I don’t have to convince any marketers why a good list is important to a mailing. However, I doubt I am the only one that has received a completely irrelevant piece of mail from time to time.
Recently my family booked a cruise with a major cruise line. No sooner did the charge clear on my credit card that I began to receive brochures from several major cruise lines. That seems to be relevant since I am obviously a person who will go on cruises. But perhaps they should have started the mailings a few months or even a year after my cruise. I couldn’t understand why they were trying to sell me a cruise after I just booked one. What was even stranger was that some of mailers came directly from the same cruise line with whom I had just booked!
The motivation for this blog posting came last week when I received five copies of a letter from a major technology company. All of the letters said the exact same thing. This is a large company with a large budget and even they fall victim to a bad list (or bad mailing house.)
What’s ironic about all this is that I receive local mailings and postcards from small companies that are always completely relevant. For example, after we listed our house on the market I received a dozen or so mailers from local moving companies. When my wife first got pregnant and starting seeing a local doctor we started receiving mailings about parenting, insurance, and other adult stuff. Come to think of it, that’s a bit creepy. But it was relevant none the less.
In our business advertisers are making a significant investment in marketing materials that are designed to break through the clutter and get opened. These advertisers are relying on the mailer to perform better than expected because it’s usually something the receiver is not used to seeing; perhaps it’s our ExtendoTM or FlapperTM design; maybe it’s a mailer that makes a noise or has a scent; or maybe it’s a box that pops open and demands attention! Either way, its performance will always be dependant on the strength of the marketer’s list.
Here are some tips for insuring your list is as clean as possible before your mailing:
- Use address verification software, or insure that your mailing provider uses it. This will help update addresses and fix common address errors, such as using “road” instead of “drive.”
- Make sure to include a way for the recipient to update their information or opt out of your mailings; perhaps a special web-based form or a BRC.
- If you don’t already, start to classify your in-house list by interests and ability to buy; 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers, so be sure you know who those folks are.
- If renting a list, try using an industry publication or association list instead of a general broker. You’ll find those lists may be a bit more expensive, but at least you’ll know the names are relevant to your business.
- Always use the option “Address Service Requested” for your mailings. If you are using bulk mail you will be charged at the First Class rate for each piece of mail that is returned to you. Isn’t it worth $.44 to know that someone on your list is no longer there?
Your ability to reach and motivate your target audience will always depend on your offer and, of course, the mailer. However your list is the building block of your campaign and without it, the tower will fall. As for the recent direct mail mishaps that landed at my doorstep, I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the mix up. Maybe the five letters was intentional. It not only broke through the clutter, it was the clutter.
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