaller in depth and reach than compiled files. If you are geographical restricted, direct response lists may not make sense for you. Geography dictates the source of the files open to you. If you are marketing to one or two zip codes then compiled is you only option and email is out of the question.

Not all compiled files are bad, you just need to know how to select them properly to improve response rates.

I recommend you look for a list broker that has experience in your field. A list brokers fee is paid by the list owner so it does not cost you more money to use one. It will actually save you money and time. Ask if they are a list manager or broker. These titles are often confussed. A list manager represents a few list owners so they will push their own lists on them. A list broker has access to all of the lists that are on the market. There #1 objective is to make your mailing/email/telemarketing successful so you will continue to do DM with them.

Since you have never mailed or done Dm before everything you do is considered a test. A good list broker will guild you thru the process.

For email, look for publications that match your audience. With email you need to be right on target because you have 2 second to get their attention. You don't want an email file that is made up of 1000's of websites!! You will have better success with one highly focused site that doesn't offer prized to join. Data is data. Garbage in garbage out.



Sorry for the book but I hope this helps.

Thank you

Tom

Following Tom's post and in reference to direct response lists, first look for lists where there were purchases involved. Most lists comprise those who registered to a website or signed up for a free product. Paid subscription lists are your best shot. There will be far fewer of these, but obviously they will be of much higher value; they'll probably cost more, too.

I would stay away from any kind of compiled list in the email environment, at least for your initial efforts.

You will not be given the email list if you go thru a legit broker. The broker will deploy themselves or employ a trusted 3rd party to deploy the campaign for you--you submit your creative email to them. So that cost is either included in the Cost Per Thousand (CPM) or listed as a separate additional CPM or a flat fee. Either way, it can bring your total rental cost for the best lists to $400/M, or higher.

Therefore, as others have pointed out, follow their advice, thoroughly vet the list and choose wisely.